CHARLESTON, S.C. — Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic and South Carolina Council on Competitiveness (SC Competes) recognized South Carolina students this month for their winning project submissions in the 2024 ArcGIS Online School Competition.

“Congratulations to these enterprising young students,” said Kelly Thompson, co-director of NIWC Atlantic’s STEM Outreach Program, which provided lead support for this year’s event. “I’m impressed by the talent and dedication each one demonstrated throughout this competition, and our entire STEM team here at NIWC Atlantic is so proud to be a part of their educational journey.”

The ArcGIS event is a student mapping competition presented by Esri and the National Council for Geographic Education. It challenges students nationwide to showcase their skills in geographic information systems (GIS) using Esri’s ArcGIS online platform.

South Carolina students recognized this year for their exceptional talents and skills in GIS were as follows:

2024 High School State Winner

• Baxter Bailey - Academy for Arts, Science, and Technology, 11th Grade
• Project Title: "Visualizing South Carolina's Ranking"

2024 High School State Awardees

• Brandon Bernal-Andrade - Academy for Arts, Science, and Technology, 11th Grade
• Project Title: "SC Golf Courses and Clubs Compared to SC Demographics”
   
• Nathan Miller - Academy for Arts, Science, and Technology, 11th Grade
• Project Title: "Does Wealth and Race Have an Impact on SAT Scores?”
   
• Kevin Beni - Academy for Arts, Science, and Technology, 11th Grade
• Project Title: "Exploring Demographics in Horry County, South Carolina”

During the competition, students were tasked with addressing real-world challenges and demonstrating their proficiency in mapping, data analysis and spatial storytelling within the geographic boundaries of their respective state. Competition organizers selected winners based on criteria that included a clear focus on a topic, question or story that provided appropriate data, effective analysis, good cartography, thoughtful presentation and complete documentation.

The winning submission demonstrated a unique approach to leveraging GIS technology to propose solutions that could positively affect their community.

“I was so excited to celebrate the exceptional achievements of this year’s ArcGIS competitors in South Carolina,” said Todd Remmel, NIWC Atlantic STEM GIS Lead. “Our students demonstrated remarkable skills in geographic analysis and storytelling, using cutting-edge GIS technology to creatively and thoughtfully address real-world issues.”

Leaders from SC Competes echoed Remmel’s enthusiasm.

“We were thrilled to recognize the outstanding achievements of South Carolina’s young innovators in the rapidly expanding world of GIS,” said Susie Shannon, SC Competes president and CEO. “The quality and creativity of the submissions were truly impressive, reflecting a deep understanding of spatial analysis and its potential to solve complex issues, such as demographic challenges, but also related to key economic areas.”

NIWC Atlantic’s STEM Outreach Program began hosting the ArcGIS competition in 2020, when volunteers stepped up to serve as the state team. SC Competes came aboard in 2022 to provide additional administrative and marketing support, including outreach to schools statewide.

As the competition’s South Carolina team coordinator this year, Remmel worked together with Callie Price of SC Competes who assisted with program coordination and outreach.

Remmel said he eagerly anticipates next year’s competition and hopes to increase participation from students across South Carolina.

“I encourage teachers and mentors with an interest in GIS and related fields to support and inspire our students to explore the power of GIS and make a lasting impact through their innovative projects,” he said.

For more information about the 2024 ArcGIS Online Student Competition in South Carolina, visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e103adcb55b248daad9e960d4c27743b. For more information on the submissions by South Carolina’s winner and awardees as well as submissions nationwide visit https://agoschoolcomp-education.hub.arcgis.com/.

If you are a teacher or mentor interested in supporting a team of students in grades 4-12 by submitting a project as part of the 2025 competition, please reach out to scstorymaps@gmail.com. Registration for the 2025 competition opens in January.