The Kanata Networker Sept 2017 by Kanata North Business Association (BA)

networker

THE KANATA

kanatanorthbia.ca info@kanatanorthbia.ca

SEPT 2017

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE KANATA NORTH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION JENNA SUDDS

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W H AT ’ S N E W / W H AT ’ S N E X T

PR EM I ER W Y N N E V I S I T S C A N A DA’ S L A RG E S T T EC H PA R K

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T H E C LI M AT E I N K A N ATA N O R T H CO U L D N ’ T B E B E T T ER

YO PP WO R K S : YO U R S O U RC E FO R O P EN S O U RC E

P ER FEC T I O N I N P U R E S ERV ER CO LO C AT I O N

I N T RO D U CI N G OT TAWA’ S AU TO N O M O U S V EH I C L E C LU S T ER

V IR T UA L CO - PI LOT K EEP S D R I V ER S S A FE

D RO N E S A N D T H E F U T U R E O F UAV S

C A N A DA’ S B E S T T EC H LI V E S I N OT TAWA . YO U S H O U L D TO O.

It is with mixed emotions that I have shared, over the last few weeks, that I will be moving on from the Kanata North Business Association in late October. As the founding president, it’s been such an amazing experience to see the growth and change here in Canada’s largest tech park since 2013 when I began. It’s hard for me to believe this will be the last issue of The Kanata Networker that I’ll be a part of. I took a look back and am amazed that, since March 2014 when we released our first issue, there have been a total of 33 issues featuring hundreds of stories about the companies and highlighting the community’s activities and the impressive work of the inspiring people I’ve had to the opportunity to work with here. A number of times over the past few weeks, I’ve been asked what has been the highlight of my tenure at KNBIA. This question makes me pause every time. I have so many proud moments that it’s hard to verbalize just a few. First, I would have to say it has been an honour to be a part of the rebirth that has been happening here. KNBIA was born out of a need identified when the tech sector was in flux and its future uncertain. Now, we have more jobs, companies, and

DESIGN AND LAYOUT BY COMMUNICARIUM

diversity than ever before. And, there are still 3,000 more jobs that will need to be filled over the next year. Truly, it’s been tremendous to be a part of that, perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity. And, next I’d say community, which is so important to me, personally, and to the mandate of the KNBIA. It’s been extremely exciting to be part of building the community and witnessing the growth of networking within our tech community. The incredible people I’ve met, the colleagues I’ve worked with, the friends I’ve made – so humbling. Third, I would say that it’s been very exhilarating to see the evolution of technology over the past four years. As an economist, I’m a firm believer in diversification, of course. To see Kanata grow from its traditional (and still important) telecom roots to include next generation networking (NGN) and automated vehicles (AV) has been nothing short of spectacular. I’m excited about Kanata’s future. I’m especially jazzed to see what the contributions in 5G and in the AV space will be. I’m sure it will be nothing short of revolutionary and its impact will be felt around the world.

J EN N A S U D D S

Even though I am leaving the post, I will continue to live and work in the area and I will be watching Kanata North’s next innovations with anticipation. And, maybe I’ll see you at a Kanata North event in the future. Whether it’s at a TEDx event, or at the Community Hub, or on the golf course, I look forward to continuing to be a part of this vibrant community! Forever grateful for this experience,

Jenna Sudds PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KANATA NORTH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

kanatanorthbia.ca

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE KANATA NORTH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION JENNA SUDDS

inside

1 5

W H AT ’ S N E W / W H AT ’ S N E X T

PR EM I ER W Y N N E V I S I T S C A N A DA’ S L A RG E S T T EC H PA R K

7 R

T H E C LI M AT E I N K A N ATA N O R T H CO U L D N ’ T B E B E T T ER

YO PP WO R K S : YO U R S O U RC E FO R O P EN S O U RC E

P ER FEC T I O N I N P U R E S ERV ER CO LO C AT I O N

I N T RO D U CI N G OT TAWA’ S AU TO N O M O U S V EH I C L E C LU S T ER

V IR T UA L CO - PI LOT K EEP S D R I V ER S S A FE

D RO N E S A N D T H E F U T U R E O F UAV S

C A N A DA’ S B E S T T EC H LI V E S I N OT TAWA . YO U S H O U L D TO O.

