Don Cowan: A Strategy for Sharing World Environmental Data & Information 2021-06-02

SUMMARY: We are all aware of the amount of environmental data and information that is collected and stored in copious quantities by governments, businesses, and academia. There is a need to share this information in meaningful ways at the community level to help all of us do a better job of protecting the environment. How can this be done? Don Cowan has been addressing this problem at the University of Waterloo through his research and the development of a variety of computer based tools for over 30 years. His presentation will share his experiences and what he has learned and concluded from his efforts. It will include the demonstration of a mobile app called Driftscape that community groups can use to tell a variety of site-specific cultural, environmental and historical stories. Environmental stories can make environmental data and information come to life and hopefully contribute to changes of behavior that will benefit our environment.

BIO:

Dr. Don Cowan is Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Director of the University of Waterloo Computer Systems Group (UWCSG), his research lab. He was the founding chair of what is now the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. He holds appointments at the University in Computer Science and the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability. Don has been working on a variety of environmental research initiatives for over 30 years. His efforts have resulted in the development of a variety of programs and tools that contribute to sharing environmental data and information. The Driftscape mobile app platform is a spinoff from the University of Waterloo based on research performed by Don and his colleagues in UWCSG.