“
Research and innovation are key to driving economic growth and job creation in Ontario. By allowing researchers to become more efficient through the use of technology, and by providing a range of services to colleges, universities and
”
teaching hospitals, ORION is ensuring the success of our scientists, researchers and innovators in bringing home-grown discoveries to market more quickly. HonOURABLE Reza Moridi Minister of Research and Innovation
“
Embracing the notion of Privacy by Design, the ORION network provides a safe, secure medium for transporting and accessing sensitive data, which allows researchers to employ advanced technology to accelerate their work without compromising
”
the security and confidentiality of sensitive data. This win/win approach is at the heart of Privacy by Design! Ann Cavoukian, PhD Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ontario, CANADA
Contents Letter from the Chair
4
Letter from the President
5
What We Stand For
6
Orion Board of Directors
7
Orion’s Connected Institutions
8
Connectivity 10 Community 12 Content
14
Computing 16 Cloud 18 By the Numbers
20
ORION Events
22
ORION Network Map
23
Letter from the Chair It’s been another great year for ORION, and that means
All of this leading work would not be possible without
(RE&I) in our province.
to thank and congratulate the ORION staff on another
another great year for research, education and innovation 2013 marked a year of significant growth for our team and for our stakeholders. By adding new users,
innovative staff members and two new board members, we have become stronger as an organization and as a community. From our engineers to our business
development team, this past year we delivered results for you, our users.
a highly dedicated and motivated team. I would like
excellent year. They play a fundamental role in ORION’s continued success. Behind every great team is a great leader and we are lucky to have that in our President
and CEO, Darin Graham. Together, their passion and
support of research and innovation in this province are furthering Ontario’s role as an RE&I leader.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to commend
This year we continued to support our researchers and
the enthusiasm and passion of our most important
innovation to trendsetting educational policies, ORION’s
community—your innovative work is the motivation
learn more about a number of amazing projects and our
Being Ontario’s exclusive RE&I network requires a
innovators who made a global impact. From biomedical
group, our users. We are honoured to serve this
users are truly changing the world we live in. Read on to
behind all we do.
role in providing them with the essential connectivity and the opportunities they require.
commitment from every member of our team to consider
the needs of our users above all, and we have embraced
We’ve also begun working with regional partners and
this role over the past 12 months. I am confident you
bring Ontario’s municipalities “on net” with us. This is a
Snapshot, and I hope that they highlight the infinite
connect all of Ontario’s leaders and innovators, both
collaborating and working with you all in the years
municipalities to expand our fibre optic network and to
will enjoy reading the inspirational stories in our 2013
new foray for our organization which will allow us to
possibilities for Ontario’s future. I look forward to
within RE&I institutions and beyond.
to come.
Anne Sado Chair
4
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
Letter from the President Not a day goes by that I can’t see how much has
Clearly, our world is evolving and technology is
landscape since ORION lit its first fibre segment over
intimidating to some, it is an exciting and dynamic time
changed in the research, education and innovation
a decade ago. And the pace of change is faster too.
As a simple reminder, just consider that students now carry more sophisticated technology in their pockets and backpacks than they were able find in their school’s computer lab only a few years ago.
From our unique position within this landscape, we
revolutionizing all that we do. While this may seem
for our users. They are empowered by increased access, which has super-charged their speed of innovation
and has enriched educational opportunities. It is our
mission to ensure that ORION is serving Ontario’s best and brightest so they can continue to set the pace for research, discovery and innovation in our province.
consider the user’s desire for more “connectedness”
With the same pioneering spirit that launched ORION, we
it is a scientist needing access to the latest computing
with a clear vision for the future of our organization. In this
to be one of the driving forces for this change. Whether opportunities, a student experiencing a new learning paradigm beyond the classroom, or health research
evolving through collaboration, the need for increased connectivity is ever present.
ORION experiences this first-hand every day.
