BCNET & HPCS Community to Connect, Compute and Collaborate in Vancouver, May 1-3, 2012

BCNET: British Columbia’s Shared IT Services Organization for Research, Higher Ed and Regional CANARIE Partner

How often would 500 of Canada’s higher education computing and IT experts come together in a forum to discuss the latest innovations and developments in technology? We are making it happen on May 1st, as we kick off our 11th annual BCNET Conference, bringing together a national community of experts in high-performance computing, high-profile members of the Canadian research community, IT professionals in higher education, high-tech and telecommunications industry professionals and Canadian and American advanced research network organizations.

This year we are joining forces with Compute Canada and WestGrid to host a national technology conference for research and higher education at Simon Fraser University’s Harbour Centre campus in downtown Vancouver. The joint event will deliver a rich array of content, offer experiences of professional development and plenty of networking opportunities.

Our Conference venue and hotel vacancies are filling up fast, so don’t miss your chance to interact with Canada’s technology experts! Register today on our Conference page and begin planning which sessions you want to attend!

Content-Rich, Interactive Sessions

Member-focused and member-driven, our conference program serves up the hottest IT topics that are designed to be interactive to peak your learning experience. Our community of IT working groups and committees have devised a content-rich schedule, covering a host of topics from privacy, security, social media and mobility to cloud computing and desktop collaboration tools.

Furthermore, we plan on highlighting how BCNET’s expanded mandate of shared IT services for higher education and research assists B.C’s research universities and institutes to reduce costs and support their strategic objectives. Our high-speed, high-capacity advanced network is the digital highway that transmits data and services amongst campuses. If you’re interested in acquiring a better understanding of how a shared IT services platform can impact an institution‘s mission and vision, this is one session you definitely don’t want to miss.

HPC & Data Management

Our HPCS partners will share the latest tools, techniques and advancements in computational research and data management. These sessions will range from case studies to panel discussions that aim to explore a variety of high-performance computing issues such as the sustainability of data centres, the security measures and privacy policies around big data, and the role of big data in the medical field.

Keynotes On Our Future

Hear from Leonard Brody, a business and technology visionary, described as “a controversial leader of the new world order.” Brody is a highly respected entrepreneur, venture capitalist, bestselling author and a two-time Emmy nominated media visionary who has been through one of the largest internet IPOs in history.

Our second keynote, Dr. Michael Wesch, is a cultural anthropologist known as “The Explainer” exploring the effects of new media on society and culture.

Rounding out our trifecta of keynote speakers is John Towns, the NCSA Director of the Distributed Cyber infrastructure Program Office, who will be illustrating the importance of advanced computing and data resources by presenting a number of computational science and engineering research projects.

Come to Vancouver to Learn, Share and Connect

Whether it’s from the real-life campus case studies or the hands-on pre-conference workshops, everyone attending the 2012 BCNET & HPCS Conference will gain valuable insight on the research and higher education community’s innovative IT and computing solutions.

The national scope of our event will allow you to network with not just professional colleagues but also industry experts from all over the country through speaking tracks and industry showcases.

Needless to say, our concept of a jointly hosted Conference between BCNET and HPCS stays true to the idea of partnership and collaboration, a spirit that is inevitably necessary to advance research and higher education into the future.

Open Source Culture

Many members in the IT community are long-standing supporters of the idea of open source, including Cybera. But it really became evident that this movement had gone mainstream when it is was recently featured at a TEDx talk. For Edmonton’s inaugural TEDx Salon Series, held February 8, the main topic for discussion was the benefit of open source and open source culture, and how it has already become an important function in our everyday online activities.

As Steve Fisher, one of the four presenters at the TEDx event, pointed out: “a lot of people don’t even know that they’re using [open source software].”  For example, if you’ve ever used WordPress to build a blog, or used Drupal to create and manage your business website, guess what: those are open-sourced content management systems (CMS).

The benefits of open source for a community can be as macro or as micro as you like. Fisher summed it up quite nicely when he said that open source, “at its heart, is about making things better.” It’s altruistically motivated, meaning that it is a good thing simply for the sake of being a good thing.

