[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 199 (Tuesday, November 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8242-S8243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 450--DESIGNATING NOVEMBER 17, 2021, AS ``NATIONAL GIS 
                                 DAY''

  Mr. RISCH submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 450

       Whereas the management, use, and exchange of geographic 
     information and geospatial data and analysis are essential 
     for operations and decision making in Federal agencies;
       Whereas Geographic Information System technology (referred 
     to in this preamble as ``GIS'') embraces new and innovative 
     ways to use, discover, and share geospatial data through 
     online portals and web services;
       Whereas GIS facilitates the sharing of geographic data, 
     services, and maps within a digital domain;
       Whereas GIS helps provide shared and trusted geospatial 
     data, services, and applications for use--
       (1) by the public; and
       (2) by government agencies and partners of government 
     agencies to carry out the missions of such agencies and 
     partners;
       Whereas GIS helps foster collaboration and partnerships to 
     advance the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (referred to 
     in this preamble as the ``NSDI'');
       Whereas GIS provides a common framework for the Federal 
     Government and State, Tribal, and local governments, non-
     Federal partners, communities, constituents, and professional 
     bodies for standards, data catalogs, partnerships, and tools 
     that make up the NSDI;
       Whereas GIS is used to investigate and address societal and 
     cultural issues, including--
       (1) local issues;
       (2) global issues;
       (3) issues from the past;
       (4) issues in the present; and
       (5) future issues identified through modeling;
       Whereas GIS and related geospatial technologies are used in 
     classrooms to engage students in science, technology, 
     engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning;
       Whereas GIS is an interdisciplinary tool used by students, 
     teachers, researchers, universities, local institutions, and 
     practitioners in numerous fields and disciplines;
       Whereas GIS fosters competition within the sector of 
     geospatial technologies, which the Department of Labor 
     considers to be a high-growth industry; and
       Whereas many Federal agencies, State and local government 
     agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, libraries, and 
     universities will join other persons around the world to 
     showcase their GIS mapping and geospatial applications on 
     November 17, 2021: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates November 17, 2021, as ``National GIS Day''; 
     and
       (2) encourages users of Geographic Information System 
     technology (referred to in this resolution as ``GIS''), 
     educators, students, and innovators to continue to employ 
     GIS--
       (A) to learn and explore;
       (B) to analyze and address societal challenges; and
       (C) to drive economic growth for the betterment of the 
     people of the United States and individuals around the world.

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