DESIGN AND LAYOUT BY COMMUNICARIUM

J EN N A S U D D S

Jenna Sudds PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KANATA NORTH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

kanatanorthbia.ca

new W H AT ’ S

W H AT ’ S

Nomi na t i ons a re op en for B O B ’s Awa rds

TE Dx is coming t o Kanat a in March 2018

Deadline Sept 29th

If you would like to nominate someone with Ideas Worth Spreading, please visit www.tedxkanata.com and nominate them by October 1.

Each year, dozens of companies from all sectors are nominated for their contributions to Ottawa’s vibrant business scene. To celebrate the success of our business community, we have partnered with the Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOBs) to offer the Kanata North #SeriousTechLivesHere awards under two categories:

Meet some of our member s in our s hor t video int er v iew s.

u O t t a w a Ca re e r Fai rs uOttawa Career Development Centre is hosting a series of Job Fairs for employers to get a chance to meet with some of the student’s and provide an opportunity to promote your employment opportunities. Check our Events Calendar for more details and the uOttawa website.

We interviewed a handful of Kanata North Companies like Neptec Technologies Corp., Thinkwrap Commerce, Nokia, March Networks and more! Enjoy this expose on some of the businesses here and why they love working in Kanata. See the WHERE WE WORK section on SeriousTechLivesHere.

• Company of the Year and • Team of the Year

St a r t up Ca n a da D a y on t he H il l Co n f e re n c e

L ea d erca s t Women – OTTAWA October 5th 8:00 am - 3:30 pm Join us at the inaugural Leadercast Women event on October 5th 2017, at Cisco in Kanata. Hear from top female leaders like Laura Vanderkam and others on honing your purpose, leveraging your value, and maximizing your skills in the workplace and beyond. See details and registration.

October 19 @ 8:30 am - 9:00 pm Come celebrate Small Business Week at Startup Canada Day on the Hill on October 19th, 2017 at the Shaw Centre with more than 1,000 leading entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, industry executives, government representatives, and media personalities. Check our events calendar for more info.

R BC R a ce fo r t he K i d s Co rp o r a t e Ch a l l e n g e! September 24th 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Whether you have five or 500 employees, participation in the RBC Race for the Kids is a great way to build team spirit and a sense of camaraderie among employees. Group participation in an event engages your staff and allows everyone to feel a sense of pride and satisfaction for giving back to the community and supporting an important cause. Put together a corporate team today! See details.

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St ar t ups and Hops at Big Rig September 28th 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Don’t miss a chance to sample some of Big Rig’s finest and network with Ottawa’s hottest start-ups. See demo’s and talk with the engineers that are reshaping the local technology landscape. Companies like Interset, ChangeJar, Magnet Forensics and Mindbridge AI will be there. The Event is FREE to attend, but registration is required. See more details.

GOAT 2 0 1 7 - M on da y N o v 2 0 SAAS NOR TH C onference November 29th 8:00 am - 8:00 pm SAAS NORTH is Canada’s leading SaaS event and go-to SaaS hub for founders, executives, service providers, investors and more; facilitating networking, knowledge sharing and access to resources to scale-up! Visit: www.saasnorth.com for details & tickets.

The Gatineau Ottawa Agile Tour (GOAT) is the largest non-profit agile conference in the Canadian capital region. It provides world class talks and workshops, enhances professional networks, and inspires professionals of all levels to innovate and collaborate. The event is a full day conference scheduled for Monday November 20th, 2017 at the Shaw Centre, in downtown Ottawa. The event is part of the Agile Tour that will take place in 90 cities worldwide. See our event schedule for more details. THE KANATA NETWORKER

new W H AT ’ S

W H AT ’ S

Nomi na t i ons a re op en for B O B ’s Awa rds

TE Dx is coming t o Kanat a in March 2018

Deadline Sept 29th

If you would like to nominate someone with Ideas Worth Spreading, please visit www.tedxkanata.com and nominate them by October 1.

Meet some of our member s in our s hor t video int er v iew s.

• Company of the Year and • Team of the Year

St a r t up Ca n a da D a y on t he H il l Co n f e re n c e

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EXPERIENCE BROOKSTREET MORE THAN JUST A HOTEL… • Award Winning Restaurant

• The Marshes Championship Golf Course

• Live Jazz 7 Nights A Week

• 9 Hole Short Course

• Full Service Spa

• Putting Course

• Indoor & Outdoor Saltwater Pools

• Games Room & Kids Activities

• Extensive Gym

• NEW Conference & Event Space (opening soon)

W W W. B R O O K S T R E E T. C O M 525 Legget Drive | Ottawa, Ontario | K2K 2W2 /Brookstreet @BrookstreetOtt 613.271.1800

