Fleming College Graduate Receives Premier’s Award in Technology Category

Fleming College graduate Steve DeRoy received a Premier’s Award in the technology category at a Toronto ceremony on Nov. 28, recognizing his contributions to the field.

Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

The Premier’s Awards for college graduates recognizes past and recent graduates from Ontario colleges in seven categories. DeRoy was among six Fleming College alumni who were nominated for a Premier’s Award. Each nominee has made significant social and economic contributions in their field and in the community.

He graduated from the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Cartographic Specialist program in 1998 at the college’s Frost Campus.

“I am honoured to receive the 2022 Premier’s Award in the Technology category. Fleming College prepared me with the tools to engage in story telling through maps and geographic information systems (GIS) technologies, to stay curious and find creative solutions to tough problems,” said Deroy. “These foundational skills continue to be applied in my daily work as we build a global community of Indigenous mappers.” 

DeRoy is an award-winning Anishinaabe entrepreneur and the co-founder of the Firelight Group which provides community-based research and technical support to Indigenous peoples.  

He founded the Indigenous Mapping Collective in 2014 alongside technology partners Google, Esri Canada, Mapbox, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, an annual workshop which aims to build a global community of Indigenous mappers who tell their own stories of place and space. Since 2014, the Indigenous Mapping Collective has held annual workshops, training over 2,500 Indigenous community mappers on emerging geospatial tools and technologies.

More than 3,000 Indigenous communities in Canada have been added to Google Maps and Google Earth thanks to his work in founding the collective.  

“We are so proud of Steve and all of his achievements,” said Maureen Adamson, Fleming College president. “His work has helped thousands of Indigenous people mark their place and space in this world, on their terms. We are proud of Steve’s accomplishments and look forward to the next phase of his journey.” 

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Ontario Government Bringing High-Speed Internet Access to Peterborough County

The Ontario Government is bringing another expansion of high-speed internet across Peterborough County announced by MPP Dave Smith at the Douro-Dummer Township Fire & Rescue Department Station 4 on Friday morning.

The Ontario government has committed over $950 million to nearly 190 broadband, cellular and satellite projects to date, bringing faster internet access to over 375,000 homes and businesses across the province. Photo by Luke Best.

In attendance with Smith was J. Murray Jones, Warden of Peterborough County and Mayor of Douro-Dummer and Coun. Heather Watson.

Townships affected by the investment include Trent Lakes, Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Douro-Dummer, Selwyn and North Kawartha. The Ontario Government wants to connect the entire province by end of 2025.

“We live in an increasingly interconnected and digital world, and we cannot allow our small rural communities fall behind,” said MPP Dave Smith. “Students depend on high-speed internet to learn and our farmers and small businesses need access to reliable service to remain competitive and showcase their products.”

The provincial government estimates around 9,000 remaining homes and businesses without high-speed internet in Peterborough County. Within that number, there are 1,350 in Selwyn, 1,640 in Trent Lakes, 2,380 in Havelock and 1,870 in Douro-Dummer that will benefit from the upgrade according to Smith.

He adds that customers can expect to receive high-speed Internet within 30 to 60 days.

“The infrastructure is almost completely in place now,” Smith explained. “It'll (high-speed internet) be offered to all of those residents, the tower itself has been upgraded and it's ready to go. It's just a matter of those final small pieces of hardware and then making that the offer out to customers.”

Clients will have a choice between Rogers Communications Canada, Xplornet Communications Inc. and Bell Canada to access the high-speed internet. Those companies have signed an agreement with the province to bring high-speed internet access to homes and businesses in the county as stated by Smith.

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Fleming College Hosts Technology Showcase To Help Community Businesses

Fleming College is virtually hosting the 2021 Innovation and Technology Showcase, an annual event students create technological solutions for real-world challenges for businesses and communities on Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

The top 10 of 67 teams — five businesses and five technology teams —will display their projects before a panel of 15 judges to determine the winner of the top prize money.

The following are the top 10 projects:

• Josephine Management Co. Ltd.

• Rfid Accessibility Tool

• Smart Spice Rack

• Fleming College Interactive Greeting System

• Fix-a-Leak Plumba Web App

• A Small Town Restaurant Looks Up

• Marketing Strategy for Parkhill Realtors Group

• Crestwood Alumni Better Together

• Bob Nurse RCPA

• Fleming Regsitrar’s Office Commmunications Plan

Fleming invites the public to honour the competing students and view the results as they will be announced on April 29 at 3:00 p.m.

The event is in partnership with Bell who has sponsored the event for the past several years.

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Local Tech Company Launches Virtual Reality Platform For Users To Explore Global, Historical & Archaeological Sites

Peterborough-based tech company AVROD have officially launched their virtual reality (VR) platform for users to explore global, historical and archaeological sites for free on Viveport, Steam, and SideQuest platforms.

