Geomatics News

Today (April 7), I attended the Community Mapping Showcase at the Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS). 

Maps Tell the Stories We Choose to Tell

This project is a collaboration between the Age Advantage Association (AAA), a not for profit group of senior (elders) in the Annapolis Valley and  the instructors and students in the Diploma of Geographic Sciences, Community  and Environmental Planning program. Key contacts are Heather Leblanc (AAA) and Ed Symons and Monica Lloyd (NSCC). The interactive web-based maps are delivered both through Esri ArcGIS Online and Google Maps. Check out the web site at www.mapannapolis.ca 

This inter-generational project allows seniors to bring their local knowledge of the landscape to the map, and COGS students to bring their GIS and cartographic expertise to the table.

Specific maps for the Annapolis Valley include:

• historic homes/ cemeteries
  
• wharves,churches,trails
  
• black loyalist/ Acadian home sites
  
• cultural assets
  
• Bear River artisans
  
• The most recent innovation is the creation of an online form which allows community members to propose and add additional features to the geographic database.

GeoAlliance Canada was pleased to host over 70 professionals for its inaugural meeting, “Map to the Future”, held in Calgary March 15-16 2016. 

Attendees represented a cross-section of the geography, geomatics and geospatial community across industry, education, government and non-profit organizations. They worked collaboratively to validate the GeoAlliance mandate, brainstorm opportunities, risks, and actions, and suggest specific projects that would benefit the entire geo community.

The laudable efforts of the Interim Board of Directors of GeoAlliance Canada to bring the proposals developed by the Canadian Geomatics Community Round Table (CGCRT) to fruition were strongly supported by the community through attendance at this event and offers of financial support to make it possible. 

Attendees were welcomed to Calgary by Brad Ashley, Chair of GeoAlliance Canada’s Interim Board, who gave some context about the purpose of the event and the importance of capitalizing on this opportunity to begin development of meaningful, impactful projects to raise the profile of the geomatics sector. Brad spoke at length on the challenges this new organization has faced, from workload to cash flow, to the need to work collaboratively as a sector to ensure future growth. 

Our Keynote for the event was Dr. Alex Bruton, the Innographer, who spoke on the difficult and uncomfortable process of innovation, comparing it to learning how to ride a unicycle or “backwards bike”. He stressed that not every idea for creating a better industry will be a good one, meaning one that is both feasible and will have a high impact. He showed that for every 3000 ideas, generally only one will succeed. Dr. Bruton asked the attendees to think outside the box and come up with viable strategies for innovation within our industry and not be deterred by challenges or setbacks.

The majority of the time over two days was dedicated to working individually or in small groups on worksheets provided by the event facilitators, Design Cofounders. The facilitators walked attendees through the process of first validating GeoAlliance Canada’s mandate by giving thoughtful input about the opportunities and risks it creates for individual organizations and the sector, and then brainstorming actions for the ways we can all take advantage of the opportunities while mitigating the risks. 

Attendees were given the opportunity to collaborate with other members across all sector segments (education, non-profit, government and industry) to develop potential projects for the community to undertake to address common goals and challenges. It was stressed that GeoAlliance Canada should be seen as a solution facilitator rather than a solution provider, and that their mandate is to help create conditions that support the success of projects undertaken by the geo community.

To this end, the project concepts were self- and peer-evaluated for their desirability (are they for the good of the community?), feasibility (likelihood of getting off the ground) and viability (likelihood of long-term success or sustainability). 

Several project concepts were presented to the room for feedback, and all project concept and evaluation cards were then collected for review by the GeoAlliance Canada Board. Additional project ideas will be collected through the GeoAlliance website in the coming months – it was reiterated frequently over the course of the event that this initial collection of projects is just the beginning, and certainly will not be the only chance to put forward a project for consideration. Further details about the work undertaken at Map to the Future are available here.

The GeoAlliance Canada Board will take the outcomes, suggestions and feedback from this meeting and form an external project review committee reporting to the Board of Directors. This will allow for a transparent project pipeline, and the committee will include both members of our community and those in peripheral fields. This committee will assess incoming project concepts and work with the submitters to ensure the idea is shovel-ready, build strong teams, find additional resources as required, and help shepherd an idea from the concept stage through to a successful conclusion. 