We continue to see annual growth rates of network
are looking forward to taking on a new adventure in 2014 year’s Snapshot you will be introduced to the 5 C’s —
Connectivity, Community, Content, Computing and Cloud. We believe that these are the fundamental elements
for the future of research, education and innovation in
Ontario and will ensure that our users are well equipped to tackle the challenges they may face.
utilization over 50%—exceeding that seen by typical
As Ontario’s backbone of innovation, we believe this
gigabits per second over a year ago, we have seen a
in establishing Ontario as the benchmark in Canada
Internet usage. Since the upgrade of our network to 100 rapid increase in our organizations connecting to ORION with 10 gigabit links to meet their anticipated needs. Connectivity is much more than just accessing the
Internet for browsing web pages and sending emails.
focused course will move us a significant step forward and globally. To achieve this goal we will continue to support our expanding community with a fast and
reliable network, adding new service offerings that directly meet our users’ needs.
Delivering fast online educational content, accessing
You, our users, are the engine that drives all that we do
organizations, and providing a test bed for communications
your success. Together we make great things happen.
services in the cloud, sharing resources between
research are only some of the ways that over two million researchers, students and innovators are supported by the ORION network every day.
here at ORION and we are inspired and motivated by
I personally look forward to working with each of you as we create a more innovative Ontario. Here’s to the future!
Darin P.W. Graham, PhD President and CEO
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
5
WHAT WE STAND FOR
ORION is dedicated to connecting and supporting every research, education
and innovation organization in Ontario. We are recognized for providing the leadership and critical infrastructure that allow our users to collaboratively engage in making Ontario a global leader in innovation. We provide access to one of the world’s fastest and most reliable private research and education networks, empowering our users to connect to a world of infinite possibilities. By linking users through our network to the outside world, we deliver value-added capabilities that enhance and support the pursuit of knowledge, social impact and economic outcomes every day.
5 C’s
Our strategy is summarized by the 5 C’s,
which you will see highlighted in this book:
Connectivity Providing a fast, reliable, effective network CommunitY
Content
Bringing together the research, education and innovation community to strengthen the entire ecosystem
Enabling the transport and sharing of huge volumes of content
Computing Linking advanced computing centres and capability Cloud
6
Bringing world-class cloud-based software partners
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
to our users
ORION Board of Directors
Anne Sado
CHAIR
President, George Brown College
DIRECTORS Dr. Sara Diamond President, OCAD University
Janet Bannister CEO, The Coveteur
Darin P.W. Graham, PhD President and CEO, ORION
Michael Ridley Former CIO and Chief Librarian, University of Guelph
Dr. Khaled El Emam Canada Research Chair, Electronic Health Information, Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
Alex Giosa
Jim Garner Executive Vice President, Corporate Services, The Hospital for Sick Children
President and CEO, Alcatel-Lucent Canada
NEW MEMBERS David Drury
General Manager, Global Technology Services, IBM Canada “I joined ORION to collaborate with Board members and help further ORION’s contributions to Ontario’s Research, Innovation and Education ecosystem.”
Lisa de Wilde CEO, TVO
Karen Grose
Coordinating Superintendent, Toronto District School Board “ORION is a creative and innovative knowledge building community. It is inspiring to be contributing to the tapestry of research, learning and education.”
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
7
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ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
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ONTARIO UNIVERSITIES
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ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
9
CONNECTIVITY
The need for broadband is growing exponentially among Ontario’s research, education and innovation (re&i) institutions and school boards as technology becomes integrated into all we do. We witness this growth first-hand as bandwidth utilization within our network expands by 50% every year. As our users’ needs grow, we continue to increase our network’s capacity, upgrading their bandwidth as necessary so they can focus on what matters. This year, when the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board in Kenora took the trendsetting step to take learning to the next level, we were there to provide the connectivity.
Making technology accessible for all
“It is imperative that schools offer seamless use of technology
Jack McMaster is an education visionary
for all educational leaders as they attempt to address a skills
in Ontario. As the former Director of
Education with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board (KPDSB),
Jack championed many progressive initiatives to keep KPDSB’s schools
and students ahead of the curve and well equipped for the future.
to prepare students for learning, where learning is based on inquiry,” Jack explains. This is an important consideration gap which, according to the Conference Board of Canada,
costs Ontario’s economy $24 billion a year. Experts believe
that incorporating more digital content and technology in the curriculum may help to address this problem.