The platform is dedicated to digitizing and sharing the world's archaeological and cultural heritage sites for study and exploration, and is pivoting as a Covid-19 solution to add remote travel and tourism.

AVROD founder Jeremy Brooks using the platform

Users all over the world are now able to virtually travel to 40 real-world, photorealistic locations within the United States, France, Mexico, England, Portugal, Australia, Egypt, Spain, Canada, Scotland, Italy, Sweden, Greece, Japan, India, Belize, Mongolia and Guatemala.

Users can access different locations by using a headset and their preferred platform to experience and interact with the world around them. In addition to Steam, Viveport, and SideQuest, it will be launching soon on the Oculus Store and for Oculus Quest VR headsets.

Jeremy Brooks started AVROD with the help of the Innovation Cluster and its Virtual and Augmented Reality Zone while an archaeology student at Trent University, and his timing couldn’t be more right for a platform like this.

According to Globe Newswire, the augmented and virtual reality market is expected to see an overwhelming growth of over $2 billion dollars by 2027. The current pandemic supports this growth, as industries start to turn virtual. Museums and other tourist attractions now offer virtual tours, and companies continue to look for ways to give customers an out-of-home experience.  

Brooks and AVROD’s Lead Developer, Manan Patel, have been working hard to bring AVROD to life.

 “Our team of students and young professionals, many of whom are from the Peterborough and Kawarthas area, have achieved incredible milestones to launch Canadian-built AVROD globally—including completely developing and launching AVROD remotely during the lockdown,” says Brooks.  

“We are expecting a global demand for our platform as people look to travel, explore, learn, and collaborate remotely and safely,” he adds. “As the company grows, we will be looking to create new jobs, starting here in Peterborough.”

“The launch for AVROD is perfectly positioned as we deal with the global pandemic and a significant worldwide reduction in travel,” says Michael Skinner, CEO of the Innovation Cluster.

“While people are asked to stay indoors, AVROD can provide an alternative experience for people who want to continue to experience the world with this at-home immersive experience. As virtual reality becomes more and more accessible, AVROD is very well aligned to benefit from the endless possibilities of this industry.” 

 

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Peterborough-based Streambed Media Wins Highly Competitive Wyoming Sandcastle Startups Challenge, Advances To Finals In Dubai

Streambed Media, a Peterborough company headed by Trent University alumna Jenna Pilgrim, has won the highly competitive Wyoming Sandcastle Startups challenge.

The company's prize includes $12,500 USD, and a guaranteed spot for the Sandcastle finals in Dubai at the World's Fair next October to compete for up to $250,000.

The competition was led by the Sandcastle Startups Foundation, which aims to advance the discovery of new technology and solutions to humanity’s largest problems through emerging startups. The Prize money for the regionals was sponsored by the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY.

Photo of Streambed Media co-founder Jenna Pilgrim courtesy Innovation Cluster

Streambed is a social media tool that uses a blockchain tracking system to delegate analytics to all parties involved in creating, publishing and distributing a piece of video content (sponsors, talent etc). It immutably links them, their video posts and their interactions by hashing the content metadata to the blockchain, creating richer, more reliable and informative data on that content’s performance.

“We are incredibly excited to have been recognized by the Wyoming Sandcastle Startups Challenge,” says Jenna Pilgrim, CEO and co-founder of Streambed Media. “Amidst a competitive playing field of amazing companies, we are honored to see that blockchain-powered social media tools are a much needed and wanted innovation.” 

Jenna Pilgrim participating in the Sandcastle startup challenge

The Sandcastle Startup Challenge finals will host 16 teams including Streambed in a bracket style cryptocurrency/blockchain startup competition during the opening month of the World’s Fair in Dubai next year. The company will compete for a Grand Prize package valued at over $250,000 and receive a competitor package, complimentary badge, media coverage, flight and airfare, valued at over $35,000.

“We are excited to see this local tech company and Trent graduate reach this milestone, as they are recognized for developing innovation that is essential,” says Michael Skinner, CEO of the Innovation Cluster.

“Streambed is designed to democratize social media, share valuable data back to creators and empower brands to find their authentic audiences,” says Jenna. “In a world where we have even more platforms fielding an explosion of content over the next five years, the time is now to fix and make these platforms work for everyone.” 

Streambed is currently in beta, and is bringing on users slowly. To be one of the first users or be notified when they are live, visit streambedmedia.com/subscribe.

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Trent U's Nursing Program To Introduce Virtual Reality Course Lessons Created By Peterborough Startup

Trent University’s School of Nursing and eCampusOntario has partnered with local tech company AVROD to develop virtual reality (VR) lessons for nursing students that will educate on incivility and how to deal with it in the workplace.

