Author: Edward Wedler

As an artist, I explore the nooks and crannies of our geography on foot. I interpret and paint our urban and rural landscapes in watercolour, with a splash of ink and a dash of mixed media. I love the left-brain-right-brain dance of watercolour as it mixes with some control yet yields some surprising results, and I savour the spontaneity of plein air art. My dream is to "slow travel" across Canada and Australia, to masterly paint and cavort with like-minded artists and art lovers along the way, and be continually inspired by the contemporary and historic giants of the art world (I patiently seek a benefactor and the support of fine art collectors to fulfil my dream).
Posted in New thinking

Moonshot 4: The Sustainable Energy Corridor

Posted on by Edward Wedler

AI-Geomatics
Moonshot Project 4

Our conversation with Gemini on 28th January 2025. By showcasing these innovative projects, COGS and AGRG can effectively communicate their value to the government and the people of Nova Scotia, positioning the province as a leader in applied Geographic Sciences and driving sustainable economic growth.

Vision: Develop a comprehensive geospatial framework to guide the development of a sustainable energy corridor across Nova Scotia.

COGS & AGRG Role:

Resource Mapping: Utilize remote sensing and GIS to map and assess the potential for wind, solar, tidal, and hydrogen production across the province.

Environmental Impact Assessment: Conduct environmental impact assessments to identify and mitigate potential risks, such as wildlife impacts and ecosystem disturbances.

Infrastructure Planning: Develop optimal routes for transmission lines, hydrogen pipelines, and other critical infrastructure, considering environmental, social, and economic factors.

Community Engagement: Utilize interactive maps and visualization tools to engage with communities and stakeholders, ensuring their concerns and priorities are considered in the planning process.

Impact:

Sustainable Energy Development: Facilitate the responsible and efficient development of renewable energy sources, contributing to Nova Scotia’s energy transition.

Economic Growth: Attract investment in green energy technologies and create new jobs in the renewable energy sector.

Environmental Stewardship: Minimize the environmental impact of energy development and contribute to a more sustainable future for the province.

This project would directly address the Premier’s emphasis on “New-to-Nova Scotia” industries, demonstrating how geospatial technologies can play a critical role in ensuring the safe, responsible, and successful development of these sectors.

By showcasing these innovative “Moonshot” projects, COGS and AGRG can effectively communicate their value to the government and the people of Nova Scotia, positioning the province as a leader in applied Geographic Sciences and driving sustainable economic growth.

See also
Moonshot 1 The Nova Scotia Digital Twin
Moonshot 2 The Ocean Intelligence Platform
Moonshot 3 The Nova Scotia Geo-Innovation Hub

After meeting with David Bowlby today, I don’t have much to add to Edward’s draft. The key issue will be the level of interest shown by students at COGS/AGRG. This could be complemented by input from the GIS industry, and their experimentation with AI.

Postscript

Edward has returned to Florida. With access to less technology, there will be fewer graphics and links over the next month.

Posted in New thinking

Moonshot 3: The Nova Scotia Geo-Innovation Hub

Posted on by Edward Wedler

AI-Geomatics
Moonshot Project 3

Our conversation with Gemini on 28th January 2025. By showcasing these innovative projects, COGS and AGRG can effectively communicate their value to the government and the people of Nova Scotia, positioning the province as a leader in applied Geographic Sciences and driving sustainable economic growth.

  • Vision: Establish a collaborative hub where industry, government, and academia can leverage geospatial technologies to address critical challenges.
  • COGS & AGRG Role: Provide expertise, training, and resources to support innovation projects in various sectors, including agriculture, forestry, transportation, tourism, and (critical) mineral exploration.
  • Impact:
    • Job Creation: Foster the growth of a skilled geospatial workforce and attract talent from around the world.
    • Economic Diversification: Drive innovation and economic growth by supporting the development of new products, services, and technologies.
    • Global Leadership: Position Nova Scotia as a leader in applied Geographic Sciences and a hub for geospatial innovation.

