Six years ago I proposed a real-time, interactive, contact heat map to track deplaned passengers from flights arriving into Nova Scotia (contact tracing). The idea, in fact, could have been applied anywhere to track the movement of (potentially) virus-infected people.
By October 2014, 4,500 people had died from a recent Ebola global outbreak. We had, in Canada, experienced H1N1 (Asian Bird Flu) and SARS. The SARS outbreak of 2002-2003 killed 800+ people worldwide and killed 44 Canadians. In our current CoVid-19 outbreak, Canada has suffered 300+ deaths to date. More Canadians have now died from COVID-19 than SARS. Viruses know few boundaries. Deadly viruses such as Ebola, MERS, SARS, Asian Bird Flu (H1N1) and COVID-19 can easily spread with today’s travel. Forensic Studies have shown that viral outbreaks mirror air travel.
“The role of mass air travel in the recent worldwide spread of a number of diseases … has been documented, analysed and discussed by transnational and governmental agencies … clinical practitioners … and academic researchers.” (ScienceDirect)
My proposed interactive map rests on the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), G5 cellular technology and Artificial Intelligence, where we can respond to contact and movement and predict a possible outbreak brought in by deplaned passengers from an airline flight; possibly offering a public alerts/warning system. This complements the arduous task of forensic tracking of people’s whereabouts.
Could future technology seek, track and map, in real-time, when and where infected people might come into contact with others and with sensor-embedded objects (taxis, other cell phones, public venues, stores, farm animals, etc.)? Can we react faster and more judiciously to these outbreaks and forecast/model viral outbreaks due to deplaned passengers and crew and their contacts? How can we balance privacy rights with public health needs?
A recent article notes that a team led by MIT researchers are working to do contact tracing using Bluetooth technology while retaining privacy.
References
Science Direct, Airports, Localities and Disease. July 2010.
TechXplore. Kelly Foy (MIT). Bluetooth Signals from Your Smartphone, 09 April 2020.
Postscript
Apple and Google just announced a joint effort to fight COVID-19 via Bluetooth contact-tracing technology.
“Shepherd was a localist of the best kind: she came to know her chosen place closely, but that closeness served to intensify rather than limit her vision”
If we want to understand our Geography, let’s start with 
In these unusual times, it is the small details that catch one’s attention. Going to the grocery store is a different experience. Once a week, I stop at 
Two years ago, I was in England and picked up Nan Shepherd’s 
Waddell inspired Prince Charles, then a student at Gordonstoun School, to paint in the 1970s. As a result of that inspiration, Prince Charles has become one of the UK’s most successful living artists, where he paints en plein air (outdoors) and exclusively in watercolours, according to 
The 
connections could be made with performing arts, considering … the rich arts culture in the region, Annapolis Royal’s historical link to “
After lunch, as I was preparing for another burning, a white car stopped at our driveway. Charlie Hunter stepped out and explained that he, and his family, were taking a ‘trip down memory lane’. We discussed 
In response to my 
The difference at COGS is that we have a specialized suite of technologies: Geomatics or Geographic Sciences, and we live in a more rural environment. (This rural environment provides a likely explanation for the residency component).
I found the following quotation from 
(Photograph from 2019 conference).
The takeaway message from 
As informed citizens, we need to WAKE UP. We need to be talking about an Innovation Hub in Lawrencetown, evidence-based decision making, the use of current Geotechnologies.
