Geomatics research gets $900,000 boost

By Greg Harris

U of C researchers in advanced global navigation satellite systems technologies, which include global positioning systems and the emerging European Union’s Galileo system, have received a five-year, $900,000 grant from Western Economic Diversification Canada.

The grant will fund research and development in the U of C’s Position, Location and Navigation (PLAN) group, which is headed by Dr. Gérard Lachapelle, CRC/iCORE chair in wireless location, and Dr. M. Elizabeth Cannon, dean of the Schulich School of Engineering.

“The contribution from Western Economic Diversification Canada will enable us to carry out research that recognizes our unique position as a national centre of excellence in the field of geomatics location, positioning and navigation technologies,” Lachapelle said.

The Honourable Jim Prentice, senior regional minister for Alberta, made the announcement on campus on Aug. 29. “This funding is a catalyst for exciting new developments in the field of geomatics technology,” he said. “It will enable us to make the most of Alberta’s high-tech resources and will help to keep the province strong in a globally competitive environment.”

The $900,000 is matched by a $3-million contribution from Alberta’s iCORE (Informatics Circle of Research Excellence), a provincial body that supports research in the information and communications technology sector. The funding allows researchers to secure an additional several million dollars from Canadian and foreign industry.

The monies will be used to fund researchers and train students at the post-graduate level, in addition to enhancing infrastructure. High quality personnel training will be a top priority in order to meet the increasing demand for experts in this area fueled by the booming Alberta economy and geomatics industries.

Western Economic Diversification’s contribution to this project will increase the capacity of the U of C to carry out research in this area by creating new applications to enhance the availability, accuracy and reliability of the current GPS and emerging GPS II, as well as the emerging European Union’s Galileo system.

The PLAN group of the Department of Geomatics Engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering consists of more than 30 multi-disciplinary research personnel and has successfully conducted research in positioning, wireless location and navigation for more than 15 years, has trained scores of MScs and PhDs, and has consistently and successfully commercialized its intellectual property through research contracts, software licenses and patents.

Its software is used in 20 countries; the aggregated value of these intellectual property commercial activities is close to $10 million.