Lee Wilson, Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) student with the EIUI research program, successfully defended his thesis on 30 November 2015. His research examined several aspects of inter-organizational communication among organizations affected by tidal power developments in the Bay of Fundy region in Atlantic Canada. Capturing tidal energy through the implementation of tidal […]
Marine & Ocean Issues
Citizen Science – Achieving a Balance with Government Programs
An editorial in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science (PNSIS) calls for a debate about the role of citizen science in environmental initiatives in Canada (Wells & Richardson, 2015). “Citizen science” refers to the collection and analysis of data by amateur or nonprofessional scientists. Environmental monitoring programs initiated […]
Suzuette Soomai Completes her Doctoral Research on the Role of Fisheries Information
Suzuette Soomai, Interdisciplinary PhD student with the EIUI research program, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on 30 October 2015. Her research focused on the role of fisheries scientific information in policy- and decision-making for fisheries management. She studied the information pathways – production, communication, and use of scientific information – at the operational level in […]
EIUI Researcher Presents Paper at 2015 Digital Earth Conference
On 5-9 October 2015 delegates from around the world came to Halifax to participate in the 9th International Symposium on Digital Earth – “Towards a One-World Vision for the Blue Planet.” As a concept, Digital Earth aims to virtually represent the planet’s environments and social systems in a geographical framework for various research applications. The […]
Marc Taconet of the FAO Gives a Public Lecture at Dalhousie University
The EIUI was pleased to invite Mr. Marc Taconet of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to participate in the Dalhousie University Information Management Public Lectures series on 8 October 2015. Mr. Taconet is the Chief of the Statistics and Information Branch of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of FAO and […]
EIUI Partnership Initiatives with the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization
The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) recently released its Annual Report which includes an account of the research partnership with EIUI on page 18. The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) is a regional, intergovernmental fisheries management body that conducts scientific research, provides advice, and facilitates cooperation among its members on management and conservation of fisheries […]
What Do Users Want From a State of the Environment Report? An EIUI Study of the State of the Scotian Shelf Report
Over forty years ago, the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment proclaimed that decision-makers require access to the best available scientific information to achieve effective environmental management (United Nations, 1972). To fill this need, various governments and inter-governmental partnerships have produced many state of the environment reports (SOEs), which present current scientific understanding […]
Is Demonstrating the “Bottom Line” of the Oceans More Effective Than Scientific Information in Influencing Global Change?
The World Wildlife Fund’s recent report, Reviving the Ocean Economy: The Case for Action – 2015, positions the world’s oceans with major global powers (Hoegh-Goldberg et al., 2015). The oceans are ranked as the seventh-largest economy on the planet – as if combined they were a country. The numbers are staggering: WWF conservatively estimates that […]
Coastal Web Atlases in Policy and Decision-Making: An EIUI Study
With over 10,000 km of coastline, Nova Scotia is undeniably a coastal province. Numerous activities occur within the coastal zone making it a highly valuable area for many Nova Scotians. For this reason, numerous stakeholders are involved with studying and making decisions about various aspects and activities that occur in the coastal zones around the […]
Improving Use and Awareness of Scientific Information: An EIUI Study of the Gulfwatch Monitoring Program
Chemical contamination is a threat that impacts all waterways, especially those closest to human activity. Contamination of ecosystems can lead to consequences within trophic (food-web) structures and can percolate up trophic levels and impact human populations. Countless examples exist of mercury poisoning from contaminated fish overwhelming coastal communities. Other contaminants, such as other trace metals, […]