A good example of this is one of the open source projects that Cybera currently manages: the Water and Environmental Hub (WEHUB). This online platform connects water and environmental data gathered from open source websites or participating geo-based organizations, and makes it available in a format that users can access, share, mash-up and model. The goal of WEHUB is to not only be a one-stop shop for any water-related information, but to also make it easy for applications to be built on this data using a unified output service (API). This will enable a wide variety of useful, educational and fun applications to be created and shared with the public.

Currently, the WEHUB has both an example Apple and Android app available for free download.

Open government is a similar idea that has the same goals in mind, and benefits to the public, as an open source project. Here in Alberta, Edmonton has proved to be a shining example of this initiative. Developers and interested citizens in the city are given access to information such as neighbourhoods boundaries, garbage collection schedules, and recreation facility locations and amenities, all live-streamed via the Internet. The city also offers the added bonus of a Google Document to keep track of what data sets may become available in the near future, and when the existing data was last updated. Not many other cities have the same open source culture in government.

This information can be also used to develop applications that would be of further use to citizens. The popular “there’s an app for that” tag-line from Apple ads carries some serious weight in Edmonton; it’s likely that there is an app for most public information needs, to which Edmontonians can thank their open government.

Open source software is moving our world forward, and having the open source culture allows both source code and minds to remain open. To summarize using Fisher’s words: “I do [this] because I believe in it, I don’t do it necessarily because I get paid (although I do appreciate that). I do it because I think it’s an altruistic thing to do. I love that the world around me is improving because of some of the things that I’m doing.”

Is the door closing on open Internet?

The “open” movement has been building momentum in recent years. “Open data,” “open government”, “open innovation” – these concepts are about making information, gathered publicly or privately, available for anyone to access and use. This could then lead to research breakthroughs or new commercial ventures. Such an unrestricted digital future is seen by many as a natural next step for the Web.

But it may not be as simple as that. Such a progression is based on the assumption that a free and open system to house and distribute this information exists. The truth may not be so simple.

Tim Wu is a Professor at Columbia Law School and a renowned advocate for open Internet. He coined the phrase “net neutrality”, which is a call for all Internet content and websites to be treated equally by the networks controlling them. Wu worries that Internet carriers are finding more reasons to crack down on, or limit, their content.

In an essay he wrote last year for a book called The Next Digital Decade, Wu noted, ‘There are… certain commercial advantages to discriminatory networking that are impossible to deny, temptations that even the Internet’s most open firms find difficult to resist. …It seems obvious to me that open networking principles can be dislodged from their current perch.”

Wu will be discussing this issue at the Cybera Summit 2011: Data for All – Opening up the Cloud, where he will deliver one of the keynote addresses. Running from October 6-7 at The Banff Centre in Banff, AB, the Summit will cover the evolution of the cloud and open data applications (see video for more details).

Speakers will explore how open, shared and cloud technologies are helping to connect people and resources in new and exciting ways. They will also discuss issues that arise from these developments, including the debate over public versus private information.

In his essay, Wu asked, “Will we think of the open age of the Internet the way we think of communism, or the hula-hoop?”

What do you think? Will the movement towards “open” continue to grow, or simply become an out-lived trend? Leave your comments below or join us this October at Cybera’s Summit 2011 to further explore this idea.

Digital infrastructure in Canada session at Canada 3.0

Some interesting data in this session presented by Byron Holland of the Canadian Internet Registry Agency.

According to Byron, price and speed are the foundational elements of a sound national digital infrastructure. Ten years ago, Canada was ranked second or third among our OECD peers on these two metrics. Today, Canada ranks 22nd on speed and 24th on price. The global leaders are Japan, Sweden and France.

Interesting to note that Canada and Sweden have changed rankings over the past ten years. According to Byron, a concerted effort and strong policy environment brought Sweden up from the bottom of the pack.

Lessons for Canada? Let’s continue the conversation….

Live-blogging at Canada 3.0 – What does it take to “Be the Future”?

As Canada 3.0 starts to wrap up, it’s worth stepping back to reflect on its theme this year: “Be the Future”. These three little words pack a lot of weight. They act as a strong call to action to the Canada 3.0 participants and represent a mindset that inspires us to set our sights higher, our goals further and our activities more inclusive of our fellow innovators (because we’re not just talking about individual futures here, we’re talking about everyone’s future).