The project began when professors including Kim English at Trent University’s School of Nursing connected with eCampusOntario to consider creating a VR project. They were in contact with Jeremy Brooks, Founder of AVROD (Archaeological Virtual Reality Online Database) and Trent University  alumni. 

Photo courtesy Innovation Cluster

Brooks started with the help of the Innovation Cluster while an archaeology student at Trent University. Brooks and AVROD’s Lead Developer, Manan Patel, have been working alongside Professor English to bring the nursing simulation to life.

“We are excited to be working with Trent Nursing to deliver state of the art training simulations for nurses which go beyond traditional screen-based online teaching technologies,” says Brooks. “We believe that fully immersive VR online learning will become the new normal for Canadian educational institutions, and we are excited to help bring Canada into this next era of online education through AVROD."

Photo courtesy Innovation Cluster

Training tools via simulations are common in nursing education, but virtual reality has not been used as frequently.

“We thought, what if we created VR scenarios to allow students to walk through situations in a safe way, meaning they have the opportunity to leave when they need to, and provide debriefing afterwards,” says English. “Our initial goal is for students to one, experience it safely and two, learn how to deal with it.”

Jeremy Brooks, Founder of AVROD, using the platform

The team originally planned to have students use the project starting throughout May and June, but Covid-19 has prevented this as students will need to enter the university and share equipment. The project launch remains on hold until it can be safely implemented.

Now that the pandemic is pushing all forms of education, work and entertainment to go virtual, English says they are brainstorming ways to innovate their teachings.

“I think that the pandemic right now is making us consider some of these technologies in our approach to teaching,” she says. “Not everything can be virtual [while teaching nursing], but there are opportunities to look at VR to be a tool whether it be conversations or practicing medication administration with distractions around you and resolving. I absolutely think it is something we need to consider as we move forward.”

“We are expecting a global demand for our platform as people look to travel, explore, learn, and collaborate remotely and safely using more affordable VR headsets like the Oculus Quest,” adds Brooks. “We plan to launch AVROD globally in the Fall of 2020 and are working with young talent to develop cutting-edge skills to create new Canadian jobs, starting here in Peterborough.”

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Innovation Cluster Launches Groundbreaking Women Breaking Barriers Accelerator Program

Statistics show that only 6% of tech companies have a female CEO, and only 8% of Directors on boards of Canadian tech companies are women. As well, only 4% of VC funding goes toward women-led companies and founders who are women of colour get less than 1% of venture capital each year. The Innovation Cluster is working to change their numbers through a groundbreaking new accelerator program.

They have officially launched Women Breaking Barriers, a six-month cohort acceleration program designed specifically for women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and social innovation.

The program will allow participants to fast track their companies and will reduce barriers for female founders including the unique opportunity to pitch to angel investors at the end of six months. This program has been made possible by a $75,000 Seed grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. 

Funds will be used to hire professionals, purchase supplies, as well as to operate workshops and events. The overall program will be one year long, consisting of two separate cohorts of up to 10 women that will last six months each.

The fully virtual program has opened applications for the first cohort August 5th, with a start date of September first. Applications are due August 27th at noon. 

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

Participants (aged 18 or older) will have every opportunity to accelerate their company during the program, which includes specific and advanced training sessions, weekly mentorship with advisors, peer-to-peer learning, community networking and more.

“Our goal with this program is to increase opportunities and improve the support for women entering a career path in STEM and social innovation,” says Rosalea Terry, Marketing Manager and Senior Innovation Specialist with the Innovation Cluster. “After completing the program, these women will leave with the skills and knowledge to achieve success in their startup.” 

The program ends with each participant guaranteed to pitch to the local Peterborough Region Angel Network, which currently has over thirty investors. The group has invested over $6 million in companies over the years.

To learn more about the unique program, click here.

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City Of Peterborough Launches New Website At Peterborough.ca

The City of Peterborough has announced the launch of its new website peterborough.ca. The new site is more accessible, mobile friendly and easier to navigate for users looking for information and services.

It was designed based on feedback from users through a survey and a focus group, as well as recommendations from the website developer, and was designed to make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for on the site. The city has tried to write the content in plain language, removing industry jargon and bureaucratic phrases whenever possible.

Screengrab via Peterborough.ca website

“The old City website was launched about 20 years ago and staff are very excited to launch its replacement that will better meet the needs of our citizens, businesses and visitors”, says Sandra Clancy, CAO. “The City’s website is a living document. It will be constantly evolving with new information and ways to access services and interact with the City.”

