GIS Ambassador: My Experience with Maps and Geographic Teaching

Introduction

Hello! I’m Adam Nearing, a Cape Bretoner with a lifelong fascination for maps. Growing up near the Highlands National Park, I spent my childhood exploring the island’s rugged coastline and plateaued highlands. I credit these family hiking and camping trips for my early spatial awareness and environmental respect.

Our annual winter journeys to Marble Mountain in Newfoundland furthered this passion. As the designated “map keeper,” I studied the curves of every ski run to lead the way for my family. These childhood adventures on the Cabot Trail and the slopes of Newfoundland are where my love for mapping and planning truly began.

My Academic History

I am currently completing a Graduate Certificate in GIS at the Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS). I first discovered the field while studying IT Programming at NSCC, intrigued by how GIS integrates into nearly every industry. It was exciting to realize this path fuses my passions for technology, map analysis, and environmental conservation.

Before my IT education, I earned a BFA from NSCAD University in Film Studies and Art History. I have always prioritized aesthetics and visual storytelling; when combined with a lifetime of navigating the outdoors, GIS became the perfect bridge between my creative roots and my technical future.

How I use maps

Mapping my travels is a vital part of respecting a new place, a sentiment I felt deeply during a five-month, solo cycling tour through Taiwan and Japan. This journey followed months of studying elevation profiles and planning a route through key locations.

Upon arriving in Taipei, my primary objective was to traverse the western foothills to the southern tip and return via the eastern coastline. While I was prepared to adapt, relying on local insights allowed me to refine my path in real-time. Without a rigid itinerary, I had the flexibility to celebrate Lunar New Year with residents and explore side stops whenever a recommendation caught my interest. As evening approached, I simply pitched my tent wherever the day had taken me.

Teaching with maps in Taiwan

While cycling through Taiwan, a network of teachers coordinated my visits to five K-12 schools. This peer-to-peer system ensured that as I pedaled into each new town, a classroom was already expecting my presentation on Canadian life.

I shared images of winter sports and iconic wildlife like moose and beavers, providing geographic context for our massive country. After showing a map of Canada, I zoomed in on Nova Scotia. The students were amazed when I compared the surface areas of the Nova Scotia mainland and Taiwan; discovering they are roughly the same size elicited a collective “Wooooow!” from the room. We also explored visual bridges between our homes, noting the striking similarities between the Taiwan coastline and the rugged terrain of the Cabot Trail.

The most inspiring moments, however, involved learning from the students. I practiced Mandarin and Taiwanese phrases, joined courtyard games, and even braved “stinky tofu” at lunch. A standout memory was visiting an Indigenous school where students taught me songs in the Amis language. After sharing in their archery and pottery classes, they gifted me two traditional woven items. These exchanges reinforced that while my role was to teach them about Canada, they had just as much to teach me about their own heritage.

Teaching as a GIS Ambassador

My passion for educational exchange followed me back home to Sydney, Nova Scotia. Seeking to continue this work locally, I joined a national network as an Esri Canada GIS Ambassador during my first semester at COGS. This role allows me to bridge the gap between complex geospatial science and classroom curiosity, fostering a new generation of spatial thinkers.

In December 2025, I visited Sherwood Park Education Centre to introduce students to GIS. My goal was to provide early exposure to geographic thinking, giving them the necessary tools to explore the world through a spatial lens.

I developed a demo using National Geographic MapMaker that allowed students to explore the globe and use spatial tools to draw meaningful conclusions. By overlaying population density with light pollution, students identified the direct correlation between the two. After measuring Canada’s width, we analyzed temperatures on the Plateau of Tibet, where students used measuring tools to compare regional scales while observing environmental patterns. This specific workflow was designed to demonstrate how spatial data layers can reveal hidden relationships between human activity and the physical environment.

By toggling temperature and precipitation layers, students noticed matching bands along the Himalayas. I introduced 3D profiling to visualize the mountain range’s steep elevation gain and its impact on local climate. Finally, students acted as geospatial analysts to plan a fictional road from a lowland town to a high-altitude mountain lake. Using 3D views and topographic analysis, they were tasked with drafting a route that remained in areas with average temperatures above 0°C. This exercise required them to balance horizontal distance with vertical gain, teaching them how to minimize icing hazards and logistical safety risks. By navigating these digital slopes, they gained a practical understanding of how engineers and planners use GIS to mitigate environmental challenges in the real world, proving that spatial analysis is an essential tool for modern problem-solving.

Plans for my GIS career

My future in geomatics is tied to community and educational involvement. I aim to expand my GIS expertise through professional experience, with specific interests in renewable energy modeling, forestry assessment, and natural hazard prevention. Adapting to every project or classroom visit transforms my geospatial journey into a continuous opportunity for discovery.

I plan to integrate more K-12 visits into my time at COGS and my professional life, introducing students to a new way of understanding the world. Ultimately, I want to transition into teaching—whether as a GIS Ambassador or a post-secondary instructor. I find great purpose in translating my mapping experiences into lessons and mentoring others as they navigate the same learning curves I once did.