As projects are funded and move forward, details will be provided on the GeoAlliance Canada website. Many thanks to everyone who sponsored, attended, or followed along on Twitter. Map to the Future was a first step for GeoAlliance Canada, and we hope we will look back on it as a leap forward for our community.

While the work to define and implement meaningful community projects has begun, further investment by willing partners will be required to bring them to fruition. Those who participated in the Calgary meeting demonstrated an interest and willingness to make this fledging new organization a success, but GeoAlliance Canada will continue to grow and evolve. We look forward to working with our members and the Canadian geo community to build bridges, collaborate, and promote our work across Canada and on the world stage. 

Online Digital Atlas: A Shared Vision

Every year, a small team of Esri staff travels to COGS to recruit new talent. As part of the interview process, they provide a demonstration of the lattest ArcGIS functionality. Returning home from Haida Gwaii in February, I was interested to check out some of the new developments, especially since I had been far removed from the detailed GIS functionality for several years.

This led to a re-connection with Clint Brown from Esri (Redlands), and a copy of Esri’s new book, ‘the ArcGIS Book’. What struck me from the ArcGIS demonstration was that the new software tools seem to allow for closer collaboration between community groups, government agencies, educational institutions and industry. These tools include the ability to manage different layers, with different access rights, stored either on the server or in the cloud.

Geography is Key for Integrating work across Communities ...

While reading the ArcGIS Book, I noticed that the last of the ten 'Big Ideas' was that 'GIS is social. GIS is collaborative' and that 'Geography is key for integrating work across communities'. Therefore, it seems that the time is right to test the 'collaborative' hypothesis.

 Coincidentally, the Nova Scotia Provincial Government was announcing their new open data policy and created a new online open data site providing the geospatial community with free access to base maps and data sets featuring Nova Scotia. And by chance the Geomatics Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) has been recently working on a concept for an online digital atlas (Digital Atlas of Nova Scotia - DANS).

An online digital atlas would allow the geospatial community to have the tools to develop web and mobile apps that accesses a combination of their own databases combined with maps and spatial data from other agencies and organizations (such as open data portals). Each data layer (or map) from the digital online atlas would have various terms and conditions for sharing information.  Some layers would be read only while other layers would be able to be updated by the geospatial community under certain conditions.

The significant role proposed by GANS to obtain the technology resources to support apps and associated maps will help them remain sustainable into the future and remain a leader in the geomatics sector. However, this is only one pillar of the shared vision.

What is the next step in the process, as we move forward?

Community groups must have the resources to develop their applications. We need the next generation of application developers. Through training, mentoring and curriculum changes in our educational institutions, we can address this shortcoming.

On Haida Gwaii, John Broadhead at the Gowgaia Institute has talked about the need for an online atlas of the natural and cultural resources. 

GANS is promoting a similar concept here in Nova Scotia. At the community level, groups appreciate the need for application development to meet the needs of citizens, visitors, as well as the municipal government. This follows five years after the work by Paul Beach in Sault Ste Marie. He championed the concept of a 'community information utility', today, the tools are readily available, in a more collaborative world.

We can imagine a nested set of geographies. The Annapolis Valley lies within the region of Southwest Nova, within the province of Nova Scotia. Each region recognizes its geographic context. The same approach can be applied to Cape Breton, the South shore. Indeed, it could be part of the standard infrastructure for existing Regional Enterprise Network (REN) and could be linked to existing products e.g. i-valley.ca

What are the steps to turn this 'Idea'  into 'Action' ?

1. determine the extent of the geography
   
2. obtain digital base maps at the appropriate scale
   
3. decide on the community mapping need:
           - historic properties
           - trails
           - land use
           - tourism facilities
   
4. design the 'look and feel' of the user interface
5. determine whether web/mobile app. or both
6. hire application developer
7. prototype application
8. testing
9. marketing and sales
10. product release

Why now?

The technology has matured so that a properly monitored portal can serve up the different data sets, and yet meet the security needs of the data providers. There is recognition that to successfully apply these technologies we need more collaboration.

The need to visualize the geography of rural Nova Scotia is important to economic development. The skills and products developed through this process are transferable to other geographies, applications and markets

Access to a digital atlas is a prerequisite for groups to develop apps. that meet the local needs of citizens. Whether the underlying technology is Esri, Google, Open Source or a combination, we are seeing a shared vision of digital geography.

