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arXiv · 2509.01845

Community-Centered Spatial Intelligence for Climate Adaptation at Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of a human-centered initiative aimed at strengthening climate resilience along Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. This region, a collection of rural villages with deep ties to the sea, faces existential threats from climate change that endanger its way of life. Our project moves beyond a purely technical response, weaving together expertise from Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, and Coastal Geography to co-create tools with the community. By integrating generational knowledge of residents, particularly elders, through the Eastern Shore Citizen Science Coastal Monitoring Network, this project aims to collaborate in building a living digital archive. This effort is hosted under Dalhousie University's Transforming Climate Action (TCA) initiative, specifically through its Transformative Adaptations to Social-Ecological Climate Change Trajectories (TranSECT) and TCA Artificial Intelligence (TCA-AI) projects. This work is driven by a collaboration model in which student teams work directly with residents. We present a detailed project timeline and a replicable model for how technology can support traditional communities, enabling them to navigate climate transformation more effectively.

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Gabriel Spadon, Oladapo Oyebode, Camilo M. Botero, Tushar Sharma, Floris Goerlandt, Ronald Pelot. 2025-10-08. Community-Centered Spatial Intelligence for Climate Adaptation at Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore. https://doi.org/10.1145/3764924.3770892

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