These projects demonstrate how COGS and AGRG can leverage their expertise to address critical challenges and create a more sustainable, resilient, and prosperous future for Nova Scotia. By showcasing their capabilities and raising awareness of their work, they can inspire the government and the public to invest in geospatial technologies and support the province’s transition to a knowledge-based economy.

This is the third Moonshot. I hope it is well received by students at COGS, government and industry partners interested in AI-Geomatics (see Moonshot 1 — The Nova Scotia Digital Twin — and Moonshot 2 — The Ocean Intelligence Platform).

Today, Heather and I took a drive to Canning on a beautiful, sunny Winter day. Our destination was the ArtCan Gallery. Unfortunately the kitchen was closed.

However, the staff were preparing for The Drawing Room Community Show, March 1st-29th. “Make a drawing in the Gallery and Hang It!”

I enjoy their book collection, local authors, books on art, etc. I found Simon Winchester’s Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic. It will likely replace my reading of Backwater: Nova Scotia’s economic decline

Acknowledgements

Heather shared the outing. Edward is making preparations for Florida.

Reference

Simon Winchester, 2023, Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic, 383 pp, Harper Collins.

Posted in New thinking

Moonshot 2: The Ocean Intelligence Platform

Posted on by Edward Wedler

AI-Geomatics
Moonshot Project 2

In conversation with Gemini on 28th January 2025. By showcasing these innovative projects, COGS and AGRG can effectively communicate their value to the government and the people of Nova Scotia, positioning the province as a leader in applied Geographic Sciences and driving sustainable economic growth.

Vision: Develop an advanced platform for monitoring and understanding Nova Scotia’s marine environment.

COGS & AGRG Role: Utilize marine geomatics, underwater robotics, and AI to collect and analyze data on ocean currents, water quality, marine life, and human activities.

Impact:

Sustainable Fisheries: Support sustainable fishing practices by providing real-time data on fish stocks and migration patterns.

Coastal Protection: Monitor coastal erosion and sea-level rise to inform coastal management strategies.

Blue Economy: Facilitate the development of new ocean-based industries, such as offshore renewable energy and aquaculture.

By showcasing these innovative projects, COGS and AGRG can effectively communicate their value to the government and the people of Nova Scotia, positioning the province as a leader in applied Geographic Sciences and driving sustainable economic growth.

Last Saturday, I hosted a meeting at my house in Middleton with John Wightman and David MacLean. The topic under discussion was the possibility of an event, equivalent to the COGS Industry Expo; this Summer, June- July time frame. The emphasis would be on Nova Scotia, natural resources, in particular minerals, fisheries, forestry and agriculture.

The event’s working title would be ‘CANMAP Government Expo’.

It would showcase the use of AI-Geomatics in these four sectors, and the collaboration between the educational institutions, industry and government.

To move forward with this agenda, we need the engagement of the provincial government, as well as the AI-Geomatics industry.

Acknowledgements

Edward Wedler started this journey. Both John Wightman, from the mining exploration industry perspective and David MacLean from the application of GIS technology perspective demonstrated their commitment and interest.

Posted in New thinking

Moonshot 1: The Nova Scotia Digital Twin

Posted on by Edward Wedler

This morning, I went to the CORAH Men’s’ Fitness class. Other participants, included Howard Selig (Valley Flax) and David Bowlby (MLA Annapolis County). This week, Edward has been in dialogue with Gemini ( AI). Together they identified four ‘moonshots’. I will publish one per week. Through the ErnestBlairExperiment blog. We want to try to engage the community, industry, government and education.

Edward and I have collaborated on earlier projects e.g. Ride the Lobster and The Road to Georgetown, PEI.

AI-Geomatics
Moonshot Project 1

Edward’s conversation with Gemini was on 28th January 2025. By showcasing these innovative projects, COGS and AGRG can effectively communicate their value to the government and the people of Nova Scotia, positioning the province as a leader in applied Geographic Sciences and driving sustainable economic growth.

