Deep Dive in Five: Fifth Annual GIS Day Focuses on Democracy

The SAVI Institute at SJSU is pleased to present the fifth annual GIS Day on Nov. 20.

On November 20, the Spatial Analytics Visualization Institute at San José State’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning will host its fifth annual GIS Day celebration, featuring a keynote speaker and panel discussion focused on data and democracy. Geographic Information Science (GIS) brings together computational science (such as computer programming and data science), social science and natural science to study what’s happening and where it’s happening most.

The gathering includes a student poster competition, complete with cash prizes co-sponsored by the Public Interest Technology University Networks (PIT-UN), as well as a GIS technologies demonstration that offers hands-on experiences with the latest in geographic information science (GIS). The event will include tech demos by SJSU iSchool, Esri, OpenHistoricalMap, and poster presentations and will conclude with a happy hour honoring this year’s poster award winners. 

The panel will include keynote speaker John Curiel, a political scientist and senior research Analyst with YouGov’s Survey Research Group; Tricia Webber, Santa Cruz County Election Officer; and Mary Currin-Percival, associate professor of political science and director of SJSUVotes.

Judi Heher, ’24 MA Geography, MUP, serves as SAVI’s Data and Democracy program manager, and earlier this summer taught a Python workshop for election officials. She shared some insight on the upcoming events in this latest Deep Dive in Five.

What is GIS used for?

Judi Heher (JH): GIS helps us understand the world (or our part of it) and how information about it can be captured, organized and analyzed. It’s genuinely an interdisciplinary practice used in environmental science, public health, political science, urban planning and, yes, geography! GI scientists use any data that has a location component. Those involved in environmental science might use natural features like watersheds, and property ownership data to investigate prime locations for beaver reintroduction efforts. Those studying elections will often work with demographic data from the U.S. Census, as well as local election results. 

Tell me about GIS Day. What does it entail and who is it for?

GIS Day will take place from 3-6 p.m. at the SJSU Downtown Studio, located at 76 S. First St in San José.

JH: GIS Day (established in 1999) occurs on the third Wednesday of November — right in the middle of Geography Awareness Week (established in 1987). The global event celebrates GIS and encourages people to discover and understand its benefits. This year, the Spatial Analytics and Visualization Institute (SAVI) GIS Day event is focused on how GIS can be used to protect and advance democracy. We have renowned speakers of national and local stature, demonstrations of emerging GIS technology and a poster contest open to all community college and university students, including cash prizes. GIS Day attendees can vote for their favorite map, awarding the “People’s Choice” award.

What’s the relationship between GIS and democracy? 

JH:  Tobler’s First Law of Geography states that all things are related, but closer things are more related than those far away. A classic example of where GIS can impact geography is gerrymandering [when officials manipulate district boundaries to favor a party or platform]. Geospatial scientists recognize that people with similar backgrounds, socioeconomic status and education (among other things) tend to live close to each other. Notable examples of this are Japantown and Little Hanoi in San José. Those who practice gerrymandering know this too and will attempt to draw congressional lines through these communities to dilute their ability to elect a representative sensitive to their views. GIS can be used to analyze the impact of such actions and present those findings through visuals that are easier for most people to understand and act upon. After all, a picture is worth 1,000 words!

Another example of GIS supporting democracy is in evaluating the efficacy of some laws. The Voters’ Choice Act references 14 different criteria to determine the placement of ballot drop boxes. GIS practitioners can condense these 14 criteria using geospatial statistics and present a cohesive and complete review of how the location of ballot drop boxes influences the voting habits of those who tend not to vote. Election officials can use this information to not only determine where to place additional ballot drop boxes, but also assist in voter outreach and retention programs.

What do you wish people understood about GIS and urban planning?

JH: When we think about urban planning, we are focused on where something is happening or not happening. Is a community growing? Is it being gentrified? Is this a good location for an urban village? GIS can confirm observations and explore how a proposed change may impact a given area and its surrounding neighborhoods. It can also provide factual, longitudinal demographic information that can inform urban planners and community stakeholders when making these types of decisions.

What main message would you like to share with members of the SJSU community?

JH: GIS is an essential tool for studying how our world is changing, but it is not perfect. It can be used for both the benefit of a community and for the benefit of a select few. It is important to ask how any GIS results were generated and the source of the original data. The SAVI Institute takes this responsibility seriously by offering summer workshops teaching students and professionals the ethical uses of GIS and data science. Last summer, we partnered with PIT-UN to present workshops focused on elections, and we plan to provide new workshops in the summer of 2025.

For more details, visit the SAVI GIS Day page.