One of the morning security panel participants today answered a question with the caveat: “Technology has moved forward but we’re the same humans we were hundreds of years ago.” Hmmm…..really? Studies have shown that human behaviour, communication and interaction have come a long way. In fact, Leonard Brody, best-selling author, technology forecaster and business strategist, says that we are fundamentally different people than we were only a few years ago. Within a 10 year period, he says, from our ever-changing exposure to and engagement with technology and media, we as human beings have changed more than the institutions of govt, business and education that surround us. “The house doesn’t fit the people who live in it anymore,” he says. If what Brody says is true, that is going to add a weighty level of complexity to our new and inspirational mindset to “be the future.”

Luckily, one thing that hasn’t changed about the human race is its tenacity. This drive of ours to invent and advance our tools and processes is what has taken us this far. So it’s not technology alone that is changing the way we do business and perform research, it is the individual and community (both physical and virtual) behaviours that are enabling these changes.

The backchat happening in the #CDA30 Twitter feed is a prime example. Snippets from presenters’ sessions are being shared, deconstructed and commented on. This type of virtual conversation and collaboration is an example of how our expectations and applications of technologies have evolved and will continue to change as new tools are introduced. How many times have you heard someone say: “(X tool) would be so much better if it could just let me do (this)”. And somewhere, someone is likely responding: “Challenge accepted!”

In a sense, rather than saying humans have yet to catch up with today’s technologies, we may want look at it from the perspective of  technologies having finally caught up with the needs of today’s humans.

The projects and people we highlight in this blog are excellent examples of the trail blazers and supporters of what it takes to “be the future.” Ultimately, more technology education, community collaboration, and increased support for innovation will be what carries us even further. CANARIE and each of the provincial network organizations strive to build a supportive and foundational community for Canada’s innovators. What are your thoughts? What do you think is needed to “be the future”?

Day 2 at Canada 3.0

Well the sun is shining in Stratford today and the energy in the room was enhanced by Kunal Gupta, President and CEO of Polar Mobile. He and his colleagues at Polar are building a company that is growing at blazingly fast speeds…from landing his first customer in 2008 to having customers in 10 countries and users in 100 today!

Three years ago, Polar had two mobile applications. Today they have 536, with a goal of 1,000 by June 30 of this year!

His message about empowering his team was instructive. Every Friday night he sends an email to his entire team, sharing customer feedback, successes and challenges that the company faced the previous week, and competitor activity. Kunal added that providing this information to his team on a regular basis empowers them with relevant, timely information that allows them to get on with their jobs in a focussed and productive way.

More to come from sunny Stratford…

Live-Blogging Canada 3.0 – Soniya Monga

Soniya Monga giving an interesting talk about what she refers to as explicit and implicit data.

Explicit data is information that we have willingly shared, through blogs, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, among others.

Implicit data is what is inferred about you from the data that you have willingly shared…Soniya says that we are at the cusp of mining this data in ways that can deliver real value.

A couple of examples:

• a tool that tells you when a friend is nearby;
• a tool that alerts you to an exhibition by a favourite artist at a gallery in your neighbourhood; or 
• an app that lets you know that a local store is now carrying your favourite brand of coffee, jeans, whatever!

Would you be interested in this kind of use of your public data?

What are the implications for privacy?

Is this the natural evolution of digital marketing?

Stay tuned … more innovative thinking coming from Canada 3.0

Live-Blogging Canada 3.0 – Jeremy Gutsche

Highly entertaining and energetic talk from Jeremy Gutsche of trendhunter.com this morning at Canada 3.0.

His insights on innovation include:
- responsible failure means you are innovating!
- rewarding decisions, and not outcomes, can enable a more innovative environment; and – innovation starts by observing your customers in their zone.

And here are Jeremy’s Top Ten trends for 2011:
10. Hyperrealism in art
9. Toddler touchscreens – games and apps for the preschool set
8. Democratic selling, where social media helps determine what to sell
7. Rock- star self expressionism (I like to think I’m a little bit Chrissy Hynde…)
6. Modern kidvertising (see number nine above)
5. Luxury lives on — especially in the travel sector
4. Geriatric couture, meaning embroidery, crocheted and hand-knitted garments (but we can take a pass on the plastic rain hats, thankfully)
3. Perpetual adaptation – ever- evolving aesthetics
2. Tweetonomics
1. Discrete consumerism, where generic marketing is being replaced by experiences targeted to specific groups of people.