Jack’s latest initiative, “The 21st Century Technology for Teaching and Learning Plan,” marks a huge milestone in embracing technology in the classroom.
Approved by KPDSB Board of Trustees in 2012, the monumental plan called on the board to purchase over $2.2 million worth of technology for students and teachers. This will put personal computers in the hands of each student
from Grades 4 to 12, while every four students from kindergarten to Grade 3 will have an iPad to share. KPDSB teachers are replacing their desktop computers with new laptops and docking stations.
All of this new technology will allow students to access rich educational content, improving student engagement and achievement while boosting skill development among
KPDSB’s student body. As a result, schools will be producing
and consuming significantly more bandwidth and data every Jack McMaster receives ORION Leadership Award at the 2013 THINK Conference with Linda Franklin, President & CEO of Colleges Ontario
10
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
day, necessitating a more robust and affordable network to support KPDSB’s highly connected schools.
“It is imperative that schools offer seamless use of technology to prepare students for learning, where learning is based on inquiry.” “Instantaneous access to information and the ability to apply
transition. The KPDSB is confident in ORION’s infrastructure
to be, as preparation for future team-oriented careers,” Jack
provide direct connectivity to educational and research
technology to problem solving is where our students need
adds. “We believe that KPDSB is serving our students well in providing 21st-century pedagogy and technology.”
We worked with KPDSB to deliver a lightning-fast upgrade
to their existing network capacity. The school board can now support their data requirements and allow their students and
teachers to utilize these new technologies to their full potential. “The KPDSB has been with ORION for over 10 years,”
explains Del Schmucker, KPDSB’s Information Systems
Manager. “With this latest initiative we needed to increase
our Internet bandwidth. The upgrade was a smooth, seamless
and ability to deliver—not only to provide transport but to
networks throughout the world. This peering has significant impact on services and connectivity for our students.”
In honour of his leadership in championing “The 21st Century Technology for Teaching and Learning Plan,” Jack received this year’s ORION Leadership Award in the K-12 Category.
His vision has paved the way for Ontario’s school boards to
adopt new technologies and support students’ learning in bold new ways.
Jack McMaster is an inspiration for all educators who strive to prepare their students for the future.
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
11
WHO WE ARE
COMMUNITY
We bring our community together for a number of ORION events every year, including our flagship event: the THINK Conference. These events allow us to work together to identify and address the external influences affecting our users. The 2013 ORION THINK Conference focused on “extreme data”—the trends, the issues and what they mean for Ontario’s research, education and innovation (RE&I) community. For Greg McLeod, Principal at John A. Leslie Public School, it was both a challenge and an opportunity to rethink his school’s approach to this technological phenomenon.
Connecting the dots at THINK 2013
When Greg McLeod took his seat at
the 2013 THINK Conference, he wasn’t entirely sure what he was in for. Like
many kindergarten to Grade 8 principals, he found it hard to relate the theme of the event—extreme data—to his
elementary school in Scarborough. But that’s the goal: the THINK Conference is meant to challenge organizational leaders to take notice of important issues and
trends in technology, exchange knowledge, share best practices and develop ideas that lead to innovative solutions. Principal
McLeod spent the day alongside his peers to understand how
growing data requirements will affect the future of RE&I in Ontario. “I spend time walking around and observing what is going on in
my school,” explains Principal McLeod. “I stay on top of curriculum and innovation in pedagogy, but the data management strand in
many schools comes down to colourful graphs, scatter plots and students doing surveys. It made me question what we are doing
as a school to help students become not only critical consumers of data and information, but critical users of data.”