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EXPERIENCE BROOKSTREET MORE THAN JUST A HOTEL… • Award Winning Restaurant

• The Marshes Championship Golf Course

• Live Jazz 7 Nights A Week

• 9 Hole Short Course

• Full Service Spa

• Putting Course

• Indoor & Outdoor Saltwater Pools

• Games Room & Kids Activities

• Extensive Gym

• NEW Conference & Event Space (opening soon)

W W W. B R O O K S T R E E T. C O M 525 Legget Drive | Ottawa, Ontario | K2K 2W2 /Brookstreet @BrookstreetOtt 613.271.1800

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REMIER WYNNE VISITS CANADAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LARGEST TECH PARK

July 21, 2017

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REMIER WYNNE VISITS CANADAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LARGEST TECH PARK

July 21, 2017

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HE CLIMATE IN KANATA NORTH COULDN’T BE BETTER

There is an extremely common misconception. Many Ottawans and outsiders who don’t know any better think that Ottawa tech died and was buried with Nortel—once you pass Bayshore, you’ve passed it all and you’re headed for the boonies. But if you check the pulse in Kanata North today, you’ll find its industry has been resurrected and it’s shining brighter than before. In fact, Kanata North and the Ottawa tech scene are doing so well that some sources suggest there are more available jobs than there are people to fill them.

If you read tech publications, you’ll see that despite all its recent success, Kanata North still isn’t talked about as much as its Canadian counterparts, like Waterloo and Montreal, and other major tech cities around the globe. Ottawa employs over 68,500 people in the tech industry and more than 1,750 tech companies call Ottawa home. Ottawa was recently recognized as the top tech hub in Canada to live and work in. Kanata North employs 26,325 tech workers, taking into account indirect and induced effects. Kanata North is also home to well over 500 companies, many of which are high tech. Of the companies in Kanata North, 64 per cent are Canadian owned, though many are well established globally. Productivity in Kanata North is three times higher than the national average. According to analysts Expert Market, 71 per cent of respondents would set up their new tech business in Ottawa. The respondents ranked quality of living, high salary averages, the number of available tech jobs in the city and tech diversity as reasons for their choice.

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Many specific industries are doing very well in Kanata North. For example, telecommunications, wireless and photonics employees number 8,061 strong, and they’re making a revenue of $1.861 billion. This industry has a 95 per cent export ratio, making it one of Kanata North’s most lucrative enterprises. The tech industry has always been a business rife with headhunting. Everyone wants to recruit the most talented people. In fact, there are over 300,000 Canadians working in the California tech industry alone. On the surface, Ottawa and Kanata North might not be as glamorous as San Francisco, but there are many other reasons that make it attractive to the right kind of people. The Work in Ottawa recruitment campaign claims that they’re after two different types of people— juniors and individuals with mid- to C-level experience. “They are the ones who set strategy, they lead the teams, and they help companies grow. Without that kind of experience, it’s hard to grow,” says Ryan Gibson, Marketing Strategist for Invest Ottawa.

Ottawa’s average house price is $278,000 (USD)—that’s about half of what it costs to buy a house in other major Canadian tech cities like Toronto and Vancouver. The seduction that comes with a job offer in San Francisco is starting to be overshadowed by housing costs averaging around $1.3 million (USD). Some sources suggest that the political climate south of the border is making many people in tech, both expats and natives, consider moving to Ottawa, and Canada to work in tech. But the climate in Kanata North couldn’t be better and, with the growth it’s enjoying now and Ottawa tech changing the way it is, its future is looking even brighter. Written by Mitchell Kedrosky, our summer co-op student from Carleton University. For more fiscal information about Kanata North, be sure to check out the report here: www.impact.kanatanorthbia.ca

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HE CLIMATE IN KANATA NORTH COULDN’T BE BETTER

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OPPWORKS: YOUR SOURCE FOR OPEN SOURCE

“Yopp.” That is the sound uttered by Jojo in Dr. Seuss’ famous book Horton Hears a Who! That sound saves Whoville when it is heard by Horton, and his friends. It is also the inspiration for Yoppworks, reflected in their tagline: “Building an open source future where every voice counts.” This perfectly reflects the commitment that Jack Gulas, Yoppworks’ Founder and CEO, has in delivering responsive, resilient, and message-driven applications on open source platforms through their three main lines of business: product development, consulting, and training.

