Peoria Standard

Peoria County’s GIS Department is inviting the public to participate in GIS Day 2025, scheduled for Wednesday, November 19, from 1-4 p.m. The event will take place in Conference Room G10 at the Peoria County Courthouse, located at 324 Main Street in Peoria.

Geographic information system (GIS) technology is used for collecting, managing, and analyzing data with maps and spatial analysis. This technology helps communities better understand data relationships and patterns.

“GIS is a powerful tool that helps us better understand the world around us,” said Joshua Thompson, Peoria County GIS Manager. “Whether it’s property boundaries, zoning information, or regional trends in health and housing, GIS brings data to life in a way that’s meaningful and easy to explore.”

During the event, attendees can participate in a map guessing game for prizes. There will also be demonstrations of Peoria County’s Front Desk application. The demonstrations will show how to locate property boundaries, find property tax information and jurisdictions, as well as search and download GIS data and maps. Attendees are also invited to provide feedback on the county’s upcoming Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

More information about GIS can be found at Esri's overview page (https://www.esri.com/en-us/what-is-gis/overview) and on the official GIS Day website (https://www.gisday.com/en-us/overview).

In related educational statistics from the previous school year in Peoria County, there was an average student-to-teacher ratio of 15-to-1 across local schools with a total enrollment of 27,081 students taught by 1,844 full-time faculty members. More details can be found at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Home.aspx. Teacher absenteeism stood at 32.3%, slightly below the state average of 35.6%. For specific schools during the same period: Dunlap High School had the highest number of white students enrolled (873), Richwoods High School had the largest enrollment of multiracial students (182), Lincoln School recorded the highest number of Hispanic students (218), while Peoria High School had the most Black students enrolled (798). Further school data is available through https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Home.aspx.