Saudi Arabia represented in Jeddah Municipality will join 80 countries around the world in the celebration of the Geographic Information System (GIS) Day 2008 to be celebrated on Tuesday (November 19) as part of activities of Geography Awareness Week (GAW). GIS Day provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in the society. GIS Day is principally sponsored by the National Geographic Society and a number of U.S institutions including the Library of Congress. It was part of the National Geographic Society's Geography Action, a year-long initiative encompassing key educational achievements such as GIS Day and Geography Awareness Week (GAW). Each year has a different geographic focus to explore and understand. Speaking on the occasion, Mayor of Jeddah City Eng. Adel Faqih reiterated the importance of geographic information systems, which were the result of rapid development and progress witnessed by Saudi Arabia in the areas of computer graphic designs and the growing need to reduce the cost and effort, time and competition in the volatile markets.