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OPPWORKS: YOUR SOURCE FOR OPEN SOURCE

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There are still many myths and misconceptions about open source software, Gulas notes. Many businesses, however, have embraced it. According to an article in Wired called “Four Myths About Open Source We Should Put to Rest” , there are important truths about open source that everyone should know: • Myth: Open source software is not as secure as proprietary software. Truth: Licensing models have nothing to do with security and, because there is a lot of peer review in open source, there are many experts involved in development who are deeply invested in high quality – including security. • Myth: Open source is not as easy to maintain as proprietary. Truth: Just one example is Linux. Started in 1991, it is stronger than ever.

Within these lines of business, YoppWorks works closely with two strategic partners.

is fun, vibrant, and resilient and that helps individual team members to accelerate their own skills.”

blog, and to participate in mentorship/ambassador programs, especially when hiring new graduates.

• Myth: Open source does not have as much support as proprietary software. Truth: YoppWorks, with the support they provide, is a great example dispelling that myth!

For big data products, they work with Hadoop technology, provided by Hortonworks. The open source software allows for the processing of large data sets across clusters of computers using simple and straightforward programming models. Highly scalable, it provides flexibility to clients, large and small.

Operations Manager Tiffani Westerman adds, “We rely on our team to tell us what works best for them in terms of professional development and recognition. It’s a very exciting place to work with new challenges and lots of fun. We are expanding rapidly and will need to double our staff within the next year and then double that again the following year.”

A serial entrepreneur, YoppWorks is Gulas’ seventh start-up and, like the others, it is bootstrapped. Using open source software is an integral, and important, part of that. He states, “It allows you to get your hands right on the steering wheel, to get very granular in the code, with the bonus that we are much quicker getting product to market and more efficient.”

• Myth: Open source is not enterprise-grade. Truth: Amazon, Google, IBM, Facebook, BMW, Virgin America – to name just a few – all use open source technology. And, in 2012 DreamWorks released an open source animation software. Pixar wasn’t far behind with its own open source offerings.

Their recognition program is – unsurprisingly – fun, aligned as it is with a Seuss theme, and based on staff input. In addition, their recent outreach and team-building has featured developers and marketers dressed in lumberjack jackets sporting axes that help them, as open source developers, to “chop down the monolith” of outdated application architectures. YoppWorks also encourages team members to speak at conferences, to

He continues, “When I started YoppWorks, I asked myself where disruptors would turn for product development.” That’s the space Gulas has been in throughout his career and it was a very natural fit. He is working with companies, of all sizes, to develop the products they need in order to create new business, expand their offerings, and maximize efficiencies.

For developing applications, they work with Lightbend, an open source technology that helps developers build Reactive applications using Scala programming language. Lightbend can deliver message-driven applications, whether you have the needs of a quick and nimble start-up or must scale at the enterprise level. The Seuss-inspired influences are evident throughout the offices and in the discussion with Gulas. “We consciously strive for a culture that

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We consciously strive for a culture that is fun, vibrant, and resilient and that helps individual team members to accelerate their own skills.

Gulas started his career in sales in Kanata. “This is where I grew my career during the bubble days. I love that it’s a world-class tech cluster situated in a beautiful part of the world. We did some comparison shopping and checked out other ‘trendier’ places. But we settled on Kanata for all those reasons and more.” After the interview, Gulas and Westerman are on their way to a Hullabaloo. You guessed it! That’s what they call their staff meetings – and it’s “where every voice counts”. THE KANATA NETWORKER

Within these lines of business, YoppWorks works closely with two strategic partners.

is fun, vibrant, and resilient and that helps individual team members to accelerate their own skills.”

blog, and to participate in mentorship/ambassador programs, especially when hiring new graduates.

• Myth: Open source does not have as much support as proprietary software. Truth: YoppWorks, with the support they provide, is a great example dispelling that myth!

THE KANATA NETWORKER

We consciously strive for a culture that is fun, vibrant, and resilient and that helps individual team members to accelerate their own skills.

And, while it may be prudent to take advice with a grain of salt, there are times when you meet someone who is a living, breathing and successful example of it, like James Mackenzie.

ERFECTION IN PURE SERVER COLOCATION

Over 2,000 years ago, Confucius said, “Do what you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” And, in 1989, Marsha Sinetar wrote the seminal book Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow, spawning an industry of training workshops and copycat books espousing similar philosophies. More recently, Warren Buffett advised, “Follow your passions. Find something you love.”

His enthusiasm about his latest technology venture, PureColo, is contagious, and it’s clear that he has never truly worked a day in his career. A recipient of Ottawa’s Forty Under 40 award, he has a vast range of experience across the tech sector in progressively senior positions, including co-founder and CEO of Granite Networks (acquired by Rogers in 2013) and now as co-founder and a managing partner of PureColo.

