The Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Research Center at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) organized a celebration on the occasion of the International Day for Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which falls on 13 November every year.

       On this occasion, Dr. Yaseen bin Ahmed al-Mulla, Director of the Center, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the event said that GIS is one of the important pillars of work at the Center along with remote sensing and the use and analysis of aerial images from the Drones and satellites. He added, “GIS is a computerized system of information and organizing data that are arranged on a spatial basis based on collecting, processing, analyzing and presentation of data related to spatial sites to derive important information extracted with maps with the least effort and the fastest time to use them in the planning and research and to find solutions to many related problems”.

          Dr. al-Mulla added that this occasion is celebrated every year in about 80 countries around the world in order to identify the importance and usefulness of GIS in increasing awareness of community about this technology, as well as contributing in communication and cooperation between the SQU and the public and private sectors specialists in geospatial techniques.

           The event was organized with an exhibition of posters presenting GIS applications in different fields with participation from within the university and from government and private institutions outside the university such as the National Survey Authority of the Ministry of Defense, the National Center for Statistics and Information of the Supreme Council of Planning and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Haya Company and the Ministry of Municipalities Regional water resources. A competition was also organized in this event to select the three best posters displayed at the event.