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 "GOLD MINE OF THE 21ST CENTURY" DISCOVERED IN B.C.(November 27, 2001, Ottawa) -- The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) announced today that it is developing a strategy to promote industrial innovation and economic growth on Southern Vancouver Island. The announcement was made at the official opening of a $10 million extension to the NRC's Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (HIA) laboratory complex near Victoria, B.C., in conjunction with the first-ever Vancouver Island Regional Innovation Roundtable. "Few people are aware that Victoria is already home to a technological gold mine that includes a forefront laboratory for the development of advanced instrumentation and one of the top scientific and technical data distribution centres in the world," said Dr. Arthur Carty, NRC President. "The Herzberg Institute with its workshops, labs, and Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC) is truly one of the most valuable resources we have to promote innovation in this region." Dr. Carty told local business and technology leaders attending the HIA opening ceremonies that NRC sees tremendous economic and industrial potential in its astronomical research facilities, noting that HIA engineers and scientists have worked with many B.C. firms on high-profile international instrumentation and construction projects in the past. The potential for the new technology of "data-mining" being developed at the Canadian Astronomy Data Center (CADC) of the HIA is also immense. CADC was established by NRC's HIA in 1986 as only one of three world-wide distribution centres for data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Today the CADC works in collaboration with NASA, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the European Southern Observatories, and other international partners and is a world leader in developing software tools for access and application of highly complex data archives. NRC's HIA programs position it to take an international leadership role in the development of the distributed processing, visualization, analysis, and automated knowledge discovery systems that promote innovation and underpin "data-mining" technology. Dr. Carty said that the HIA's plans for the future will stress these areas and it is currently negotiating for major international projects in this area. The expansion of the HIA facilities in Victoria, which include space for industrial partner firms as well as for research and technology development, is part of NRC's larger efforts to enhance its presence in B.C. and promote innovation in regions across Canada. Earlier this year, NRC also announced plans to build new facilities at HIA's Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) in Penticton where NRC is developing expertise in the acquisition and processing of signals, digital filtering, digital spectrum analysis, correlation, and real-time digital processing and computing. This week's Vancouver Island Regional Innovation Roundtable, an NRC collaboration with VIATEC, the University of Victoria and the Innovation Development Corporation is a two-day gathering of local industry, government and technology leaders to consider ways to promote economic growth and the creation of innovative new business opportunities in the Region. The National Research Council (NRC) is the federal government's most powerful instrument for supporting scientific research, development and innovation in every region of Canada. NRC has Canada's best S&T; knowledge and information infrastructure, the Canada Institute for Science and Technical Information (CISTI). NRC's labs, facilities and offices are found in most of Canada's major centres and in over 90 locations across Canada through Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) representatives. For more information, please contact:
Scott Mair
Dick Doyle |
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