Do you ever walk in the woods and wonder about the animals, plants, or even the history around you?
Well, there will soon be an app for that.
The Nova Scotia Community College and Department of Natural Resources are working on the ‘Interactive Science Atlas.’
The website and app will look at the science behind the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve, building on resources that are already there, like the harvest map viewer or info from non-profit nature groups like the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute.
Ian Manning, with NSCC Applied Geomatics, says the app takes existing data and overlays it to show visitors more about the area around them.
“So you can go on your phone and see what types of forest are in your area, where the lakes, rivers and streams are and you can even see where past harvesting and silviculture is going to be done or where it’s coming up.”
Cliff Drysdale, with the biosphere association, says that’s good not just for visitors but locals as well.
“If a land owner is interested in harvesting some of their land he can check and see what the content is of the that land and also access Department of Natural Resources regulations are on that particular harvest.”
And he says it will be a great resource for students.
The UNESCO Southwest Nova Biosphere encompasses five counties in the southwestern part of the province.
It is one of only 18 ecosystems in Canada with the special designation.
The app is set to launch this fall.
It’s been in the works for around a year.