K-4 Where on Earth? GIS Applications in Law

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Tuesday, July 28 - 3:30pm - 4:00pm
Location: 
WCC-Room 150 AB
Target Audience: 
Librarians who are interested in an emerging technology that will have a place in legal research
Learning Outcomes: 
1) Participants will better understand how Geographic Information Systems (GISs) can assist with certain kinds of research.
2) Participants will be able to name some common GIS packages, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Ever wonder which states are historically more likely to vote against gun control or abortion? Ever wonder if there’s a correlation between the median wage of a county and the way it votes? A GIS is one means of answering these questions. GISs connect data to maps in order to perform spatial analysis and to present data in a clear, compelling manner. GISs are used in a wide range of fields: epidemiologists use them to track the outbreak of disease, urban planners use them to site new homes, and biologists use them to find suitable new habitats for a species. Their use in law is growing, and this presentation aims to provide a basic background in GISs with relevant examples.

Speaker(s): 
Jon Ashley, Coordinator and Speaker, University of Virginia Law Library