Principal McLeod quickly knew he was in the right place at the THINK Conference. He discovered that extreme data is no
longer just a concern for researchers and academics in massive
12
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
Principal McLeod spent the day alongside his peers to understand how growing data requirements will affect the future of RE&I in Ontario.
research facilities. In today’s connected society, we are all
becoming extreme users and consumers of data as we tweet, torrent and stream data, while uploading files to cloud-based tools and social networks. This explosion of data creates the need for a delicate balance between eliminating barriers to
learning and advancing as a society, and ensuring the security
of sensitive information.
As the day went on, Principal McLeod heard from thought leaders and extreme data experts including Microsoft Canada’s National Technology Officer, John Weigelt, who asserted that “by 2016, a billion people will have smart phones or tablets and have
immediate access to powerful computing.” This means even
greater volumes of data will be produced, stored and shared
by individuals who rely on that information for everything from
groundbreaking medical research to simply passing their courses. In the true spirit of the THINK Conference, Principal McLeod was able to learn from the experiences of his peers and data experts,
“As school leaders, we need to look at how we can encourage innovative thinking in students in a K-8 environment.” allowing him to think differently about the significant challenges and
“As a school, we need to examine the role of critical thinking
has changed the landscape. When we think of technology’s role in
Principal McLeod. “We need to look at increasing the focus
opportunities extreme data presents for his school. “Technology
education we often think of it as a tool. What I don’t think we have
been doing is looking at the impact of technology. How are people
and pushing our students’ ability to think critically,” adds
on process and find ways to encourage student risk-taking and foster innovative thinking. As school leaders, we need to look
interacting with each other? Is it changing the way we make
at how we can encourage innovative thinking in students in a
While schools, research institutions and even public libraries
The THINK Conference helped Principal McLeod realize how
constrained and hampered by data limitations, the role of
RE&I community, we need to incorporate such opportunities into
It’s about encouraging students to challenge the status quo
and well prepared for success.
decisions? What role does social media play?”
K-8 environment.”
will need to provide access to technology without being
technology and data are impacting education. As leaders in the
educators goes far beyond simply granting access to technology.
our strategic decisions to ensure Ontario’s students are poised
while promoting technology literacy.
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
13
CONTENT
The amount of research and educational content being generated and shared by Ontario’s research, innovation and education (RE&I) community is growing exponentially. Our private connection to data centres means our users can safely store, access and transport sensitive content, allowing them to contribute to international collaborative research projects. This year, we’re enabling the Ontario Brain Institute’s “Brain-CODE” (Centre for Ontario Data Exploration) project through an increased connection with the High Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory (HPCVL), the data centre at Queen’s University.
Analyzing health data securely
During the 15 years Dr. Ken Evans
worked for Big Pharma, he was frustrated by drug failure after drug failure and the limitations of defining disease
though observations alone. Depression, Alzheimer’s and addiction could be
said to have similar observed symptoms, but they differ biologically and respond to different treatments. Now, working from his lab at Queen’s University in Kingston, Dr. Evans is contributing
to an initiative by the Ontario Brain
Institute that’s on the cutting edge of defining disease states.
The medical-based initiative allows Ontario researchers to ac-
Ontario researchers like the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression group can now analyze clinical data from across studies through a single database located at HPCVL in Kingston.
size as 250,000 MP3 files. To facilitate collaboration, researchers require the proper bandwidth and network capacity to upload, download, store and manipulate these enormous files from
anywhere and on any device—a task commercial networks are not up for.
Queen’s University has changed the game. Through the ORION network, the university is linked to HPCVL—one of Ontario’s
high-performance computing and data centres. Recently, the
university and HPCVL approached ORION with a plan to upgrade their ORION connection from 1 gigabyte to 10 gigabytes so that they could serve as the databank host.
cess clinical data including detailed brain images, samples and
“ORION’s network accelerates and amplifies what we can
epilepsy, traumatic brain injury and autism. This data is massive,
projects and disease states, we can get answers which aren’t
assessments to better understand conditions like cerebral palsy,
do,” says Dr. Evans. “Through analysis of data across multiple
with a single file reaching up to 1 terabyte, or about the same
otherwise possible.”
