Search results

$62-Million for Ocean Research

Overview

**NEWS RELEASE** The Honourable David Anderson, Minister of the Environment, Premier Gordon Campbell, and Dr. David Strangway, President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), today announced $62.4 million in funding for the NEPTUNE Canada Project. The CFI-B.C. funding investment will help the University of Victoria (UVic) develop the world’s largest cable-linked seafloor observatory off North America’s west coast. Information gained through the North-East Pacific Time-series Undersea Networked Experiments, or the NEPTUNE Project, will lead to earlier warning of earthquakes and tsunamis, more accurate estimates of commercial fish stocks and improved models for climate prediction. NEPTUNE is a joint U.S.-Canada venture led by UVic in Canada and the University of Washington in the U.S. “NEPTUNE is an opportunity for Canadian universities, led by the University of Victoria, to develop marine science and technology that will help to fill the gaps in our scientific knowledge of the waters off North America’s west coast,” said Minister Anderson. “This project has been many years in development. I am pleased today to see it finally come to fruition.” “By investing in this project, we are advancing B.C.’s position as a world leader in science and technology,” Premier Campbell said. “Since June 2001, B.C. has committed over $900 million to enhance post-secondary research and access. This leading-edge project will help further the economic development of B.C.’s offshore resources and strengthen the sustainability of our fisheries and ocean environment.” “NEPTUNE’s goals are very ambitious and very important scientifically,” Dr. Strangway said. “The CFI’s investment in NEPTUNE’s infrastructure has the potential to transform areas of geological and marine science by radically improving the nature, quality, and quantity of data that can be made available to scientists.” Traditional methods of ocean exploration use ships to study the oceans over short periods of time, offering glimpses of what is going on beneath the waves. The NEPTUNE Project will provide information and images from the ocean depths 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the next 30 years or more. The observatory will consist of an underwater network covering the entire Juan de Fuca tectonic plate, an area of 200,000 square kilometres off the earthquake-prone coasts of B.C., Washington, and Oregon. Thirty undersea laboratories will be connected by 3,000 kilometres of powered fibre-optic cable. Shore-based researchers around the world will use the Internet to control their remote deep-sea experiments using an array of scientific instruments. “I am very grateful for the leadership shown by both the CFI and the Government of B.C. in making NEPTUNE a reality,” said UVic President Dr. David Turpin. “UVic’s participation in NEPTUNE will help to secure Canada’s place in the front ranks of ocean science.” Included in today’s announcement is a contribution of $31.9 million from the CFI, and a $30.5-million contribution from the province of British Columbia’s Knowledge Development Fund. The project will create jobs in information technology, engineering and instrument development. Indirect benefits are expected in the subsea, robotics, communications, education and tourism sectors. Once the network is operational, the public will be able to log on to NEPTUNE via the Internet to learn about a wide range of ocean processes. It is expected to begin operation sometime in 2007. UVic is recognized internationally for its excellence in earth, ocean, and atmospheric systems research and education. UVic earth sciences professor Dr. Chris Barnes directs the Canadian part of NEPTUNE. Along with UVic and the University of Washington, the international partnership involves three other major institutions: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology; and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