Lots more to come from Canada 3.0!

Canada’s Brightest Research Stars use Advanced Networks

CANARIE and Cybera are both pretty thrilled to see that Dr. Steve Liang has been named Tech Futures-Microsoft Scholar in Open Sensor Web Systems. CANARIE funded this project through its Network-Enabled Platforms program, and Cybera is the project manager. Dr. Liang is the Principal Investigator and self-described “sensor web evangelist.” This award, which comes with $220,000, will enable Dr. Liang to work on an extension of his GeoCENS project, which enables biogeoscientists to search, visualize and share geographical datasets using a 3D virtual platform. Dr. Liang will be presenting GeoCENS at the BCNET Conference next week (Tuesday, May 3).

More information about Dr. Liang’s research can be found at sensorweb.geomatics.ucalgary.ca. You can also follow him on twitter: @steveliang.

Read Cybera’s press release.

Congratulations, Dr. Liang!

2011 ORION Summit: Innovation Needs a Backbone

 

Join distinguished Canadian and global leaders and innovators in science, research, education and information technology as they gather at the 2011 ORION Summit to discuss new and innovative technologies that are transforming the way we conduct research, collaborate, teach and learn.  Innovation Needs a Backbone is the theme of this year’s annual ORION Summit, taking place April 18 and 19 at the MaRS Centre in downtown Toronto.

 Opening the Summit is Peter Nowak, an award-winning journalist  specializing in technology and its effect on culture. Nowak will be  discussing how much of the technology we enjoy today, from cold  medicine to Google, can be traced back to the military, pornography  or  the fast food industry.

Kicking off the second day of the Summit is Daneal Charney, author and Gen Y ‘guru’ who develops unconventional ways to integrate the next generation of leaders. Charney’s keynote, Gen Y Calling: 3 Strategies to Harness the Most Underutilized Generation Ever, will discuss why young workers feel worlds apart from their employers even though their goals are exactly the same, and how to use this knowledge to coax them into higher productivity and engagement.

Dr. Gilles Patry, the fourth President and CEO of the Canada  Foundation for Innovation, will give a keynote presentation over  lunch on the 19^th. Dr. Patry will give the national perspective on  research and innovation funding and speak about how Canada  ranks globally in driving innovation. He will also touch on the topic  of advanced technologies as critical infrastructure for enabling  research and research collaborations (especially nationally and  globally), and about research commercialization and linking centres of excellence with postsecondary institutions and business.

This year’s Summit will host a variety of exciting breakout sessions covering such topics as colleges and applied research, digital media commercialization, supercomputing, and new technologies for teaching and learning. The New Frontiers in Online & Virtual Learning Environments session will showcase some initiatives from the University of Toronto, George Brown College and Purdue University in Indiana, that are exploring innovative ways to deliver course programming online and through mobile devices, in an effort to engage increasingly tech-savvy students and introduce new technologies for learning.

Colleges & Applied Research: Key to Innovation Success in Ontario will discuss how colleges play a key role in helping to develop new products and services that drive innovation in Ontario.  Each panellist will speak to their experiences with the start-up nature of college applied research, success factors and industry engagement, and the role of engaging students and mobilizing institutions for a future workforce enabled by innovation literacy. It will end with a discussion about virtual research clusters that would address industry needs where and when needed through advanced collaboration and communication technologies.

Other stimulating sessions include Up in the Clouds, which will look at how services for research and innovation are increasingly migrating to the cloud.  Panelists include green IT consultant Bill St. Arnaud, Jordan Friedman from Google, and Andy Rindos, head of the RTP Center for Advanced Studies (CAS), which coordinates university relations for the IBM community in North Carolina.

Closing the Summit with a keynote on Pre-competitive science in  the drug discovery sector is Dr. Aled Edwards, Banbury  Professor of Medical Research at the University of Toronto and  Chief Executive of the Structural Genomics Consortium. Dr.  Edwards will be discussing the newly formed “open access”  business space and how it is creating new opportunities for  commercialization, specifically relating to Ontario as a cultural  and business force in the drug discovery sector.

Register today at www.orion.on.ca/summit2011.