GIS Day was first observed in 1999. The explosion of geospatial technology since then has expanded that idea into a global event that shows how geography and the real-world applications of GIS are making a difference in business, education, government and society. It's a day where organizations are encouraged to share their accomplishments and inspire others to discover and use GIS.

UMBC Sustainability is proud to join hundreds of organizations worldwide in celebrating the impactful work of GIS professionals and serving to ignite the imagination of the future innovators who will further advance global progress using GIS.

For more information on how UMBC Sustainability is innovating through the application of GIS, visit https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/1e1176bdb10b4c04b752043fe9063ad4/

GIS is a popular tool to use for sustainability and planning as humanity seeks to maximize the efficiency of the environment around us and protect what needs to be protected while maintaining health and jobs in the modern economy. People who work in Sustainability know that many disparate elements must come together in order to keep the mechanics of the world around us functioning in the way we want it to function.  

UMBC’s Office of Sustainability is proud to incorporate GIS solutions in its work. The UMBC community has access to over 20 GIS based tools to explore, analyze, and quantify sustainability on campus.

We invite you to visit UMBC’s Sustainability GIS Hub to experience the magic of GIS: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/1e1176bdb10b4c04b752043fe9063ad4/

For additional Digital GIS Day resources please visit https://www.gisday.com/en-us/virtual/digital-celebration

The National Risk Index is a new, online mapping application from FEMA that identifies communities most at risk to 18 natural hazards. This application visualizes natural hazard risk metrics and includes data about expected annual losses, social vulnerabilities and community resilience. 

The National Risk Index's interactive web maps are at the county and census tract level and made available via geographic information system (GIS) feature services for custom analyses. With this data, you can discover a holistic view of community risk to natural hazards via online maps and data.

The National Risk Index (NRI) is easy to use and can support prioritizing resilience efforts by providing an at-a-glance overview of multiple risk factors. The NRI can assist communities in:

• Updating emergency operations plans
• Enhancing hazard mitigation plans
• Prioritizing and allocating resources
• Identifying the need for more refined risk assessments
• Encouraging community-level risk communication and engagement
• Educating homeowners and renters
• Supporting adoption of enhanced codes and standards
• Informing long-term community recovery

UMBC offers many opportunities for students to explore and experience different aspects of sustainability throughout the campus.  Students can engage with different sustainable systems on campus, from our unique urban forest ecology study areas to one of five green roofs. To celebrate this year’s Campus Sustainability Month, Sustainability Matters (the University’s Office of Sustainability) and the Student Government Association collaborated to create the UMBC Sustainability Retriever.  The new interactive web-based mapping application provides easy access to a full range of UMBC’s many sustainability features, programs, and activities.

The interactive map provides information and links to a wide range of topics organized into the following categories:

·         Built Environment

·         Lifestyle

·         Natural Environment

·         Outdoor Air Quality

·         SGA Transit Activity Guides

·         Transportation

·         Retriever Essentials

·         UMBC Transit

Each category is marked on an interactive map, which provides locations of notable features. Points of interest on the map include photos and links to additional information. Sustainability Matters will regularly update the map with new information. Anyone who has updated information for items currently listed on the map or would like to include additional items may contact Ryan Kmetz at rkmetz@umbc.edu .