COGS Conference 2020

This week, I attended a two day Winter conference at COGS on Geotechnologies and Resource Management. (Photograph from 2019 conference).
As a trade for free registration, I have written a blog for GoGeomatics. This should be available later in the week. Meanwhile, I would like to highlight a few citizen lessons from the event. The conference is in January to coincide with the industry expo at COGS. This is the opportunity for COGS students to arrange interviews with government and private sector employers.

The takeaway message from Hugh MacKay, MLA for Chester- St. Margaret’s Bay, and previously, Geomatics businessman, is that we need to create more Geomatics jobs in Nova Scotia. Part of that agenda is the building of an Innovation Hub at COGS in Lawrencetown. Scheduled for completion in 2021. Another part is the commitment by the provincial government to high-speed Internet throughout Nova Scotia. To my mind, this means collaboration across the three levels of government: federal, provincial, municipal. Unfortunately, multi-layers of government does not bode well for quick, efficient solutions that serve the needs of the citizens.

Another presentation by Terry Dalton from i-Valley sharply illustrated the same point. i-Valley is defined as the world’s first ‘smart and sustainable region’.
Do we recognize ourselves in this profile? Are we doing well on sustainable resource management — forestry, agriculture, mining, fisheries, health services? Unfortunately, the geography of i-Valley is currently defined by the participants who are part of the Valley Regional Enterprise Network (VREN). This means the ‘valley’ is defined as the region between Windsor and Middleton. It does not include Annapolis County or the other towns and villages in the county.

As informed citizens, we need to WAKE UP. We need to be talking about an Innovation Hub in Lawrencetown, evidence-based decision making, the use of current Geotechnologies. The new SEATAC (Sensing, Engineering and Analytics Technology Access Centre) is one of thirty centres funded through the federal government. The NSCC in Halifax/Dartmouth will be the main business presence.

Please, can someone shake some ‘remote sense’ into our Annapolis County councillors !!