PRINTER'S NO. 4921
No. 916 Session of 2006
INTRODUCED BY FAIRCHILD, THOMAS, BEYER, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI,
COHEN, CORRIGAN, CRAHALLA, DeWEESE, FICHTER, FORCIER, GEORGE,
HARHART, JAMES, LEDERER, MAJOR, McILHINNEY, MELIO, S. MILLER,
MUSTIO, PISTELLA, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO, B. SMITH, TIGUE,
WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD AND MILLARD, NOVEMBER 14, 2006
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
NOVEMBER 14, 2006
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating November 15, 2006, as "Pennsylvania GIS Day" in
2 Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Pennsylvanians recognize the vital role of
4 technology in the future growth of this Commonwealth; and
5 WHEREAS, The geospatial technology industry is an information
6 technology field that uses geographic information systems (GIS),
7 global positioning systems (GPS) and digital mapping to analyze
8 information about the location and spatial context of people,
9 places and things; and
10 WHEREAS, Geospatial technologies are essential tools in
11 government at all levels to assist effective decision making and
12 efficient service delivery in public safety, emergency response,
13 epidemiology, flood mapping and control, economic development,
14 education, workforce analysis, public health, transportation,
15 agriculture, environmental protection, law enforcement, land-use
16 planning, historical preservation and many other critical tasks
1 of government; and
2 WHEREAS, GIS applications are widely used in private industry
3 in medicine, real estate, insurance and risk management,
4 forestry, ground and air transportation, logistics,
5 telecommunications, meteorology, package shipping and delivery,
6 travel and tourism, advertising, oil and natural gas exploration
7 and extraction, landscape architecture, agriculture, mining and
8 other fields; and
9 WHEREAS, The United States Department of Labor has identified
10 geospatial technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology as the
11 three technologies with the greatest potential for growth and
12 job creation; and
13 WHEREAS, Employment in the geospatial technology industry is
14 growing by 10% to 13% per year, and demand for geospatial
15 technology services is creating new jobs in a wide range of
16 occupational fields; and
17 WHEREAS, Eighty-seven percent of geospatial product and
18 service providers nationwide report that they have difficulty
19 filling positions requiring geospatial technology skills; and
20 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is a leader in research and training in
21 geospatial technology and possesses many of the nation's leading
22 geospatial technology firms; and
23 WHEREAS, An investment today in our geospatial infrastructure
24 by government, private industry and academia will keep this
25 Commonwealth in the forefront of the geospatial technology
26 industry of tomorrow; therefore be it
27 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives, in recognition
28 of "National Geography Awareness Week," November 12 through 18,
29 2006, designate November 15, 2006, as "Pennsylvania GIS Day" in
30 Pennsylvania.
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