PureColo’s unique selling proposition is the perfect storm of elements that have come together to create an excellent and much-needed service for companies, both large and small. It turns out that Kanata, as Canada’s largest high tech park, has incredible infrastructure for no-frills, wholesale-priced colocation. And, there is a

strong customer demand for carrier neutrality, which allows companies greater flexibility. Put that all together and PureColo is disrupting the selfserve hosting market. With his operator hat on, Mackenzie is thrilled that PureColo can benefit from a historical facility in Kanata,

After Granite Networks, Mackenzie began imagining a new company that could fill an important gap in the Ottawa market, which was served by one main colocation and hosting provider (ironically, the company that Granite was sold to—Rogers). This perceived gap was further explored. Mackenzie engaged with clients who wanted options, confirming his hypothesis that managed service providers and smaller technology companies needed an option for server colocation that was flexible, nimble and as customized as it needed to be to compete locally and abroad. These companies indicated that an option in Ottawa, which wouldn’t compete with them when selling broad services, was in order. With that understanding, PureColo was brought to market with a co-founder team and board of directors, strategically stacked with former executives who have deep roots in Ottawa and who have successfully helped grow some of the best-known service providers in the region since the dotcom.

JamesMackenzie, CEO, PureColo

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And, while it may be prudent to take advice with a grain of salt, there are times when you meet someone who is a living, breathing and successful example of it, like James Mackenzie.

ERFECTION IN PURE SERVER COLOCATION

James Mackenzie, Managing Partner, PureColo

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Follow your passions. Find something you love. Until this summer, Ottawa was the only major city in Canada that didn’t have a carrier-neutral hosting company. When you consider that Kanata is uniquely situated to reach a market of several million people, including Montreal, Toronto, Detroit and Chicago, this new company is an exciting prospect. PureColo has brought this carrier-neutral supply to Ottawa with a 5,000 square foot data centre in Kanata, plus future plans for expansion in other markets.

a former ceramics baking facility owned by Mitel, where it has set up shop. Over time, they’ll install 1MW delivered and configured with backup generator set-up with average density +5kW/rack in N+1 configuration and 100% uptime SLA. Mackenzie states, “Kanata is an amazing place to live and work. And, we’re so glad we can take advantage of the megawatts of stranded power and massive amounts of internet to support the many technology companies in the area, supplying them with a carrier-neutral hosting option that saves them money, improves their service options or, in some cases, both. Whether they’re with Bell, Rogers, Cogent, Zayo, TELUS, Fibrenoire or Allstream, we can help them out with great flexibility on the server-hosting side.”

Mackenzie, unwaveringly passionate about his work, concludes, “I love this stuff! Every day is something different. One day it could be responding to custom-hosting requirements, the next day it could be supporting someone with expanded network options. And, no matter what, it’s a different way we can help our customers.”

Mackenzie continues, “We are sticking to a very strong focus on security, power and connectivity for what is otherwise known as a pure colocation offering. We simply do not want to step on the toes of the very customers we are trying to help. And that approach seems to be exactly what customers have been looking for, given the strong market reaction we have already had.” PureColo’s business model is possible because of existing infrastructure, a solid relationship with its landlord and a strong operational team. They are just about to officially launch and already have strategic clients in place, such as DNSnetworks, a client-focused, managed services company that is expanding rapidly, and Fibrenoire, a large, fibre and network provider moving into the Ottawa market.

kanatafoodcupboard.ca

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Photo by Karsten Melchers

kanatafoodcupboard.ca

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Photo by Karsten Melchers

NTRODUCING OTTAWA’S AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE CLUSTER We are thrilled to present a new website that highlights the autonomous vehicle

In a recent announcement by Vital Alert Communication, the company stated it has been awarded a second phase research agreement with Toyota InfoTechnology Center to evaluate position measurement using VLF (Very Low Frequency) beacons

in smart city environments, and to support advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles. This agreement allows Vital Alert to enter new markets in the autonomous vehicles industry and provide the positioning technology

for GPS-challenged and -denied areas. The Toyota deal will further leverage the strengths of Vital Alerts’ engineering and R&D team in Kanata and grow job opportunities and talent attraction in Ottawa.

clusters around our city. As Canada’s AV capital, Ottawa has the expertise, technology and innovation ecosystem to drive the evolution and advancement of driverless cars. There are many exciting developments on the radar for our city, and we are pleased to put a spotlight on some of the industry expertise and the companies working on this game-changing technology.

