Bahamas National Statistical Institute (BNSI) Celebrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day

GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day was celebrated worldwide on November 19, 2025 and, to mark the occasion, The Bahamas National Statistical Institute (BNSI) hosted an informative forum for public and private high school students throughout Grand Bahama.

The event was held in the COLLAB Room in the Harold Degregory Building and gave geography students an inside look at the Institute’s work and the vital role GIS plays in the country’s national development.

The 10th through 12th grade students taking part in the pilot programme hailed from Bishop Michael Eldon, Eight Mile Rock High, Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Academy, Tabernacle Baptist, St. Paul’s Methodist College and Alpha Omega Christian School.

GIS is a technology that is used to create, manage, analyze and map all types of data. It connects data to a map, integrating location data with all types of descriptive information. GIS helps users understand patterns, relationships and geographic context.

This year, GIS Day was held under the theme: Legacy of the 1960s vs. Today, and the students were enlightened about the hotels and apartments built in Grand Bahama in the 1960s.

BNSI Managing Director Dr. Jamiko Deleveaux said the idea was birthed out of a need to plant a seed into the next generation of Bahamian scholars and researchers regarding career possibilities at BNSI and the use of geospatial engineering systems.

“This is a test pilot programme. So hopefully we’re able to learn a lot from this event today and then be able to utilize this event to do it next year in Grand Bahama and New Providence and then hopefully, in the long run, be able to do it on a much more frequent basis,” he said.

Another goal is to partner with other organizations and expand the programme to students from grades 9–12 during the summer months.