Vision: Create a comprehensive, real-time digital replica of Nova Scotia, encompassing its physical, natural, and human environments.

COGS & AGRG Role: Leverage their expertise in GIS, remote sensing, and AI to integrate various data sources, including LiDAR, satellite imagery, sensor networks, and historical records.

Impact:

Resource Management: Optimize resource extraction (forestry, fishing, mining) while minimizing environmental impact.

Disaster Preparedness: Simulate natural disasters (floods, wildfires) to improve response and mitigation strategies.

Economic Development: Attract investment by showcasing the province’s potential for sustainable development and innovation.

Acknowledgements

Edward Wedler was on the faculty, teaching Remote Sensing at COGS. At the same time. I was teaching GIS. We have been friends and colleagues for over forty years.

Posted in Art, Nature, Photo Essay, Travel

Footsteps East  our 5,000 km plein air journey

Posted on by Edward Wedler

Plein air art saved us from disaster — and may have even saved our lives!

A massive, cracking thunderstorm with torrential rain struck our campsite. 

At the time, we were painting about 20 km south; in Petit-Saguenay, Quebec, a fjordic region of Canada. Mountainous landslides washed out the only access road back to our campsite. About 200 campers, their tents and RVs were left stranded. They had to be airlifted/ boated out. Tragically, two were swept out to sea and lost their lives. It took over a week to be safely escorted back to camp so we could retrieve our tent and gear. What a start to our 5,000 km plein air trek through eastern Canada!

We planned to travel through landscapes painted 100 years ago by Canadian artists Tom Thomson and members of The Group of Seven — from Nova Scotia to northern Lake Superior and back — and to explore our painting styles.

In Ontario, we visited quaint towns that offered mouth-watering bakery products and parks made famous for their breathtaking topography. In Killarney we hiked “The Crack”; the most rugged trail in the La Cloche Mountain Range.

And canoed the lakes. We travelled by rail up The Agawa Canyon. In Neys and Pakawaska we painted near a WWII prisoner-of-war camp. On our return, we enjoyed camp-time with our daughter and grandchildren and painted the farmlands of Huron County.

Every day, our Footsteps East journey remains crystal clear — the squeal of soaring hawks, the fragrance of pine-filled valleys, the fresh breath of morning air along the rocky shoreline of Georgian Bay and the many spectacular skies.
 

That’s the beauty of plein air art. Every moment is treasured and fully experienced. Even better is when the journey is shared with art lovers and adventurers; locally and from around the globe.

“Little Island, Petite Saguenay” plein air oil by Anne Wedler

Our trek’s stories, artwork, videos, and interactive map are on our website at Footsteps East.

So what adventures await? 

“Footsteps Farther East” is where we tented and painted the landscapes of Newfoundland and Labrador in the summer of 2024. For 2025 it may be rural France and Ireland — even farther east.

Originally submitted to Plein Air Magazine’s “Postcards on the Road”
(now revised including images) by Anne and Edward Wedler
“A Plein Air Pair”
wedlerfineart.com

Posted in Art, Common Place, New thinking

My Mind is Racing: looking at geography through a refreshing lens

Posted on by Edward Wedler

MY EMAIL THREAD WITH Dr BOB MAHER:

Tonight, I plan to attend a discussion panel at Dal University triggered by an article in The Coast, “In This Economy, Try Art“.

“The panelists will pull on narrative threads in “Strange Birds”, including creative ways to engage with the climate crisis, and add their perspectives on curation, academic perspectives on environmental sustainability and the ways art can bring awareness, action and optimism to the struggle for the planet’s future.“

I explored the backgrounds of the panelists, particularly, celebrated exhibition curator Ray Cronin and Dal U environmental studies professor Melanie Zurba. They approach geography through a very different lens than I have been used to — Ray Cronin through place-based art and artists, and Zurba through community and indigenous collaborators of our environmental spaces.

