Bruce County GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Coordinator Justin Kraemer has been highlighted as the October GIS Ambassador of the month by Esri Canada for his work leading the local Youth StoryMaps Competition.

As a member of Bruce County’s Planning and Development team, Justin chairs the Bruce County/Local GIS Steering Committee, a knowledge and resource sharing committee between local municipalities and the County. In an effort to create virtual events to celebrate and promote the upcoming GIS Day, Justin and his team created the virtual StoryMaps GIS competition for grade 7 and 8 students in the region, with consultation from Mr. Cory Munro, a teacher from Saugeen District Community School. The purpose of this competition is to engage students to learn about GIS in their community and give them an understanding of GIS concepts, in the hopes of inspiring them to pursue further study in GIS.

Currently there are 170 students registered for the competition from three schools in Bruce County with one in Grey County. Winners of the competition will be announced on GIS Day, taking place on November 17, 2021. Prizes will be provided by Esri Canada and Bruce Power. Discover more about the virtual StoryMaps GIS competition.

Bruce County Warden Janice Jackson adds, “Congratulations to our GIS Coordinator Justin Kraemer for being highlighted for his work engaging with youth in Bruce County. A special thank you also goes out to all of our community GIS Professionals and sponsors for their dedication to increasing awareness of GIS technologies for local students.”

source: media release, Bruce County