News

On March 23, NSCC-COGS is holding an Industry Expo in Lawrencetown, NS.  Geographic Information Services, Department of Internal Services will be onsite to provide students with information about geomatics in action in the provincial government. Upcoming projects and opportunities for employment will also be shared.

Ever wonder how a place gets its name? The Province recently honored the memory of Sergeant Kenneth James Power, an RCAF search and rescue techician, by naming a brook in Cape Breton after him. The Commemorative Naming Ceremony took place on June 18^th.  Ken Power Brook flows between Munro Lake and Lake Uist, Enon, Cape Breton County.

Did you know that commemorative name changes are community driven? Learn more about Nova Scotia Place Names.

The College of Geographic Sciences recently hosted its Student Awards Banquet. GeoNOVA sponsored awards were presented to Natasha Fee (James F. Doig Award) and Margie Massier (GeoNOVA Award), two well deserving geomatics students. On behalf of GeoNOVA, Geographic Information Services, congratulations and best of luck to all 2016 COGS grads!

Proceedings of the 9th Symposium of the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) are now available online. GeoNOVA's contribution to the proceedings can be found here: Laying the foundation for a digital Nova Scotia.

Lidar mapping in the Province is now available under an open license via Nova Scotia's Open Data Portal. Lidar (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) is described as an optical remote sensing technology which measures properties of scattered light and/or information of a distant target. It combines laser, GPS and inertial navigation systems to produce highly accurate topographic maps with accuracy within a few centimetres.

Nova Scotia government  has streamlined the way it seeks input about Harvesting Plans on Crown Land. The public will no longer have to download large static maps to see what plans the government has for harvesting on Crown Land.   A new way to engage with the general public provides a wealth of up to date geographic information shared through map visualization.  Speedy access, easy to use interface and the opportunity to provide feedback for Licensees complements the user experience.

The Nova Scotia Provincial Government has launched a state-of-the-art positioning system that provides highly accurate, real-time locations down to the millimetre level.   

Forty, permanent GPS stations have been strategically installed on structures around the province to enable unprecedented access to high accuracy positioning. This infrastructure investment is good news for Nova Scotians as it allows for greater efficiencies in industry and provides opportunities for new technologies to emerge.

Nova Scotians now have free, easy access to a wealth of government data via Nova Scotia Government’s Open Data Portal. The new portal offers more than 130 government data collections that are available to be used and shared by the public. To learn more read the Release.

Congratulations to Paul Illsley, Nova Scotia cartographer, on his newly released interactive online map ExploreNS.ca, showcasing 650 sightseeing locations in Nova Scotia. ExploreNS.ca is a great example of the use of location-based information to create a thematic map of Nova Scotia.

Come join us in our GIS day celebration and discover how the theme of Innovative Geography is being applied across the Provincial Government. Our GIS Day Event Information: