June 17, 2021
Did you know that you are most likely involved in, or use some aspect of geomatics every day?
Geographic sciences, geomatics, and geospatial; are all terms that refer to several technologies, sciences, and techniques that are used when dealing with location. Simply meaning that using your GPS or by looking on Google maps you are using and applying geomatics.
GANS is a non-profit association created to promote the Geomatics Industry of Nova Scotia, making it competitive both domestically & internationally and increasing its material contribution to the provincial economy. Their association is made up of members from municipal, provincial & federal government; public and private companies; academia and any interested individuals. Along with its active members, GANS has several corporate sponsors, including the Applied Geomatics Research Group, CBCL Limited, the Centre of Geographic Sciences, Esri Canada, GatewayGeo, GeoNOVA, Halifax Water, and Turner Drake! They’ve developed an interactive map showing the locations of their corporate sponsors if you’re interested in learning more!
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Looking at their website, you’ll see the team at GANS are busy! One of their highlighted programs, the Geographic Education Poster Series is particularly interesting, as it highlights “geomatics people” and their careers. The project is used to promote the importance of learning geography, by inspiring future leaders in the geomatics field. The project consists of custom-designed posters which are sent to high schools that the featured professional graduated from, promoting both high school geography and the industry, resulting in more students exploring geospatial studies and careers.
GANS could not be what it is today without the help of its board members and committee, we had the pleasure of speaking to Dave MacLean, their treasurer and a board member.
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Dave is a part of the faculty of the Centre of Geographic Sciences where he teaches GIS technologies to postgraduate students. Dave’s career stemmed from his passion for looking at maps and studying Canadian and National Geographics magazines growing up. Dave’s favourite question to ask himself has always been “Where is this?” (he’s even documented pictures tweeted from space here for his students & the public). The majority of the time Dave can answer this question himself but with the help of the geospatial community, he can learn so much more due to the depth of knowledge the community brings.
“What I like most about the NS geospatial community is the sense of help-out-fullness. At events, across social media, via other connections, people in the industry help others learn “how to”, “tips-n-tricks”, and nuances of the ever-changing technology.” – Dave MacLean Treasurer & Board Member, GANS
This upcoming fall, GANS and the Geomatics Community will be hosting the Geomatics Atlantic Conference for 2021. The conference is hosted by different provinces in Atlantic Canada and this year it is Nova Scotia’s turn. Planning for this event is currently underway, you can follow along on Twitter, and Facebook for up-to-date news about the conference and how you can participate.
Now you know a little more about GANS, we encourage you to check out their website, participate in an upcoming event, read their student highlight articles or even explore their Geographic Education Posters. Learn more at https://gans.ca/ to see how you can become a part of the Geomatics Association of Nova Scotia today.