UVic Announces New Federal Funding

Overview

**NEWS RELEASE** Today, the Honourable Stephen Owen, Minister for Western Economic Diversification Canada and Minister of State (Sport) announced $1.8 million in funding to support University of Victoria projects related to oceans research and technology. The University of Victoria is recognized internationally for its excellence in earth, ocean, and atmospheric systems research and education. It is the lead institution in the NEPTUNE Canada project, the northern component of a major international initiative to build a high-tech scientific observatory on the Juan de Fuca plate in the north-west Pacific. "The funding to NEPTUNE Canada increases the capacity of the project to transform our understanding of our ocean," said Dr. Martin Taylor, University of Victoria’s Vice-President, Research. "The support for our centre for Applied Remote Sensing, Modeling and Simulation allows us to create a unique airborne platform with a wide range of vital environmental management applications." The projects are: **1. Airborne Hyperspectral Spectroradiometer: $900,000**
Funding has enabled the university to purchase an Airborne Hyperspectral Imager. The imager can be used to expand remote researching capabilities environmental and resource management, study coastal and marine water characteristics, and study the severity of pine beetle infestation in remote areas. It can also be used for other applications such as oil and gas exploration, erosion studies and agriculture management. (See attached backgrounder on the Centre for Applied Remote Sensing, Modeling and Simulation). **2. Centre for Applied Remote Sensing, Modeling and Simulation: $368,000**
Support allowed the Centre to develop a business plan and marketing strategy and purchase remote sensing equipment. Two hyperspectral field scanners have been purchased to assist in the completion of several research initiatives. Additional funding of $170,000 was provided through the B.C. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management. **3. Ocean Science Development Centre: $298,400**
Funding has assisted in the establishment of the Ocean Science Development Centre, located in the Technology Enterprise Facility at the University of Victoria. The Centre houses the management of the Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea (VENUS) and Canadian management of the North East Pacific Time-series Undersea Networked Experiments (NEPTUNE). These projects are related to the establishment of undersea infrastructure and data management to support ocean and geological research. The centre will also include the Centre for Earth and Ocean Research. **4. North East Pacific Time-series Undersea Networked Experiments (NEPTUNE): $200,000**
The money has enabled the University of Victoria to purchase equipment for the NEPTUNE project. The NEPTUNE cable network will feature 30 or more seafloor "laboratories" spaced approximately 100 km apart. From these laboratories, land-based scientists will control and monitor sampling instruments, video cameras and remotely operated vehicles to collect data from the ocean surface to under the seafloor. Instruments will be interactive scientists will instruct them to respond to events such as storms, fish migrations, earthquakes, tsunamis and underwater volcanic eruptions as they happen. NEPTUNE will expand the boundaries of ocean exploration and provide a new way of studying and understanding the planet. NEPTUNE is a joint Canada - U.S. venture led by the University of Victoria and the University of Washington. **5. Canadian Ocean Information Network: $60,000**
This financial backing will help the University of Victoria develop a business plan and establish a new not-for-profit society called the Canadian Ocean Information Network Pacific Partnerships Office. The network will advance the interests of B.C.’s ocean technology stakeholders, and serve as a network hub for ocean information and technology users in western Canada.