14
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
“ORION’s network accelerates and amplifies what we can do,” says Dr. Evans. “Through analysis of data across multiple projects and disease states, we can get answers which aren’t otherwise possible.” “We pushed for this upgrade because we have seen the amount
the group a place as a Privacy by Design Ambassador.
Costa Dafnas, HPCVL Research Computing Security Officer. “It
being a private network, the consortium ensures even greater
of content from researchers grow year after year,” explains
was a necessary move to future-proof our network as researchers conduct more data-heavy, collaborative projects.”
The project also deals with highly sensitive data; it’s critical to secure patients’ clinical information. Security measures start with encrypting sensitive data upon entry, continue with
de-identification algorithms and all but finish with infrastructure that strictly regulates access to different types of data, winning
The ORION network was the icing on the cake: by virtue of safety by using it to transport the data.
As Ontario’s backbone of innovation, we are committed to
ensuring that our province’s researchers are prepared to face such data challenges. From large-scale, groundbreaking
collaboration to individual, local patient support, we will be there to support life-changing innovation.
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
15
WHO WE ARE
COMPUTING
As researchers address increasingly complex problems, they’re relying on advanced computing (AC) or supercomputers to help crunch the numbers. ORION launched the Advanced Computing Transforming Innovation in Ontario (ACTION) project to assess the needs, opportunities and economic impact of AC in Ontario as a key step toward improving access and awareness of this important resource. One Toronto researcher and his team from the Hospital for Sick Children prove that advanced computing can lead to groundbreaking results more quickly, earning their team a 2013 ORION Leadership Award.
Supercomputing a cure
the brain, possessed a single genetic-letter misprint, dramatically
Growing up in Lebanon, Dr. Berge Minassian
Without access to this type of computing power, these processes
always dreamed of becoming a scientist. In his current roles as Principal Researcher and Neurologist at the Hospital for Sick Children and Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto, he spends about
reducing its function and producing the Parkinson’s-like disorder. —which took mere hours—may have involved months of manual calculation.
Based on this discovery, the team began testing treatment
options and found success in just the second standard drug they administered. The children responded within days.
“If we treated them very young, they responded almost completely,” Minassian explains. “It was magical. These kids, it’s like one
70% to 80% of his time conducting
day they’re frozen and cannot move and they’re just either
data-intensive research projects focused
and start running.”
on genetics and neurology. “It is a career that requires a huge amount of effort and
sacrifice,” says Dr. Minassian. “Once in a while you will find
something really useful and compelling … there is no better feeling than when you do make that discovery.”
The life-changing impact that these discoveries can have is
sitting or lying, and as soon as we treated them, they get up
It is considered an international first that a new disease has
been recognized, its cause identified and an effective treatment
administered within such a short period of time. Through the use
of advanced computing, Dr. Minassian’s team achieved all of this in just two years.
By allowing computers to carry out data-heavy processes,
something Dr. Minassian and his team know from experience.
researchers are able to focus on what that data is telling them
through the ORION network, they gave children living with a
to innovate and to discover ways to improve our quality of life
Utilizing the power of genomics and advanced computing
and work on the solution. This allows teams like Dr. Minassian’s
debilitating Parkinson’s-like disease new hope for their future.
far faster than ever before.
After discovering this rare disease affecting the children of a
Ontario’s researchers are fortunate to have a network of
advanced computing through the Centre for Applied Genomics
types of projects. Though the ACTION project, we’re creating
gene, involved in the production of dopamine and serotonin in
opportunities that can yield massive benefits for our society.
Bedouin family in Pakistan, they used genome sequencing and
advanced computing centres built specifically to support these
to quickly pinpoint a common genetic mutation. The mutated
a plan for Ontario to address researchers’ needs, providing
16
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
Photo credit: Courtesy of Creative Services at The Hospital for Sick Children.
