AAGP Conference

The Atlantic Association of Geomatics and Planning (AAGP) are holding their 50th. year anniversary conference, at the NSCC Dartmouth campus on June 12th.

The title is ‘GeoAI’. They have invited me to give the keynote. While I can talk about fifty years of GIS, I have invited Edward Wedler to add his contribution on the relationship between GIS and AI.

As part of my blog series, Edward has been in conversation with Gemini and identified four topics relevant to the province.

All topics derived from Premier, Tim Houston’s agenda.

Yesterday (May 8), Edward and I had a Zoom call to discuss our presentation. My interests are twofold.

1. I have been posting my blog since 2013. Could I use AI to identify key themes over that period? Could we link AI to GIS to map the locations?
2. My second interest is to produce a series of ‘community maps’, based on the blog content.
3. That will be the agenda for the next month.

Meanwhile I have scheduled a meeting with Ed Symons on community mapping at CORAH next week. David MacLean has also provided a useful link to relationship between GIS and AI at Esri.

It will be an intense few weeks, learning how to access the new technology. At the same time, gaining insight into the future of GIS and AI.

Afterwards, perhaps I can return to the role of ‘elder statesman’, with an abiding interest in the role of ‘place’ and its impact on our lifestyle in rural Nova Scotia. Now, back to reading, writing, walking and bicycling etc. And maybe canoeing.

Acknowledgements

I would not be able to entertain this presentation without the technological expertise of Edward. I would not have the mental energy without the shared living with Heather.

Postscript

After finishing, Ken McGoogan’s latest book, I passed it on to John Wightman. In New Glasgow, I discovered his earlier book ‘Celtic Lightning: How the Scots and Irish Created a Canadian Nation’.

From the Middleton Library, I am also waiting through inter-library loan for Alice Wexler’s book, Mapping Fate.