Alcatel Wins Contract

Overview

**NEWS RELEASE** The University of Victoria has signed a $39-million Cdn contract with Alcatel to design, manufacture and install the infrastructure for NEPTUNE Canada's cabled ocean observatory off Vancouver Island. The largest single contract awarded in UVic's history involves sub-contracts with Nautronix MariPro in California and Satlantic in Halifax . "This contract represents a major step forward in realizing the start of this long-anticipated and revolutionary project," says UVic President Dr. David Turpin. "UVic is proud to partner with Alcatel. Their participation on NEPTUNE Canada brings us another step closer to activating the world's largest, cable-linked underwater observatory and building on UVic's recognized leadership in oceans research." UVic is the lead Canadian institution for NEPTUNE Canada (North-East Pacific Time-series Undersea Network Experiments) which will revolutionize ocean research by transmitting images and data instantly to shore where they will be relayed to researchers, educational institutions, science centres and the public via the Internet. By operating 24 hours a day for about 25 years, NEPTUNE will provide a better understanding of plankton blooms, fish migrations, ocean climate change, underwater volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and the processes that cause them, and help warn about approaching tsunamis. Alcatel will provide the cable, observatory control centres or "nodes" and associated shore station equipment for an 800 kilometre looped cable system. The cables will be buried across the narrow continental shelf and will lie on the seabed at a depth of up to 3,000 metres in the open ocean. The cable, landing at the UVic-owned Port Alberni shore station, will deliver power and Internet connection to the major observatory nodes enabling land-based scientists to access and control scientific sensors and remotely-operated vehicles and cameras. The installation of the observatory backbone will provide opportunities for the B.C. marine technology sector to provide and develop a wide range of marine environmental sensors and for other companies to develop and market data products and services. "We are proud to support the University of Victoria in such an ambitious project," says Jean Godeluck, president of Alcatel's submarine network activity. "Submarine cables' ability to transport large volumes of optical data and sufficient amounts of power, together with their high reliability and versatility, make them good candidates for the new applications offered in the field of undersea scientific observation. This new award confirms our expertise in addressing new market segments." Previous Alcatel submarine systems were anchored and controlled at either end by shore stations. The NEPTUNE infrastructure will transmit data from deep water to shore, and this contract recognizes Alcatel's ability to conduct breakthrough design. "This project combines terrestrial, telecommunications and submarine technology," says NEPTUNE Canada's project director Dr. Chris Barnes. "Given the remoteness of the nodes and the depth of the cable, the infrastructure must be extremely reliable since conducting repair work would be costly and very complicated." "Alcatel already has experience in adapting its technologies to meet the special requirements of cabled observatories, having been involved with the MARS (Monterey Accelerated Research System) deep-water test-bed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institution in California," says Peter Phibbs, NEPTUNE's associate director of engineering and operations. "Development of technology for NEPTUNE will be very challenging, but I'm confident that Alcatel will be ready to install the system in mid-2007 and that observatory instruments will be undertaking experiments by the start of 2008." NEPTUNE is a joint U.S.-Canada venture, led in Canada by UVic and funded by $62.4 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund. During stage two, the project's U.S. partners will expand the underwater system into American waters and complete the coverage over the entire Juan de Fuca tectonic plate.

$2 Million Supports Ocean Observatories

Overview

**NEWS RELEASE** Two revolutionary, interactive seafloor observatories led by the University of Victoria will benefit from more than $2 million in new funding from CANARIE Inc., a national organization that promotes advanced networks and applications. The NEPTUNE Canada (North-East Pacific Time-series Undersea Network Experiments) observatory, will lay 800 km of fibre optic cable and instruments off the outer coast of B.C., starting in 2007. A sister observatory, VENUS (Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea), will lay 43 km of cable and instruments in two locations off the south coast of B.C. The first 3-km leg of VENUS was installed in Saanich Inlet near Victoria in February. Both observatories will use the Internet to continuously feed data, sounds and images from the ocean depths to laboratories, classrooms, science centres and homes around the world. Scientists will gather continuous information on ocean change, seismic activity, fish and marine mammal movements, and seafloor ecology. The CANARIE funding, divided between two projects, will allow NEPTUNE and VENUS scientists to use leading-edge web services technology to communicate with their seafloor instruments and manage the large volume of data they collect. Web services are software systems designed to support machine-to-machine interaction over a network. "CANARIE is very pleased to support the NEPTUNE and VENUS projects through our Intelligent Infrastructure Program," says Andrew Bjerring, president and CEO of CANARIE. "Projects such as these are leveraging the advanced capabilities of CAnet 4, Canada’s national research and education broadband network, to provide new knowledge and break new ground in scientific endeavour." "We are delighted that our major observatory projects have attracted this level of support from CANARIE," says Dr. Martin Taylor, UVic’s vice-president research. "Computer control of the subsea sensors and autonomous and tethered vehicles from many laboratories on land represents a huge computational and communications challenge." In the first project, funded by $1.1 million from CANARIE, the NEPTUNE team is partnering with IBM Canada Ltd. to develop new technologies in software design and architecture. These technologies will ensure that NEPTUNE and VENUS instrument systems are as flexible as possible, and that data can be quickly processed and shared across platforms. "With so many types of instruments connected to the observatories we need a system that will quickly respond on its own to configuration changes," says Benot Pirenne, NEPTUNE Canada’s assistant director for information technology. "We also need powerful, efficient and intelligent data processing to turn large volumes of raw data into information." It’s estimated that the NEPTUNE and VENUS archives will have accumulated several petabytes of data after only a few years of operation. One petabyte is equal to one quadrillion bytes, or roughly the equivalent of 20 million four-drawer filing cabinets full of text. The second project, funded by more than $939,000 from CANARIE, will develop web services technology to operate the controls of underwater high-definition TV cameras hooked up to VENUS and NEPTUNE. The cameras will relay high-quality imagery from the ocean floor to the world via the Internet. Dubbed "Undersea Window," the project is led by McGill University researcher John Roston, a specialist in interactive multimedia. His partners are the NEPTUNE and VENUS teams, and Colin Bradley, director of UVic’s laboratory for automation, communication and information systems research. "This project will develop ways to interactively control camera and video transmissions from locations across the continent," says Bradley, who is responsible for the underwater engineering aspects of the project. "Ultimately, we’d like to move a camera around on an underwater vehicle, but for now we’re working on the interfaces for a stationary system where the camera can pan, tilt and zoom on command." The CANARIE contribution is being augmented with funding from industrial partners, the University of Victoria and McGill University, bringing the funding commitment for the two projects to $1.5 million and $1.3 million respectively. CANARIE is a not-for-profit corporation funded by Industry Canada to promote the development and use of next-generation research networks such as CAnet 4 and the applications and services that run on them.

