This is the third blog in a sequence: authors, programmers and now geographers. As Edward noted, you can divide the community into a wide range of professions or businesses. An analogous example would be the inventory of assets in creating the successful creative rural economy of Prince Edward County, Ontario (see also previous blog posts “Landscape and Food“, “Rural Curriculum“, and “Joining the Dots“.
To test out the concept, Heather and I visited Kings County. At Grand Pre, we checked out Marcel Morin at Lost Art Cartography (see blog post “Spring Forward“).
We then went across to Canning, where we stopped for lunch at ArtCan Kitchen and Studios owned by Ron Hayes.
We had previously visited to see an exhibition of photography by Dick Groot. We went for the Art, but stayed for the excellent cuisine.
It occurs to me that we are fortunate to receive the Reader each week from Bridgetown. Imagine if we had maps each week showing us the location of different events, the Geographer (an excellent co-op project for a student at COGS to address a specific community member).
Returning to the concept of the creative rural economy, we can envisage maps ranging from historical geography (see, for example, “Historical GIS“, physical geography (climate, geomorphology, biogeography), economic geography, cultural geography. It could include canoe routes, hiking trails, bicycle rides. It would show land use: agriculture, forestry, mining.
COGS could help maintain a database of changes in the geography, as a set of layers. Indeed a geographic information system. This would enhance collaboration between this educational institution and the surrounding communities.
Acknowledgements
Edward was able to join the dots. Heather shared the road trip.
Ernest Blair Experiment 