On Wednesday, November 15, Grey County is hosting a geographic information system (GIS) open house in celebration of World GIS Day. County staff will demonstrate how Grey County uses GIS systems and how they benefit residents, businesses and visitors.

The event will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Grey County Administration Building, 595 9th Avenue East in Owen Sound in the Bay Room.

"GIS is powerful tool municipalities rely on. We use it every day and we want to show the public what maps and tools Grey County has available," said Jody MacEachern, interim director of information technology.

GIS systems combine data and locations to create informative maps. The type of map depends on the data being fed in and the possibilities are almost limitless. Some of Grey County's map themes include: municipal zoning information, addresses and road allowances, recreational information, real estate listings, road conditions and more.

"It doesn't matter if you're a GIS enthusiast or you're just curious to see what we're working on, the open house is a great way to learn about upcoming projects and learn about the power of GIS," said MacEachern. "If you can't join us, you can still explore our public maps online whenever it's convenient."

Grey County's public maps can be found online at www.Maps.Grey.ca.

source: media release, Grey County