The Story of COGS
A Nova Scotian
experiment in
Technical Education
We have provided several ways on the website to read “The Story of COGS – A Nova Scotian experiment in Technical Education”. The book has been converted into digital format, providing several ways to read the book online.
- Use the Flip Builder flash viewer below to flip through the virtual book (the buttons in the viewer will allow you to open the book in full screen) Note: The viewer may not work on all devices;
- Read the book by browsing through the pages and clicking the links to continue to the next sections (the book starts below, with link at the bottom of the page and links to chapters in the side column)
- Download the book in PDF format and read using your own personal device
In the mid 80’s the survey school (Nova Scotia Land Survey Institute – NSLSI) was responding to rapid changes in computing technology. It had introduced a number of technical computer application programs adding pressure for a name change that would more appropriately reflect the breadth of the technical training provided.
There was considerable enthusiasm and innovation for the application of computing technology within the geographic sciences. Given that Canada possesses a large geography providing countless opportunities for graduates. Considerable debate took place about naming conventions, Geographic Sciences versus Geomatics Engineering with one of the major influences in this debate coming from Dr. Roger Tomlinson.
Initial concept behind the ‘Story of COGS’ was to cover the period of transition between the two book-ends, the birth of the Institute (NSLSI) and the current institutional framework (NSCC). From an evolutionary perspective, this period was a time of rapid change associated with changes in science, technology, and society.
Transitioning between NSLSI and NSCC
The story of COGS is an attempt to place the transition years between NSLSI and NSCC into its appropriate context, however the real story will always be about the graduates and their profound reputation known all over the world. We encourage others to share their recollections, and stories of their time spent in Lawrencetown learning various technical aspects of geographical sciences.
In many ways, the strength of an institution lies within the lives of the alumni and COGS world renown reputation has a lot to do with alumni.
Comments, corrections, feedback and additions are all welcome, as this is just a personal view of a specific institution in rural Nova Scotia.
