Last weekend, I met with John Wightman to discuss the transition from the Nova Scotia Land Survey Institute (NSLSI) to the College of Geographic Sciences (COGS).
John reflected on the structure of the programs, and the need to fill the new building in Lawrencetown.
In 1980, there were three departments: Planning and Cartography, Computer Programming, and Survey Engineering.
John’s objective was to create a technical institute, similar to ITC in Enschede. By adding new technology and faculty, he hoped to develop a relationship with one of the universities in the region.
From a computer technology perspective, this led to programs in Scientific Computer Programming, Business Computer Programming, Computer Graphics, Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, and Business Geographics. Planning and Cartography remained similar with new technology. Likewise, Survey Engineering added Marine Geomatics Engineering to Geomatics Engineering Technology.
On the weekend I met with Bruce Gillis, Lawyer. He was interested in sharing with me the Annapolis County Atlas, produced by the Annapolis County Planning Department in 1984. This proves to be a remarkable document in light of the state of county planning today, 2024 (forty years later).
Both of these meetings shed light on the trajectory of COGS over the last fifty years, and the opportunity to apply both GIS and Remote Sensing technology. Evidently, John had close ties with both the Canadian Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) as well as the GIS community through Roger Tomlinson.
Postscript
We went to Hampton Beach. There were a couple of local volunteers cleaning up the old rope and plastic. Apparently, there is a group from Halifax that has taken on this mission. Concern for our marine environment.
Acknowledgements
To John Wightman and Bruce Gillis for their memories of both NSLSI and COGS. Edward added the graphics.
References
Annapolis County Atlas, October 1984, Published by the Annapolis County Planning Department.
Ernest Blair Experiment 