Robots suit up to help strengthen Alberta's economy
Published on March 31, 2011
Enabling Canada to be the world leader in Robotics and Unmanned Systems (RUS) for Integrated Resource Management (IRM) the Canadian Centre for Unmanned Vehicle Systems (CCUVS) is strengthening Alberta’s competitiveness by supporting its’ strong geomatics and RUS sectors for growth in the resource, environment, national infrastructure and security industries.
CCUVS is taking a customized approach with each region, addressing first the economies in the western provinces, specifically Alberta.
“Alberta is a resource based economy, therefore managing our natural resources is automatically more important to us, than to a province that has fewer of them,” explained Dewar Donnithorne- Tait, president and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Unmanned Vehicle Systems. “Because of the sheer size of the province it’s difficult for people to cover it all; by doing it remotely and automatically it’s actually cheaper than having it done by individuals.”
Donnithorne-Tait continued to explain the advantages of using unmanned systems for IRM, “some areas, specifically to the North are quite hostile, the climate is rough or the surface of the ground varies, so by using these systems it exposes people to less danger. The information is also gathered automatically and presented in a concise form, opposed to a person collecting raw data, mitigating mistakes.”
CCUVS has defined three core actions including: educating and increasing awareness of the benefits of using RUS for IRM; facilitating applied research; and technology development and providing access to locations, facilities and equipment, to demonstrate the systems benefits to organizations interested in using them for IRM purposes.
The intended outcomes associated to these activities are: increased awareness and development of robotics and unmanned systems for the geomatics sector- improving productivity and competitiveness, growth for small to medium enterprises (SME’s) and expansion and diversification of Alberta’s economic climate through development of IRM, geomatics and the already, savvy RUS sector.
The first year of the project will be focused on creating a Requirement Captures Analysis to identify business needs, evaluate risks, cost and benefits and prioritize and start packaging the results into interim projects.
“We are inviting business participation; if businesses think that unmanned systems can help them in the IRM, geomatics and/or public safety sectors, let’s hear about it, let’s see if we can work with them and possibly build a project, fund it and get it moving forward,” said Donnithorne-Tait.
CCUVS is a non-profit, national change agent focused on facilitating sustained, profitable growth in the Canadian robotics and unmanned systems sector. Use of unmanned systems enables increased innovation, productivity and competitiveness in certain core, national, industries. For more information on CCUVS visit www.ccuvs.com or go to www.edalliance.ca for further details on unmanned vehicle systems in southeast Alberta.