KANATA’S AV CLUSTER At the heart of Ottawa’s powerful cluster of advanced networking, software and IOT expertise for autonomous vehicles is Canada’s largest technology park—the Kanata North Technology Park. The map below contains a list of Kanata companies leading the charge. BlackBerry QNX and Ford are working closely on the idea of a self-driving car in Kanata, which could be the location where large-scale testing takes place. Read how Kanata North is Leading the Charge on Self-Driving Cars. Last July, a successful test drive of the BlackBerry QNX Lincoln MKZ was completed in the companies’ parking lots, with Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne in attendance after her tour of the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre (AVIC) in Kanata North. Check out the media coverage on taking the autonomous car for a spin at Kanata North Technology Park.

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NTRODUCING OTTAWA’S AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE CLUSTER We are thrilled to present a new website that highlights the autonomous vehicle

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OTTAWA IS DRIVING THE REVOLUTION There are over 70 companies across the National Capital Region that are directly contributing homegrown expertise, technology and intelligence to connected cars and AVs of the future. The illustration below highlights the growing list of tech companies that are contributing to Ottawa’s autonomous vehicle ecosystem.

West Ottawa’s Premier GO TO real estate team.

Buying or Selling

YOU

will benefit from our concierge service and our proven international marketing.

To learn more about Ottawa’s AV innovation, visit www.ottawaavcluster.com or write to us at innovation@ottawaavcluster.com.

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West Ottawa’s Premier GO TO real estate team.

Buying or Selling

YOU

will benefit from our concierge service and our proven international marketing.

To learn more about Ottawa’s AV innovation, visit www.ottawaavcluster.com or write to us at innovation@ottawaavcluster.com.

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IRTUAL CO-PILOT KEEPS DRIVERS SAFE

Between 70% and 90% of drivers admit to using their phones while driving. It is estimated that on average every day, one Canadian dies and over one hundred are injured due to phone use while driving, based on Transport Canada’s 2015 statistics and the National Safety Council’s estimate of 26% of all vehicle collisions due to phone use, including hands-free use.

Our current road transportation system requires drivers to continuously focus to maintain safety and vehicle separation. Yet most of us operate our vehicles with our phones, designed to engage and distract, close at hand. Autonomous vehicles have captured the public’s imagination as a technology that will offer both personal transportation and freedom from paying attention to the road and traffic. While several companies are currently testing prototypes, national regulators still need to establish the legislative framework for each level of automation, as well as an approval process for each vehicle model, including its systems, hardware and software. Level 4 automation per the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J3016 Standard represents a high technological bar while nevertheless being restricted to the “operational design domain”. While these advances are being developed and tested, driver assistance technology is available on the market today and has significant safety benefits.

AutoAdvisory recognizes the driver’s vehicle, advises the driver not to use their phone at the start of the trip, and monitors that their phone remains locked. At the end of the trip, the app rewards the driver for good behaviour and provides the option to share personal safe trip statistics over social media. The co-pilot advises, monitors and rewards the safe driver, all the while maintaining 100% privacy and not affecting phone functionality in any way. This is analogous to the commercial airline operations with one crew member designated as “pilot flying” and the other “pilot monitoring”. “I know from personal experience, as well as from a review of studies, the high risk that phone use while driving represents. AutoAdvisory is our contribution to safer roads. We have applied aircraft system design principles and aviation best practices to ensure that our solution is safe, effective and reliable” said Omer Majeed, Owner/Engineer of

Specific Range Solutions Ltd. “We are planning a fall campaign with the objective to help Ottawa-area high school, college and university students become safer drivers and we have invited Transport Canada to partner with us under the auspices of the Built in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP)”. Andrew Penny, Founder of Kingsford Consulting, with offices on 329 March Rd., states, “As former President of the Networked Vehicle Association and an advisor to many automotive and communications organizations, we often wrestle with the problem of distracted driving. We recognize that the mobile phone is the collision point between ‘road and vehicle’ information and ‘external’ information and is often fatal. We all know that multi-tasking is impossible so we have to choose drive the car or text the friend - but not both! For those that need help with this simple choice, AutoAdvisory is a great first step.”

How can vehicle collisions due to phone distraction be reduced and lives saved? Specific Range Solutions Ltd. an Ottawa aerospace engineering company has developed a virtual co-pilot for the iPhone and Android phones called AutoAdvisory that helps to keep drivers focused on the road and not be distracted by their phones.

