Fraser Taylor
Chancellor's Distinguished Research Professor of International Affairs Geography and Environmental Studies
| Phone: | 613-520-2600 x 8232 |
| Email: | fraser.taylor@carleton.ca |
| Office: | B459 Loeb Building |
| Website: | Browse |
Research Interests
Professor Taylor’s main research interests lie in the application of geospatial information management to the analysis of key socio-economic problems in a national and international context and the presentation of the results in innovative new cartographic forms. He introduced and continues to develop the new paradigm of cybercartography. His interests in cartography and international development issues are often inter-related. He has extensive field experience in developing nations, especially in Africa; this includes a six-year period as an education officer in rural Kenya where he completed his Ph.D. thesis on Rural Development in Muranga District. His research interests in this area include development studies with special reference to Africa, China and Latin America; regional and rural development theory and practice, sustainable development and Indigenous development strategies; technology transfer in the field of geomatics; Canada’s international policies in overseas development assistance; and technology transfer.
Memberships
- Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Association of African Studies for fifteen years
- Served two terms as President of the Canadian Cartographic Association.
- Chaired the Social and Human Services Committee of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO
- Member of the editorial boards for several learned journals.
- Vice President of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) from 1984-97, President from 1987-1995 and Past-President in 1996.
- President of the International Union for Surveys and Mapping from 1989 to 1993.
- Member of the GEOSS Task Force on Data Sharing
- Member of Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Global Advisory Council
- Chair, International Steering Committee for Global Mapping, 2003-2013
- Member, CODATA Working Group on Data at Risk
- Member of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Geospatial Information Processing
Awards/Honours
- 2014 Awarded Killam Prize for the Social Sciences. This is one of the most prestigious national awards given in Canada, and it included an award of $100,000.
- 2013 Awarded the Carl Mannerfelt Gold Medal by the International Cartographic Association (ICA) at the August 29 Plenary Session of the ICA Conference in Dresden. This highest award of ICA honours cartographers of outstanding merit who have made significant contributions of an original nature to the field of cartography.
- 2012 Received the Canadian Award for Environmental Innovation from The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and 3M Canada which recognizes outstanding individuals in business, government, academia or community organizations whose innovative contributions to environmental change benefit Canada and Canadians.
- 2008 Certificate of Recognition and Appreciation for Contributions to the Development of Geomatics in Mexico presented by Centro de Investigacion en Geografia y Geomatics “Ing. Jorge L. Tamayo”, A.C., CONACYT, Mexico City
- 2008 Appointed Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
- 2006 Award of Distinction Canadian Cartographic Association for exceptional Contributions to Cartographic Scholarship
- 1999 Awarded an Honorary Degree in the Humanities by the Pontifica Universidad Catolica del Peru, Lima, Peru in recognition of “outstanding academic achievements and notable personal qualities”
- 1994 Awarded Honorary Degree, University of Trujillo, Peru in recognition of “a distinguished academic career and services to the nation”
- 1988 Honorary Life Membership, Canadian Association of African Studies
Current Research
Current research is focussed on the use of cybercartography and the innovative NUNALIIT cybercartographic data management platform to produce a series of atlases on a wide variety of topics, especially in cooperation with Indigenous communities. This includes exploring a range of issues dealing with Traditional Knowledge, including legal and ethical considerations. Dr. Taylor has received over $14 million in research funding for this work from a variety of sources including SSHRC, CFI, CEC-NAPECA, INAC, the Ontario Research Fund, The Ontario Brain Institute, the Government of Nunavut, and a number of Northern Communities and Organizations including Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Kitikmeot Heritage Society, Clyde River, Sahtu and Gwich’in. This support is ongoing and current funded projects include:
- A SSHRC partnership development grant to transfer cybercartographic theory and practice to communities and organizations in Mexico, Brazil and Denmark. Support for this project has also been provided by CEC-NAPECA.
- Participation in a CFI funded project as part of the Canadian Consortium for Arctic Data Interoperability on data sharing and analysis for Arctic Research and Northern Communities
- The Nunaliit Coastal Research Inventory Atlas (Government of Nunavut)
- The continuing development of the Thule Atlas with the Kitikmeot Heritage Society (KHS)
- The continuing development of a mapping and visualization platform for the research networks of the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI)
- The Residential Schools Land Memory Mapping Project (SSHRC Insight Grant)
- Participation in the Ocean Canada Partnership, Arctic Working Group (UBC, SSHRC)
- Mapping Linguistic Variation on the Canadian Prairies (University of Manitoba, SSHRC)
- The Indigenous Community Based Climate Monitoring Program (INAC)
- Enabling NUNALIIT to support the Atlas Cine Platform (Concordia University and CANARIE)
Many new projects are under development in this new domain of Cybercartography.