New research enabled by advanced networks and next-generation technologies are helping Ontario stay at the forefront of innovation and discovery thanks to support from CANARIE, Canada's advanced network organization.

Four Ontario institutions and their partners are among ten projects recently announced under CANARIE's $15 million Network-Enabled Platforms (NEP) program. The projects will develop tools that support sharing complex data sets, facilitate the use of remote equipment, and enhance the capabilities of collaborative research teams.

Science Studio (a collaboration between the University of Western Ontario, Canadian Light Source Inc. and Concordia University) will develop an experimental management system that exercises control of remote projects at the Canadian Light Source in Saskatchewan and the University of Western Ontario. The expected result is increased and more efficient use of these laboratories by researchers across the country and around the world.

The Health Services Virtual Organizations (HSVO) project (a collaboration between Lakehead University with Northern Ontario School of Medicine, McGill University, and iDEAL Consulting) aims to create a sustainable research platform for experimental development of shared ICT-based health services, including supporting patient treatment planning and team and individual preparedness in the operating room, emergency room, general practice clinics, and patients' bedsides.

The Canadian Brain Imagining Research Network (CBRAIN) (a collaboration between McGill University, Rotman Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, and Universite de Montreal) aims to develop a platform for distributed processing and exchange of 3D/4D brain imaging data. It will provide a standard methodology for Canadian brain imaging researchers to collaborate productively and fully use available computing and networking resources.

The ONE-ITS project (a collaboration between the University of Regina and the University of Toronto) will create a pan-Canadian, internationally connected, multidisciplinary research cluster in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). It is the most cost-effective approach to creating a national critical mass of ITS researchers while leveraging scarce resources.

ORION provides the critical advanced connectivity and support to Ontario institutions and thus enabling the research activities. "We're very pleased to see how our advanced network infrastructure can make a real difference and have a meaningful impact on research," says ORION President/CEO Phil Baker.

The projects are expected to take two to three years to complete. Learn more at www.canarie.ca.


Back to Headlines