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IRTUAL CO-PILOT KEEPS DRIVERS SAFE

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RONES AND THE FUTURE OF UAVS

What seemed like fantasy that existed in The Jetsons is now becoming reality. No—not flying cars. Unmanned aviation— or more specifically, drones. It’s no secret that people are already using drones to perform a variety of tasks; what you may not have known is that drones are being used here in Ottawa.

About a month ago, Ottawa Company, ING Robotic Aviation Inc. came to in Kanata North to talk about the latest in drone innovation at an IEEE Ottawa Sector Lunch and Learn hosted by March Networks at the Marshes Golf Club. Ian Glenn, CEO of ING Robotic Aviation Inc. was on hand to provide a multimedia rich presentation titled “The Rise of the Industrial Drone”. The presentation identified advancements in drone technologies and their application to various industries. Drone regulations were also discussed looking at future potential for UAV highways in the sky! When it comes to drone flight, ING Robotic Aviation Inc. is a great innovator and one of the most frequent flyers in Ottawa. Since 2008 the company has logged the equivalent distance of circling the globe 81 times in drone flight. During their visit in Kanata North, the seemingly boundless potential of the industrial drone was discussed. They have found that drones are invaluable at collecting information, especially when this information is found in hard to reach locations. It has been proven that drones are exceedingly useful for surveying the structural integrity of communications

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towers, smoke stacks, bridges and wind turbines, and other places that could potentially put a human in harm’s way.

however, much of the aerial footage captured by the media was taken by authorized drone flight.

The drone industry quickly changed from military to civilian use. There are now over 200,000 drones in Canada, this has caused some disruption. ING Robotics CEO, Ian Glenn, said “This shift is wonderful from a technology point of view, it’s great for consumers, but it is challenging for the government.” Glenn added “People don’t realize that they’re flying right into the flight paths of airplanes.”

Drones are useful at tracking, and finding living things. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada has also used ING Robotic’s tech to survey whales and seals in an effort to better understand and protect the species.

Civilian drone flight has challenged the air-based relief efforts against the fires in British Columbia. Last year, B.C.’s Wildfire Act was amended to include sanctions of fines up to $100,000 in fines, and up to a year in jail for drone operators interfering with relief efforts. ING Robotics also claims that drones are currently being used to survey forest fires, and prevent them from breaking out in high-risk areas through observation. In May the flooding relief efforts in Gatineau were thwarted by droneflying civilians clogging the airspace in an attempt to assess the damage done to their properties. Transport Minister Marc Garneau condemned these rogue drone operators;

ING Robotic Aviation's Responder drone on display at Marshes

This shift is wonderful from a technology point of view, it’s great for consumers, but it is challenging for the government

Recently ING Robotic Aviation Inc. set off on the very Canadian mission of tracking down a moose by following its tracks in the snow, and utilizing infrared cameras on the drone to spot the animal from above. It’s easy to see how this kind of technology could prove useful in a missing person’s case, police work, or for surveillance. The company also has a product called the Responder which is a reliable and flexible tool for aerial data acquisition. It is advanced engineering meets functional design to provide the right information, into the right hands at the right time. So, whether you are the leading project manager of an offshore oil refinery or you are simply a farmer wanting to understand the health of your crops, Responder makes having eyes in the sky a reality.

UN team in Africa use the Responder to fly humanitarian missions

ING Robotic Aviation Inc. has developed a variety of different drones. They currently have four different base systems that can stay in flight from 45 minutes to 24 hours. Ian Glenn was very optimistic about the future of drone flight, he said “This industry is going towards robots that fly. We control them today, but it’s headed more towards unmanned-flight, similar to what we will see reflected in the autonomous car world.”

The Responder is also used for pipeline monitoring

Currently the image processing isn’t as sophisticated as it could be in drone flight. Much of it is limited to what the pilot can see with their eyes. ING Robotics. is aiming to change that, by implementing various measures to correct mistakes made by pilots.

“We have the technology using real-time image processing to stop drones from bumping into things in flight. What we don’t have is a rapid way for that to be adopted by the government of Canada, which impacts our ability to export,” said Glenn. “We led this field for many years, and the Americans looked at what we did, they found a way to progress faster under their laws, and they’ve moved past us.” While all the complications that come with drone flight haven’t quite been worked out, their future and how they change our day to day lives is certainly going to be realized in the future.