Then, to continue this thread, I could not then help but explore who, to me, is one of the most interesting professors I HAVE NEVER MET — Acadia U prof Dr Jon Saklofske. If there is one thing I would ask of you today is to grab a coffee and watch his 17-minute YouTube video “Creating Worlds Together“.

Here, is a really exciting way to view geography, literature, books, virtual worlds, and place-based stories; together. The type of work he does with undergraduates and a COGS-Acadia collaboration would blow my mind [I would jump at the chance to be one of his students].

How do I know of Jon Saklofske? He once requested some promotional literature/book posters we had when I ran The Inside Story bookstore. Again, I have never met him but his research mind-space excites me.

This then got me thinking … this time following a Jon Saklofske-thread into an Esri and virtual world.

Since Saklofske has delved into the geographic world of gaming, has Esri ever explored or embraced the type of geographic-gaming explored by Saklofske — especially since the entertainment world is such a large part of current culture?

I wonder where an Esri-Saklofske collaboration would lead — hmmm, maybe a COGS-Esri-Saklofske collaboration.

Let’s explore the ending “S” in “Centre for Geographic Sciences“.

Posted in New thinking, Travel

Niche Map of Nova Scotia Attracts 25,000 Map Views

Posted on by Edward Wedler

Now, I’m not one to gloat but almost 25,000 map views are the latest counts on my interactive plein air art map at tinyurl.com/PleinAirMap.

Not bad for a niche map focused on Nova Scotia. I should see the numbers rise soon since I have recently posted this map link to several Facebook Groups in Canada, the USA, Europe and beyond. It’s also a great way, to attract visitors from away who are looking for activities to do in Nova Scotia. Artists as far away as New Zealand are sharing my map. Think experiential tourism! (see Preparing for Experiential Tourism, Rethinking Tourism, and A Question of Scale)

I’d love to attract a COGS student and challenge them to scale the map globally where there are hundreds of thousands of interested plein air artists, urban sketchers, art lovers and experiential tourists. Maybe I have yet to attract any because I want them to use the Google Suite of software and have COGS students working with Google Map developers.

I once emailed back and forth with Eric Rhoads, the publisher of Plein Air Magazine out of the USA. While he couldn’t spare his resources, he thought the map was a great idea.

Your thoughts?


Posted in Art, Event Review, New thinking

5,000 km ends at The Teichert Gallery

Posted on by Edward Wedler

Anne and I are back from our two-year project. Footsteps East took us to places throughout Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario.

This June 2023 started out rocky. Storms greeted us near Québec’s Lac Témiscouata.

While painting at Petite Saguenay, a sudden storm thundered 20 km away at our campsite at Baie Eternity. Multiple road washouts trapped over 200 people at the campsite. Many were airlifted out and escaped by boat. Overland flooding, tragically, washed two people to their deaths. It took us over a week to be able to follow a Saturday convoy to our site and recover our belongings. More heavy rains prevented further recovery of cars, RVs, and camping gear for 2-3 weeks.

Over twenty times we set up and broke camp during our journey — only a few times, thankfully, in the rain.

A typical rainy end in this short video.

Our journey was filled with adventures — tenting, painting, hiking, canoeing, riding the rails, and visiting art galleries. We filled two sketchbooks and submitted over 40 original paintings to the Teichert Gallery, adjacent to the Nova Scotia Art Gallery in downtown Halifax for our exhibition in September.

So, what’s next? What can grow our love of art and geography in Canada?

We figured an artist residency where we could explore the boundaries between spatial technologies (GIS, remote sensing, drones, etc.), the visual arts, and the culture of Place, would be a fruitful challenge. I’d love to develop a project, say, on “The Nooks and Crannies of Fogo Island”. Maybe you could help me out here.

Posted in Art, Event Review, New thinking

When Worlds Collide: Unicycles, Plein Air, and the Ultimate Tenting Expedition

Posted on by Edward Wedler

This time of the year holds immense significance for me.