References

About the author

Bob Maher is a Geographer, living in Paradise, Nova Scotia. In the 1980's he designed, developed and delivered a number of intensive computer programming programs at COGS. In 2000, he returned as Senior Research Scientist at the Applied Geomatics Research Group until his retirement in 2011. He has worked closely with the Geomatics industry for over thirty years.

It is a pleasure to bring you an update on the activities of GANS, the Geomatics Association of Nova Scotia, as we reach the half-way mark of our 2015-2016 year.

Your Board of Directors and Working Groups have made considerable progress on the goals presented at the 2015 Annual General Meeting. 

We would like to highlight a few of the many accomplishments (http://gans.ca/2016-Presidents-Letter)

Geography Helped Me Get Where I am Now - GANS Geographic Education Posters Series 

The GANS Geographic Education Posters were created to help young people identify some of the endless possibilities that learning geography provides, by highlighting the various different geomatics related post-secondary education programs and geospatial related career opportunities available, ultimately resulting in more students pursuing geomatics related careers.

Canada’s geospatial community received a significant boost today with the signing of a 1.5 year funding contribution agreement with Natural Resources Canada. GeoAlliance Canada, a national non-profit umbrella organization, received this funding in support of their mandate to provide essential leadership within the geomatics, geography and geospatial sector. 

GeoAlliance Canada was launched in April 2015 by the consensus of community leaders who recognized the potential for a national organization to fuse together the energy and resources being expended by a highly fractured sector. By coming together under one umbrella, diverse groups within the geospatial community are able to network and collaborate on projects of mutual interest. Through the engagement of key groups and organizations, GeoAlliance Canada has begun to articulate and promote the benefits of using geospatial data and tools for effective decision making to leaders within business, government and education circles. The contribution funding from Natural Resources Canada will have an immediate impact by providing essential operational resources for this fledgling non-profit organization.

GeoAlliance Canada’s Board of Directors has released the following statement:

We wish to thank Natural Resources Canada for their ongoing support for initiatives promoting the use of geospatial data, tools and technologies in Canada, including the Canadian Geomatics Community Round Table and now GeoAlliance Canada. The funds released under this contribution agreement will support GeoAlliance Canada over the next year and a half as we work to engage the geomatics, geography and geospatial communities. We will draw from this significant resource to increase Canadians’ understanding of the role of “geo” in our economy and day to day lives. We look forward to working with our member organizations from the business, non-profit, education and government communities to drive forward projects that celebrate our long history of innovation in this sector and re-establish our leadership position on the world stage.

For more information about GeoAlliance Canada or this contribution funding agreement, please see http://geoalliance.ca/

GANS would like to announce that we have started a Creative Art/Map Competition for Nova Scotian Students. 

The contest is open to students in all grades from primary to grade 12 as well as post secondary students. It is meant to help engage students in artistic cartographic activities while encouraging them to learn more about the geography, heritage and history of Nova Scotia. And at the same time promote Nova Scotia to the world and have some fun while doing it!

Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place entries in 7 different categories

Click here for more details about Creative Art/Map Competition for Nova Scotian Students

Did you know that Geomatics Atlantic 2015 is part of the 9th Symposium of the International Society for Digital Earth?

Save-the-Date for the Land Registry Forum!

Date: November 18th

Location: Nova Scotia Association of Realtors, Dartmouth

The Association of Nova Scotia Land Surveyors (ANSLS) and the Geomatics Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) are pleased to announce that they will present a one-day Land Registry Forum on Wednesday, November 18th. This open forum will be of interest to land surveyors and other geomatics professionals, as well as the community planning and development sector, financial services sector, the legal profession, the real estate sector and others.

The registration fee is $150 for the full day event and includes lunch and refreshments.

An exciting line-up of speakers and panel participants, from Nova Scotia and beyond, will be featured.

Additional information and registration will be posted on the ANSLS http://www.ansls.ca/ and GANS http://www.gans.ca/ websites by the end of September. Save the date NOW!

For further information, please contact ANSLS [email protected] or GANS [email protected] 

On April 20, 2015, leaders from the geo community acrooss Canada came together to build on the work of the Canadian Geomatics Community Round Table (CGCRT) by finalizing the structure and intent of a new national umbrella organization: GeoAlliance Canada. You can read a recap of the day and see a record of discussion on the new  GeoAlliance Canada website, http://geoalliance.ca/.