In 1999, Jack Dangermond, the founder and president of Esri, established GIS Day to highlight the ways in which geographic information system (GIS) technology has a broad impact across society. That idea has since grown into a global event thanks to the explosion of geospatial technology, and on Nov. 16, Atmos Energy joins hundreds of organizations worldwide in hosting in-person and virtual gatherings that celebrate the impactful work of GIS professionals and ignite the imagination of future innovators.

“At Atmos Energy, we leverage advances in GIS technology to help achieve our vision of being the safest provider of natural gas services,” said Jennifer Ries, vice president of pipeline safety. “Team members from across the enterprise collaborate and take a geographic approach in addressing challenges across our system, all with a focus on the safety of our customers, our employees, and the communities we serve.”

One such example is our GIS Web Viewer application. Built with companywide collaboration and released in 2020, the tool leverages proprietary and public pipeline data and has been accessed more than 135,000 times internally. While the application continues to be enhanced based on user feedback and system improvements, it has already proven invaluable within the context of our safety culture.

For example, if a critical event such as hurricanes, tornadoes or wildfires were to impact any community we serve, GIS empowers us to compare the affected areas quickly and accurately to our system maps – and take necessary measures to ensure the safety of our customers, our employees, and our system.

More than 20 years later, GIS Day remains a wonderful opportunity for professionals from around the world to get together and share their amazing work. In addition to Atmos Energy, organizations across the globe are taking part in grassroots events that help celebrate geospatial science and how it impacts the world for good. Our GIS team is excited to celebrate their achievements in the field, which is exactly why GIS Day was first established.

To learn more about GIS Day, please visit https://www.gisday.com