Category: Event Review

Posted in Event Review, Travel

SOOF SOUP SUNDAY

Posted on by maherrv

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to attend the community gathering at Centrelea Hall. Cindy Staicer gave an excellent presentation on ‘Forest Bird Species at Risk and their Habitats’ (See also YouTube Video HERE).

Click on image for YouTube presentation

Today SOOF (Save Our Old Forests) are making a presentation to the town of Middleton. They are looking for municipal support for the Goldsmith Lake Wilderness Area (see also Saving Forests, Screening/Road Trip, and Two Meetings; Two Questions)

This grassroots action is in stark contrast to the paid advertisement, this weekend in the Chronicle Herald — “Nature Nova Scotia response to Premier Houston’s January 21 letter re: Intention to Expand Unsustainable Natural Resource Industries and Dismissal of Expert Opinion“.

My questions are as follows:
Why is the Government and, subsequently, Nature Nova Scotia using paid advertisements to communicate? Is this an attempt to impact public opinion? Likely, Yes.

What structures exist within the government to solicit informed public opinion?

Earlier on Saturday morning, it was a simple delight to walk through Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens to see the crocuses and snowdrops.

Trish Fry was out taking photographs.

Also, we had to stop at the local bookstores.

Mare Gold had a copy of Ronald Blythe’s “Next to Nature: A Lifetime in the English Countryside“. I could not resist the purchase.

Blythe died in January 2023, aged 100.

‘The finest contemporary writer on the English Countryside. Next to Nature dances with self-deprecating wit, rebellious asides, sharp portraits of fellow writers and notes of worldliness.’ – Patrick Barkham, The Guardian.

Acknowledgements

Heather and I enjoyed our busy weekend catching up with the SOOF activities. Thank you to Cindy, Nina et al. Edward added the graphics and links.

Reference

Ronald Blythe, 2022, Next to Nature. a Lifetime in the English Countryside, John Murray Publisher.

Posted in Event Review, Opinion, Uncategorized

COGS Industry Expo

Posted on by maherrv

Today, Heather and I went to the Industry Expo at COGS.

Image from NSCC COGS Industry Expo Facebook Site

There were several highlights.

Kevin McGuigan provided a useful update on AGRG’s history, from its early days in 2000 through the modernization era of 2016 to the challenge era of 2020 and today.

Significant events include complete LiDAR coverage of Nova Scotia and an increased web presence.

Afterwards, we joined Andrew Hannam and Chelsea Heighton in the Board Room to tour the ‘Maps as Art’ exhibition. CORAH is organizing a series of tours this Wednesday and Thursday.

We highly recommend signing up to see the exhibition.

In the afternoon, there was the opportunity to catch up with the survey companies in New Brunswick. This culminated in Kelly Bates’ keynote presentation ‘Bridging Academia and Offshore Infrastructure Planning’. Of particular interest to myself, was the role played by the M.Sc. degree in Applied Geomatics at Acadia University.

Tomorrow, the focus will be on industry displays in the gymnasium and student interviews. Overall, this was a rewarding day, with many examples of collaboration between COGS and the private sector.

On the weekend, the Premier had a paid advertisement on the front page of the Chronicle Herald. He referenced Nova Scotia’s traditional industries – fishing, farming, forestry. Plus ‘New-to-Nova Scotia: industries like hydrogen, wind and critical minerals can operate safely and the potential positive impact on our Province is massive.’

My response to the Premier, and our local MLA’s is PLEASE begin to appreciate the significance of GIS and Geomatics in mapping these resources. To the NSCC, I would recommend a ‘COGS Government Expo’ focused on the importance of these technologies, and the importance of a well-trained workforce.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Heather who joined me for a stimulating day in Lawrencetown. Edward is busy investigating the relationship between AI and GIS. Hence this post will be short on graphics and links.

But I did want to encourage the reader to sign up for the CORAH ‘Maps as Art’ tours at COGS, Wednesday and Thursday.

Posted in Book Review, Event Review, Travel

Sustainable Publications

Posted on by maherrv

With a lifetime of books in the basement, I am trying to determine which ones are ‘sustainable publications’ and those categories of books that are no longer necessary.

This set me thinking about newspapers and magazines. In the category of ‘sustainable’ I would include the weekly, Bridgetown Reader, and monthly, The Grapevine.