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RONES AND THE FUTURE OF UAVS

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towers, smoke stacks, bridges and wind turbines, and other places that could potentially put a human in harm’s way.

however, much of the aerial footage captured by the media was taken by authorized drone flight.

ING Robotic Aviation's Responder drone on display at Marshes

This shift is wonderful from a technology point of view, it’s great for consumers, but it is challenging for the government

UN team in Africa use the Responder to fly humanitarian missions

The Responder is also used for pipeline monitoring

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ANADA’S BEST TECH LIVES IN OTTAWA. YOU SHOULD TOO.

Over 68,000 people work in Ottawa’s vibrant tech sector and over 1,800 tech companies call Ottawa home, including Shopify, IBM, BlackBerry QNX, Cisco, Nokia, Kinaxis, Ericsson, Huawei and Mitel.

We’re an employment hot spot and, to be frank, the quality of life is amazing. If you’re in tech, why aren’t you living, working and playing here? We have the most stable job rate in the country and the lowest cost of living of any large city in Canada. We’re located in a perfect playground of mountains, beaches, campsites, ski resorts, golf courses and hundreds of freshwater lakes. Ottawa is also home to 14 national museums, twice as many art galleries and the highest concentration of scientists, engineers and PhDs in the country. And did we mention we’re starting a tech revolution?

WE’VE DONE IT BEFORE AND WE’RE DOING IT AGAIN. Anyone who knows their telecom history remembers Ottawa’s booming age of Canadian telecom, namely, the halcyon days of R&D giants like Bell-Northern Research. Riding the wave of their influence, hundreds of tech start-ups emerged in the Kanata North tech park. Today, it’s Canada’s largest tech park, with over 500 tech companies forging a path based on entrepreneurial spirit and growth. Ottawa’s deep roots in the telecom industry are feeding our radical, next-generation network (NGN) initiatives. We fully understand the new challenges facing the industry (5G, here’s lookin’ at you). And our wealth of executive expertise, talent

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and R&D infrastructure puts us in a brilliant position to lead the coming transformation.

IT’S HAPPENING HERE. NOW. Let’s start with R&D, because that’s our thing. To date, 90 per cent of Canada’s telecom R&D happens in Kanata North. Hubs like CENGN, Invest Ottawa, Wesley Clover and the Kanata North Business Association ensure there are plenty of ways to link into what’s happening in NGN innovation. CENGN, for example, is a consortium of member organizations that have set aside marketplace rivalries to support commercialization in Canada. The Ontario provincial government recently announced $63 million to roll out CENGN’s Cloud Expansion Project to 18 innovation centres across Ontario. We’re proud to say that Invest Ottawa will be a major hub.

HEARD OF SUPERCLUSTERS YET? The federal government recently allocated $950 million over five years to superclusters. These key components of the NGN action plan are dense areas of business activity that contain large and small companies, post-secondary institutions, and specialized talent and infrastructure. Superclusters attract anchor companies from around the world and generate intense growth in highly specialized fields. Ottawa’s Kanata North tech park is ripe for supercluster activity.

PICTURE THE FUTURE. At the heart of this race is 5G. Nationwide and globally, people are using more and more devices that connect to the internet. Only 5G provides the infrastructure to enable high-speed connectivity and allow the proliferation of information and communication technologies as we’ve never imagined. In Kanata North, we have the know-how to drive the 5G-NGN revolution forward. Imagine building efficiencies into smart cities with a single, intelligent platform that relies on 5G for water meters, parking meters, city services and more. The business opportunities for app developers with the advent of 5G are innumerable. Think of enabling autonomous vehicles (AVs) as they become market ready. We have several companies working on AVs and we couldn’t be prouder that they chose to call Kanata North home.

GEAR UP AND GET INVOLVED. How can you be part of this exciting intersection of private companies, academia, researchers and hubs—all working to drive NGN innovation? CENGN, Ericsson and Mitel are already highly involved in R&D around 5G. That will only grow with support from new businesses in the tech park and eager entrepreneurs moving here from across Canada to take advantage of everything Ottawa has to offer. Will you be one of them?

THE KANATA NETWORKER

ANADA’S BEST TECH LIVES IN OTTAWA. YOU SHOULD TOO.

Over 68,000 people work in Ottawa’s vibrant tech sector and over 1,800 tech companies call Ottawa home, including Shopify, IBM, BlackBerry QNX, Cisco, Nokia, Kinaxis, Ericsson, Huawei and Mitel.

THE KANATA NETWORKER

and R&D infrastructure puts us in a brilliant position to lead the coming transformation.

THE KANATA NETWORKER