“Utilizing the power of genomics and advanced computing through the ORION network, they gave children new hope for their future.�
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
17
WHO WE ARE
CLOUD
Cloud-based applications save time and money and improve collaboration. We provide our users with a robust suite of cloud-based resources though our growing cloud services portal, the ORION Nebula. This year, over 4,000 users have tapped into ORION’s own cloud-based collaboration tool, O3 Collaboration, including the Ontario Colleges Library Service (OCLS). By moving to the cloud with O3, OCLS has revolutionized the operations and efficiencies of Ontario’s 24 college libraries in serving their diverse community of students, faculties and researchers.
Bringing Ontario’s libraries into the digital economy
The need to innovate, adapt and
evolve to stay current is universal to all industries.
Their O3 setup also integrates “askON,” a real-time chat
research and information service developed by Ontario libraries
and Ask Ontario. The program coordinates services such as orders
and requests from all libraries, facilitating coordinated procurement rather than operating as independent institutions. Using O3 has improved their administrative processes and has revolutionized
the way they operate, saving valuable time and resources in the process, while providing exceptional customer support.
However, libraries are undergoing a paradigm shift in how they
“Our experience with O3 has been very positive,” explains
was a particular issue for OCLS, a consortium of Ontario’s 24
and Services Coordinator for OCLS. “As we have expanded
serve researchers, academics, students and educators. This college libraries that coordinates acquisitions and services for
college researchers and students. OCLS found that their success
and efficiency as an organization was stifled by antiquated methods of communication and coordination. ORION’s O3 Collaboration tool was a perfect fit to improve their ability to collaborate.
O3 is a secure cloud-based platform freely available to all
of the OCLS institutions connected to ORION’s network. It
allows them to deliver services and improve their day-to-day business functions, all through a single public website
accessible from anywhere, at any time and on any device. “ORION helped OCLS achieve their mandate by providing,
maintaining and facilitating 14 forum spaces for committees, research panels and groups of college library staff,” says
Stacey Boileau, OCLS Support Services Technician. Stacey is responsible for membership access and updating several
of the OCLS forum spaces and adds, “These spaces allow for
shared access to information and reference material important
to each forum’s activities and provide a one-stop shop for those working with OCLS.”
18
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
Stacey’s colleague, Coralee Leroux, Electronic Resources
the uses for our space, ORION has been very supportive and assisted us through these significant changes.”
O3 is a secure
cloud-based platform freely available to all of the OCLS
institutions connected to ORION’s network.
The OCLS space has fast become one of ORION’s most
active O3 groups. As the days of physically selecting books and journals become numbered, libraries can maintain a
prominent position in the digital age by embracing technology
to support today’s teachers, students and researchers. Thanks to O3 Collaboration, OCLS is showing the rest of the world
how libraries can evolve to remain relevant in today’s digital
economy through collaboration among the library community.
“Our experience with O3 has been very positive…as we have expanded, ORION has been very supportive.”
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
19
BY THE NUMBERs Orion Network Utilization
Internet Traffic
to Paid ISPs (through ORION’s Connection)
40000
40000
40000
ORION Bandwidth Usage Internet Bandwidth Usage
2013 2011
2014
2012
2013
2011
2014
50% more bandwidth at nearly level cost increases
2011
2012
2013
37%
ORION BANDWIDTH
2013
2014
Users’ paid isp costs growing rapidly
INTERNET TRAFFIC
ORION:
2012
63%
2011 2012
2014
2013
2014
25000
New School Board Users
20000
15000
10000
A total of
= 215,450
5000
0
2011 36,500
20
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
2011
2012 89,690
2012
2013
2013 89,260
Paid Internet
new school board users added to the ORION network!