In the online class, I would include Emergence Magazine, The Marginalian and The Oldie.

This week, we have learned that there will be a recount for the two Liberal ridings held by Zach Churchill and Carman Kerr (see Close Race).

For my last blog, I sent Edward three photographs from the Rotary Riverside Park in Middleton.

They showed the memorial tree placement,

the yoga stations

and the watch that Heather found on the trail and placed on a tree (shown circled). This is consistent with the treasure-hunting theme (see Treasure Hunting).

Acknowledgement

Heather, likewise, has a significant collection of sustainable publications. Edward added the photographs.

POSTSCRIPT
Sunrise over the Annapolis River

Posted in Event Review

Close Race

Posted on by maherrv

On Wednesday morning I sent out an email to the family. Heather and I had voted for the incumbent candidate in the provincial election. Carman Kerr was ahead by three votes. Our votes do count!

Later in the day, I had to change my tune, the final count was David Bowlby by seven votes.

While I appreciate the good work by Carman for the residents of Annapolis County, it may be advantageous that our new representative is with the ruling party. He certainly possesses good credentials.

This week has been hard for rural residents. The media is full of political disputes at all levels—provincial, national, and North American. Combine this fact with the changes in delivery. It is perhaps not surprising that the CBC continues to load up on its advertising as we approach the Christmas season.

We have taken to daily walks at the Rotary Riverside Park. A couple of weeks ago , Heather found a watch on the trail. Perhaps the owner will reclaim it from its riverside perch. More hidden treasures (read Treasure Hunting)!

On the reading front, I found Pico Iyer’s “Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells” at the Lawrencetown library.

What struck me, were the maps of Japan on the inside cover. I do like ‘local’. I do enjoy Iyer’s writing style and content.

Acknowledgements

Heather and I have made it through an intense, political week. Time to head up to New Glasgow, weather permitting. Thanks to Edward for his support and collaboration.

References

Pico Iyer, 2019, Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells, Knopf Borzoi Books.

POSTSCRIPT

Neck and neck.

With just seven votes separating the two front runners in our Annapolis Riding, a recount is required by election rule. It’s not over until the recount is completed in a few days. Alarmingly, only about 47% of eligible voters voted.

Posted in Event Review, Opinion, Travel

GIS Day at COGS

Posted on by maherrv

Today, Heather and I went to COGS to celebrate Esri Canada ‘GIS Day in Canada’.

The keynote speaker was Dianne Whalen, an award-winning Canadian filmmaker, photographer, author and public speaker. The topic was ‘500 days in the Wild’.

She described her experience travelling across the country on the Trans-Canada Trail. The longest trail in the world: 24,000 kilometers. It was completed over a period of six years, and included hiking, bicycling, canoeing and skiing.

It was a memorable presentation, with numerous insights into the history and geography of Canada. It is available online.

David MacLean made the GIS Day presentation available online in the AV Room at COGS. We witnessed Alex Miller, President of ESRI Canada, present the Roger Tomlinson, Lifetime Achievement award to Gord Rasmussen, City of Calgary and the Making a Difference award to Cynthia Bettio on the partnership between the community of Stouffville and the local school. Both are well deserved.

The rest of the day included ‘lightening talks’ on AEC, Land Management, Public Safety and Health, Transportation, Utility and Emergency Management, Climate Change and the Environment.

The most shocking aspect of the day was that Heather and I were the only live audience in the AV room. Dave MacLean was available to discuss any technology issues. Everyone else at COGS was, by definition, online. This raises the question. At what point in the learning environment can be totally online? In which case, what is the future of a small college in rural Nova Scotia?

The contrast between Diane Whalen’s description, insights and experiences travelling through the Canadian landscape, and our experience visiting COGS was palpable. What is the value of gathering people into the same (virtual) location, and comparing their sense of Geography?

Posted in Event Review

Flavour Delights

Posted on by maherrv

Today, Heather and I celebrated the closing of the sale of our house in Paradise.


We had lived there for twenty four years.

We will keep the memories of the orchard, the apple picking and the making of Hunter brandy.

Fortunately, we can still walk down to the Annapolis River, through the Lawrencetown tree nursery,

… and enjoy a beer at Lunn’s Mill.

The celebration started in Annapolis Royal. We stopped at the Historical Gardens.

The courtyard was decked out in its Halloween finery. It was a beautiful sunny, cool late October morning.

