The Department of Geography and Geology collaborated with the National Spatial Data Management Branch (NSDMB) and the Land Information Council of Jamaica (LICJ) of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation to host the GIS Technical Seminar on Thursday November 10, 2022 at SLT 2. This seminar, held annually, is part of the annual Geography Awareness Week of activities. The theme for the seminar and the Week of activities this year was “Mapping our way to Economic Recovery”. Dr. Sherene James-Williamson (Head, Department of Geography and Geology) brought greetings on behalf of the Department/Faculty.

The Department participated in activities on GIS Day observed on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at the Assembly Hall, The UWI Mona. At the opening ceremony, Dr James-Williamson brought greetings on behalf of the Department/Faculty. The Department was represented through a display mounted by the team from the Earthquake Unit, which generated much interest at the event. The Department through its computer lab hosted the Mapathon, an activity the Department has shared in for several years on Geographic Information System (GIS) Day. Faculty and graduate students from the Department were also responsible for the judging of the Essay competition for secondary schools. The awards for which were announced on the day.

Various organisations from private and private sectors and academia such as the Jamaica Defence Force, National Land Agency, Spatial Innovision Limited, Water Resources Authority, National Spatial Data Management Branch (Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation), Esri, National Housing Trust etc. mounted booths and showcased how they have been utilising geospatial information and technologies to execute their mandate. A number of these organisations had FST Alumni from the Department of Geography and Geology as a part of their staff complement. Over twenty (20) secondary institutions were in attendance.

To round off the day of activities Dr. James-Williamson participated in one of the many interviews on the day, hers was with Mello FM where she addressed questions related to the importance of geography, GIS and how useful is the technology for everyday life.

Photo Caption (L-R): Dr. Sherene James-Williamson (Head, Department of Geography and Geology, The UWI Mona), Ms. Karleen Black (Education and Information Officer, Earthquake Unit, The UWI Mona) and Mr. Raymond Stewart (Seismic Analyst, Earthquake Unit, The UWI Mona).

Follow the Faculty of Science and Technology on Instagram @uwimona_fst and on Facebook at @ The Faculty of Science and Technology, The UWI Mona. For enquiries, WhatsApp us at 1-876 552-4691, call us at 1-876-977-1785 or email us at fst@uwimona.edu.jm.