According to a City of Peterborough release, a few of the website enhancements include:

-> Enhanced accessibility features to better meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA standard

-> An improved search function that will make it easier to find what you are looking for

-> Upgraded calendar features, including the ability to subscribe to calendars

-> A community calendar where individuals and groups can post their community events

-> An improved way to find Council meeting agendas and reports

-> News and events listings

-> Improved online forms that allow users to complete forms through the website instead of having to print off paper copies, if they choose

-> New ways for residents to report issues through the website

-> An emergency messaging system on the website

-> A tool for searching and viewing by-laws

-> The ability to order tax certificates through the website

Screengrab via Peterborough.ca website

Alongside the creation of a new City website, the project also included the development of new websites for the Peterborough Memorial Centre (memorialcentre.ca) and the Peterborough Public Library (ptbolibrary.ca), both of which were launched earlier this year.

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Peterborough's Innovation Cluster Creates Whopping $15 Million Regional Economic Impact in 2018

The Innovation Cluster created a tremendous impact for the economy through the success of local technology startups in 2018.

Throughout the course of 2018, the Innovation Cluster generated $15,431,351.37 for the local economy, 15 times the set Provincial goal. While having supported 86 startups in total throughout the year, the Innovation Cluster in turn helped to create 171 jobs for the local economy.

Innovation Cluster is housed in VentureNorth building in downtown Peterborough

Having established over 30 innovation partnerships, the Innovation Cluster has been able to create endless opportunities and connections for startups growing in the region. Of the 86 startups that have been supported in 2018, 46 of those were youth (18 to 29).

“Having close relationships with Fleming College and Trent University has been essential to  attracting young, local innovators and keeping them in this region,” says Michael Skinner, President & CEO of the Innovation Cluster. “A lot of startup successes and community events has been made possible through these connections.”

Michael Skinner, President & CEO of the Innovation Cluster, in meeting at the Cluster

Along with Fleming and Trent, the Innovation Cluster has established partnerships that connect startups with easy access to legal advice, marketing, intellectual property, funding and more. Innovation Partners offer one-on-one mentorship as well as free workshops to the Innovation Cluster clients and the Peterborough community.

One of these Innovations Partners is RBC, which sponsors the Innovation Cluster’s Virtual and Augmented Reality Zone inside its incubator. Through this space, the Innovation Cluster has been able to assist its digital technology startups, which now comprise more than 50 percent of the clients it currently supports.

Some of the rapidly growing digital clients include video game companies Bloom Digital and Canuck Play, and mobile app developers Kavtek and Ribitt. (Ribitt recently announced it had raised $600,000 in seed financing.)

“The Cluster is very helpful because people want to know if your company belongs to an incubator or accelerator,” says Ribat Chowdhury, co-founder of Ribitt. “Your chances of succeeding is higher when you have a collaborative environment and are in a tech ecosystem—and that’s what the Innovation Cluster provides us with.”

Along with its digital clients, the reserve of clean technology clients also continues to rise. With the help of the Trent Makerspace at Trent University, clients are able to access lab space and research and development equipment.

With digital and cleantech innovations rapidly growing, in 2019 the Innovation Cluster will be looking to grow its healthcare sector to address innovations towards accessibility and aging in Peterborough.

“The startups that have stayed and grown their companies in Peterborough and the Kawarthas and sought help through the Innovation Cluster is what truly sets this area apart from any other city in Ontario,” adds Skinner.

“The impact made this year has been the greatest to date for startup growth, jobs created and the economic impact it’s resulted in. We plan to keep those numbers on the rise.”

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Check Out The Little Lake Cemetery Web Mapping Application and Story Map

An interactive web mapping genealogical tool and a new Little Lake Cemetery Story Map which tells the story of the cemetery and some of the early residents of Peterborough is now available.

Residents can explore the updated Little Lake Cemetery Guide and discover something new about their community by using the interactive historical timeline. The mapping application and Story Map can be found here and here.

The interactive map allows users to explore more than 5,500 marked grave sites and provides information on the oldest name and date identified on the monument, a visual location, and a photograph of the marker.

Screengrab of applications

With the help of student interns supported by Young Canada Works, the map has been expanded and enhanced to include the location and information on more than 10,000 unmarked graves within the cemetery.

With the updates, users now have the ability to submit additional information about interments. City of Peterborough geomatics/mapping staff, heritage preservation staff and Little Lake Cemetery collaborated on the mapping projects.

The Story Map application is an interactive webpage that allows users to explore themes relating to the City’s first burial ground, the growth of garden cemeteries, the development of Little Lake Cemetery, and stories of some historical figures from Peterborough’s past.

With nearly 30,000 burials in Little Lake Cemetery, the current map is not a complete record of interments at the cemetery. The City of Peterborough and Little Lake Cemetery foresee future projects will expand the numbers of graves recorded and the narratives presented on the story map.

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