|
|
GIS Careers |
IT Careers |
GeoBid RFPs |
Submit News
SpatialNews Press Release
SSHRC funds "adventure for the mind" map project
OTTAWA, Nov. 27 - Mac Harb, MP for Ottawa Centre, on behalf of
Allan Rock, minister of industry and minister responsible for the Social
Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), today announced $2.6
million in funding for a project to make Canada a world leader in
cybercartography - the field of study that uses multimedia computer
technology to create interactive maps.
"Maps no longer need to be static objects that we use primarily to
find street locations or cities," said Mr. Harb. "With new technology, we
will be able to convert one billion gigabytes of information into powerful
learning tools that help us understand the dynamic relationships between
commerce, people and the environment."
Led by Professor Fraser Taylor at Carleton University, the research
team will receive the funding through the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada's (SSHRC) Initiative on the New Economy (INE).
"Dr. Taylor's project is not simply about creating new high-tech
gadgets," said Marc Renaud, president of SSHRC. "It's about strengthening
our understanding of the interaction between the user and the computer.
It's about combining different sources of information and increasing our
understanding of social, economic and environmental trends."
"Just as the paper map was the key to navigation in the age of
exploration, the cybermap will be the key to navigation in the information
age," Taylor said. "Cybercartography will transform cultural, social,
economic and environmental data into an adventure for the mind, using
vision, hearing, touch, and eventually smell and taste."
This research will produce two separate cybermaps: one that traces the
evolution of Canada's trade with countries around the world, and one that
explores the potential impact on Antarctica of several decades of global
warming and environmental change. These cyber-atlases represent a new way
to deliver complex information to the general public in a format that is
both user friendly and scientifically accurate.
Dr. Taylor and his team will work with a number of partners from
government, industry and academia, including Natural Resources Canada,
Statistics Canada and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade. Research and government agencies from eight countries, including
the United States and China, will contribute to the Antarctic Atlas of
Canada.
SSHRC is an independent federal government agency
that funds university-based research and graduate training in such
disciplines as economics, history, business and administrative studies,
education, law, fine arts, political science and environmental studies.
SSHRC-funded research helps Canadians innovate and compete, maintain their
quality of life and understand a rapidly changing world.
The INE represents a five-year, $100 million commitment. It will
deepen understanding of the nature of the new economy, and of changes in
management skills, educational requirements and lifelong learning, each of
which affects our society, economy and culture. The mission of the
Initiative is to generate new knowledge and put it to work by contributing
to better-informed decision-making on the part of governments, businesses, organizations, communities
and individuals. It aims to do this by focusing research on the nature of
the new economy, on management and entrepreneurship, and on education, and
lifelong learning.
Search GeoCommunity for Related Stories
Search The Web (Google) for Related Stories
Return to Today's News Index
|
|
Sponsored by:
For information
regarding
advertising rates
Click Here!
|