2011
Expenses
Revenue
Expenses
Revenue
2013 Revenue $4.733 million 21%
21%
100 COLLEGES 80 SCHOOL BOARDS 60
8%
80
20%
20%
34%
100
21%
21%
40
20
60
21%
20%
21%
COLLEGES
20%
SCHOOL BOARDS
34%
UNIVERSITY
40
8%
20 RESEARCH/CULTURAL
OTHER INCOME
34%
8% 11%
0
6%
UNIVERSITY
100
54%34%
RESEARCH/CULTURAL
8%
TEACHING HOSPITALS
11%
5%
45%
EQUIPMENT UPGRADES
EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT
EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT
37%
EQUIPMENT EXPANSION 0
13%
EQUIPMENT EXPANSION
13%
Test Equipment Equipment Replacement
Equipment Replacement
Equipment Upgrades Equipment Expansion
Equipment Expansion
Online Community
ORION USERS SHARING WITH EACH OTHER 50000
Social media followers:
40000
1360
30000
1150
20000
10000
0
37%
20
20
Equipment Upgrades
ORION network users increased their data collaboration with each other threefold in 3 years.
45%
40
Network Improvement Test Equipment and Expansion Fund
Within Orion
EQUIPMENT UPGRADES
60
46%
40
0
5%
TEST EQUIPMENT
80
EXPENSES
6%
OTHER INCOME
100 TEST EQUIPMENT
80
60
REVENUE
TEACHING HOSPITALS 0
Network INVESTMENT
2011
2012
2013
Collaboration on O3! 56 unique blogs on O3 107,354 documents 374 forum topics 210 wiki articles 3751 calendar posts
4.1% 3,841
active users with an increase of 4.1% per month
76%
of O3 work focuses on research in digital media, library sciences and mental health research
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
21
WHAT WE ORION Events EVENTS STAND FOR
This year, ORION held the following events to bring our research, education and innovation (RE&I) communities together to discuss
challenges, best practices and ideas that lead to innovative solutions: ORION Chair Anne Sado with guests at the 2013 Higher Education Summit.
January 22, 2013
What does the future hold for Ontario’s K to 12? Collaboration and discussion about the future of Ontario’s K-12 education and e-learning with thought-leaders, school board executives and industry experts March 7, 2013
Tech Workshop Update on ORION network upgrades as well as future projects and services
of delegates found the event a good
networking opportunity.
22
ORION SNAPSHOT 2013
Higher
Education Summit 2012
6th annual Sanofi Pasteur Healthcare & Biotechnology Venture Challenge
Ontario Universities Computing C o n f e r e n c e – O U CC 2 0 1 2
Canadian Telecom Su m m it
ECNO
95%
Ontario Centres of Excellence – OCE
T
h
e
Data Effect 2012
OCUTINA
Fall Conference
OCSOA Meeting
subject matter.
Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning – ABEL Summer Institute
iCanada/World Conference
improved understanding of the event’s
of delegates got an
community and to build positive relationships:
on Internet Technology
86%
ORION is proud to support the following events to raise awareness of the RE&I
of Ontario
relevant.
ORION SPONSORED EVENTS
N e tw o r k
content was
education and innovation communities
C o m puti n g
of delegates found that the event’s
Exploration of how “extreme data” trends and issues affect Ontario’s research,
E d u c a ti o n a l
85%
%
THINK Conference
Discovery 12 Ontario College Council of Chief I nformation Officers – OCCC IO
ORION Events
April 25, 2013
Backbone Alpha Exchange I n n o v a ti o n C a m p a ig n
Honourable Reza Moridi, Minister of Research and Innovation and Darin Graham, President and CEO of ORION at 2013 THINK Conference.
Ontario Association of School Business Officials – OASBO ICT & IMPAC Winter Workshop 2013
ORION NETWORK
Timmins
Thunder Bay
Kirkland Lake New Liskeard
Sudbury Sault Ste. Marie
North Bay
Guelph Waterloo
Gravenhurst Ottawa Orillia Peterborough Barrie Kingston Belleville Toronto Oshawa
Hamilton
Sarnia
London Windsor
ORION Network ORION Points of Presence
ORION is Ontario’s Backbone of Innovation.
Chatham
Oakville St. Catharines Welland
ORION–Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network 360 Bay Street, 7th Floor Toronto, ON M5H 2V6 T: 416.507.9860 F: 416.507.9862
orion.on.ca @orionnetwork