Afterwards, as a treat, for Heather and myself, we stopped at Flavour Delights, the Indian Masala House in Bridgetown.

It had been on my ‘to do’ list for some time. What an amazing discovery, at two o’clock in the afternoon there were two other couples at the tables. The food was simply excellent. Beautiful decor. We ended with a take-away for supper.

With the house sale complete, I realized the immense strain of dealing with financial uncertainties over the last six months. Now it’s time to look forward to decide on the activities which we can enjoy from the Middleton location.

I can imagine visitors from England, United States or elsewhere in Canada (BC, Ontario, Nunavut)

(cartoon by Edward)

… sharing a meal at the Indian Masala House in Bridgetown. Time for the next leg of the journey.

Acknowledgements

Heather shared the day. We returned home to see the newly renovated front steps to our house. We embrace the richness that small town Nova Scotia has to offer in Annapolis Royal, Bridgetown and Middleton.

Edward added the links and graphics.

The Indian Masala House. www.flavourdelights.com 1-902-349-5115.

Posted in Event Review, Opinion

Geographic Information

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On Friday, GoGeomatics hosted a back-to-school social at COGS (see previous post A Hidden Gem: Harbourville). It included a series of short presentations in the AV room by Tim Webster, Colin MacDonald, Jon Murphy and Ted MacKinnon. The audience was primarily COGS students and a few friends of COGS (e.g. Cliff Drysdale, Simeon Roberts and myself).

The meeting theme was extreme events and climate change; in particular coastal flooding and forest fires. The speakers were forthcoming about the role of Geomatics technology in their work and careers.

Afterwards, GoGeomatics hosted a social evening at the Capitol Pub in Middleton. This allowed for further interaction across the generations.

The event gave me ‘food for thought’ especially in relation to ‘geographic information’.

My memories take me back to the 1980s. NSLSI (later COGS) was looking to bring new technology, computers, into land surveying, cartography and planning. Today, we live in a technology-driven world — computers, cell phones and the Internet. In the 1980s we had three departments: Computer Programming, Surveying and Cartography/Planning.

Later, we renamed the institution to the College of Geographic Sciences and added the Applied Geomatics Research Group. Today, the technology drives learning. Many students attend COGS online. thus missing much of the physical geographic context of the local landscape.

Listening to the speakers, I wondered what had happened to ‘geographic information’. We started with geographic information systems (GIS). GIS included access to many sensing platforms and devices: satellites, aircraft, drones, LiDAR, etc.

The next day (Saturday) I received a back door visit in Middleton by a candidate for town council. She explained the challenge of trying to obtain a base map defining her district.

This made me wonder. What has happened to the cartography and planning programs at COGS? How were they serving the citizens?

Over a decade ago I remember promoting the concept of a ‘community information utility’. Where did that go? Today, the only evidence of different districts are the signs in town, as we go into a municipal election.

CONCLUSION

It is tremendous that COGS’ reputation draws students from across the country, and beyond. It is excellent that the graduates have access to modern technology. But, as a society, are we increasing our understanding of the local geography? If candidates for the municipal election have to scramble for current mapping, we clearly do not have a ‘community information utility’. We are missing the opportunity to showcase the history and talents of COGS for the betterment of citizens and groups in the Annapolis Valley and beyond.

How do we bridge that gap?

POSTSCRIPT

I just discovered in the basement, after our move:

“Mapping our Common Ground. A community and green mapping resource guide” (download PDF HERE).

Haying in our “backyard”.

Posted in Event Review

CSRS Presentation

Posted on by maherrv


I just returned from two nights at the Lord Nelson Hotel in Halifax. Yesterday, I gave a keynote presentation in an auditorium on the campus of Dalhousie University. The title was ‘Fifty years of GIS and RS at COGS’. It follows the transition from NSLSI to COGS to NSCC, Centre of Geographic Sciences.

Click on the image to view the keynote slides

There were several COGS graduates in the audience. The organizers of the 45th. Canadian Symposium on Remote Sensing included Chris Hopkinson, Laura Chasmer and Koreen Millard; all with affiliations to COGS.

At the evening reception at Pier 21, both Hopkinson and Millard received awards for their contribution to the field of Remote Sensing.

Heather and I had the opportunity for some city walking from the Lord Nelson down to the Bishops Landing on the waterfront; also from Historic Properties to Pier 21.