Fifteen years ago, almost to the day, we held Ride The Lobster — the world’s longest unicycle race in history, run in Nova Scotia — 500 miles and 5 days with the support of COGS, AGRG, Britec, the Government of Nova Scotia, and many, many other groups and individuals. Heather LeBlanc, Andy Cotter, Nathan Hoover, Brian Reid, and Bob Maher were instrumental in believing in this wild adventure and in convincing others to join. Max deMilner’s (Unicycle Max) New England trip triggered the idea.

Starting next week, Anne and I enter the Parrsboro International Plein Air Festival (PIPAF) alongside 28 talented artists across North America. This is our third juried entry into this prestigious event. Our painting colleagues are world-class. Not only are we in awe of them but are honoured to be participating with them.

Immediately following PIPAF, we embark on FootstepsEast (FSE), our 5,000 km tenting and painting trip through Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario to Lake Superior, and back. For two months, we log our journey that culminates in an exhibition of 40+ original works from our trip at the Teichert Gallery in Halifax through September.

The next few months will be hectic but exciting. Yes, this time of the year holds immense significance for me.

Acknowledgments

To Bob Maher for his continued moral support and geographic advice. To Anne for both tagging along and leading the way. To the many artists who send their best wishes and who will follow us on our journey. To those at the Teichert Gallery who believe in us. To all those who helped make Ride the Lobster work many years ago.

Posted in Art, Event Review

Plein Air Paint-Out Map for 2023

Posted on by Edward Wedler

Our Nova Scotia plein air art map grows with community user input. It currently has 19,000+ map views.

The map shows paint-out locations for the upcoming, outdoor (en plein air) painting season.

According to Plein Air Magazine, the plein-air painting movement is the fastest-growing movement in the art world today.

Editor, Eric Rhoads, calls it “the new golf”. Many tens of thousands of artists, worldwide, are involved in this movement.

Anne and I have founded two groups in Nova Scotia (Plein Air Artists of the Annapolis Valley, PAAAV in 2016, and Plein Air Artists HRM, PAAHRM in 2019).

We participate in a third group, Halifax Urban Sketchers, HUSk, and have collaborated with the Nova Scotia Association of Architects to hold sketch-outs.

The map, and associated schedules, keep member artists, event organizers, art lovers, collectors, residents, and out-of-Province tourists aware of what, when, and where events are held. We have had visitors from Europe, across Canada and the USA join us based on this knowledge. Last year I created an icon on the map to allow others to place their event on the map. It’s crude (using Google Forms) but it works.

I use the Google Map platform because it is popular, and well-integrated with its suite of products (Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Forms, Google Calendar, YouTube, etc.). Such a platform forms the basis of another map I am building for “Footsteps East”.

Our Footsteps East map tells the story of our 6,000+ km tenting and painting trek that Anne and I are undertaking from Nova Scotia to Lake Superior, and back. This organic, interactive map grows with text, and links to YouTube, Spotify, a Calendar, and sketches as we camp at each paint-out site. Anne looks after Instagram, Facebook, and Google Calendar.

On a final note, I’d like to say there are a number of improvements that would make such maps more valuable and scalable (and be monetized). If there is anyone out there who’d love to work with me on this let me know or refer me to some Google Map developers.

References

Link: Plein Air Map (tinyurl.com/PleinAirMap)
Link: 2023 Paint-Out Schedule PAAAV (https://bit.ly/3ZvR5Zz)
Link: 2023 Paint-Out Schedule PAAHRM (https://bit.ly/3ZvR5Zz)
Link: “Footsteps East Launch Pad” (https://www.wedlerfineart.com/page/36519/footsteps-east-launch-pad)

Acknowledgments

Dr. Bob Maher as our Footsteps East Geographer Mentor and Advisor
Jesse Millican as our Footsteps East field video and audio recording Advisor
Techert Gallery as our host venue for the Footsteps East original art exhibition, September 2023
A global community of artists supporting and following us on our Footsteps East trek.

POSTSCRIPT
A recent plein air oil painting created by Anne in Florida.