Dr. Mathew Novak, Geography and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Arts
How can Geographic Information Systems (GIS) help support people experiencing food insecurity across Nova Scotia? Made possible by gifts from the Windsor Foundation, the Hewitt Foundation and alumnus Dr. Daniel McCarthy, the lab is a hub where faculty and students collaborate on solving issues using geospatial software.
Partnering with the province’s largest food assistance organization, the Wicked Problems Lab at Saint Mary’s University is bringing a world of expertise to facilitate data-driven food distribution.
“Food insecurity is a crisis in our province,” says Nick Jennery, executive director of Feed Nova Scotia. “While we advocate for much-needed change to address systemic issues, we need to ensure people have food today and that they can access that food in a dignified way. An important piece in making food support more accessible is understanding where gaps exist in our current food distribution program.” In September 2020, Feed Nova Scotia began working with the lab to better understand food accessibility. Led by Dr. Mathew Novak, an expert in retail geography and GIS, the lab mapped out current food bank locations and paired them with regional census data to predict where demand for services is high.
The result? The data clearly identified locations that could benefit from greater food distribution. “Our research allowed us to make recommendations for more effective distribution of resources,” says Dr. Novak.
“For instance, we found areas of suburban Halifax with high potential demand but limited access to food banks and other food support programs. GIS allows us to combine a variety of data sources and perform sophisticated analysis to reveal spatial patterns that may have otherwise remained hidden.” Feed Nova Scotia distributes more than 2 million kilograms of food to 140 food banks and meal programs each year.
“We’re excited to see where this project will take us, knowing that good data is a critical factor that contributes to better decision making,” says Jennery.
Recently, Dr. Novak made presentations to Feed Nova Scotia’s leadership and community connections teams, outlining the first findings of the analysis. Moving forward, more analysis will be performed on the organization’s needs and distribution locations. This continuation opens the door to endless possibility, with opportunities to partner with other not-for-profit organizations to better match needs and resources.
Learn more about supporting Saint Mary’s students who are struggling with food insecurity.