(Plein air watercolour sketch painted a week ago by Edward showing an entrance to Historic Properties)

Lessons learned from the conference.

Conferences are opportunities to share the results of faculty research and the efforts of their graduate students. The COGS model of applied research fits well in that context. Remarkably, the Remote Sensing community in Canada has been offering symposiums for forty-five years. This matches time-wise, with the Nova Scotia Remote Sensing Centre and applied research at COGS and, most recently, through the Applied Geomatics Research Group (AGRG) in Middleton.

My view of the future is that land management and climate change across Canada will depend on a strong cohort of both remote sensing and geographic information system scientists and technicians. These tools will provide us with a detailed understanding of the landscape, and its link to climate change.

This fits well with John Wightman’s original vision for COGS in 1975.

Acknowledgements

Both Edward Wedler and David Maclean made important contributions to the slides, with links and images.

References

Bob Maher, 2024, Fifty Years of GIS and RS at COGS (This link allows the reader to follow the presentation online).

Posted in Event Review

Arts for Life

Posted on by maherrv

On a dark, stormy Wednesday evening, we went to Kings Theatre, ‘Arts for Life’ in Annapolis Royal. They showed three new films by ARCAC and Andrew Tolson.

  1. Arts at the Centre (ARTSPACE): four decades of community artistry.
  2. It’s all about Love: An artist profile of Ken Flett.
  3. The History of Us: An artist profile of Deb Kuyzk and Ray Mackie.

After the intermission, ‘Rural Renaissance: How Canada’s oldest town reinvented itself’. A 2021 documentary about Annapolis Royal in the 1970’s and 1980’s. It was spearheaded by Jane Nicholson and AIRO, with the support of film-maker Andrew Tolson and researcher, Wilfred Allen (view the documentary in post Two Used Books).

Heather and I came to COGS in Lawrencetown in 1980. The film combined personal interviews, with historical perspectives, and a focus on place, in this case, Annapolis Royal. The combination of interviews and archival footage was compelling. It included the Historical Gardens, Kings Theatre, Sinclair Inn, etc. plus interviews with Greg Kerr, Paul Buxton, Barry Moody and others.

For the first time, I was able to fully appreciate the difference between the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council (ARCAC) and ARTSPACE ( the gallery) and now ARTSEEN ( the digital presence) – an exploration of the processes, minds and concepts that ignite the work of contemporary artists and arts centres..

This mixture of personal stories, historical footage and a sense of place offers an inspirational model for other communities, and other endeavours e.g. Science for Life at COGS in Lawrencetown.

Acknowledgements

Excellent Cinematography by Andrew Tolson. Edward Wedler added the graphics and links to the blog. Heather shared the stormy drive to Annapolis Royal. Janet Larkman hosted the event at the King’s Theatre.

References

Artseen link

ARCAC link.

Posted in Event Review

Antique Maps tour

Posted on by maherrv

Today (Thursday, 25th), Heather and I joined the Antique Maps tour at COGS. Our guides were Andrew Hannam and Chelsea Heighton. The collection contains over 2500 antique maps, atlases and books that once belonged to Walter Morrison, David Raymond and Leslie Marcus. The event was organized by the Centre of Rural Aging and Health (CORAH), NSCC Annapolis Valley campus, Middleton.

I knew both Walter and Dave from my time teaching at COGS. From the tour, I gained a new appreciation of Walter’s interest in the history of map production. At the same time, it was good to see the local maps for the Annapolis Valley, Louisburg , Halifax. It is hard to estimate the value of these maps. They deserve a wider audience, perhaps with an exhibition in Halifax.

Walking the corridors, I noticed a display by the COGS Library which named the current programs offered on-site and on-line at COGS. Later I returned to the campus to photograph this display.

Resident programs (2023-24) include:

  • Survey
  • Marine Geomatics
  • GIS
  • Remote Sensing
  • GIS Technician
  • IT Programming

Online programs include:

  • Cartography and Geovisualization
  • Geospatial Data Analytics.

Residential-Online programs include:

  • GIS
  • GIS technician.

This display was the first time that I have been able to discern programs that are solely online, and those that are available both on-site and on-line.

Hopefully this will help the wider public better understand our modern learning environment.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Andrew Hannam and Chelsea Heighton for the tour and the display.