$20 Million to Expand Seafloor Observatory

Overview

**NEWS RELEASE** The research capacity of the University of Victoria-led NEPTUNE Canada, the world’s first regional cabled ocean observatory, received a significant boost today with the announcement of an additional $20 million in funding. The $8 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), $8 million from the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) and $4 million of in-kind support from private partners including Alcatel will allow scientists to significantly expand the scope and scientific impact of the NEPTUNE Canada observatory. Beginning in fall 2007, Alcatel will lay an 800-km network of powered fibre optic cable across the seafloor in the deep ocean off the B.C. coast. A series of laboratories, or "nodes," along the cable will allow land-based scientists to remotely control and monitor instruments, video cameras and underwater vehicles as they collect data from the ocean surface to beneath the seafloor. The observatory will revolutionize ocean research by transmitting images and data instantly to shore where they will be relayed to researchers, educational institutions, science centres and the public via the Internet. The additional funding will be used to increase the number of nodes from two to as many as six and the number of scientific instruments from 70 to more than 200. This will allow more coverage of the northern Juan de Fuca tectonic plate, permitting broader studies on such key topics as seismic and tsunami activity, ocean-climate interactions and influence on fisheries, gas hydrate deposits, and seafloor ecology. "I want to express my appreciation to CFI, BCKDF and Alcatel for recognizing the importance and significance of NEPTUNE Canada’s potential through this support," says UVic President David Turpin. "Thanks to the combined efforts of the partners in this initiative, Canada and UVic will be at the forefront of undersea research, leading the world in the use of regional cabled ocean observatories and driving the industrial discovery and advancements that will accompany it." "In addition to securing Canada’s reputation as a world leader in the field of ocean research, the potential benefits of the NEPTUNE project to Canada are numerous," says Eliot Phillipson, president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. "From a wealth of new knowledge about our oceans to the development of new technologies, this world-class 1/2 initiative is sure to have a real and positive impact on the lives of Canadians." "NEPTUNE will position B.C. as a world leader in the multidisciplinary study of the ocean and its processes," says Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell. "High-tech will continue to be a critical part of B.C.’s economic future, and that’s why we need to invest in the people and the projects that will help ensure the best opportunities for British Columbia. I fully expect to see B.C. produce more world-class researchers as a result of their involvement with NEPTUNE." Alcatel, which operates in more than 130 countries, has played a key role in the development and implementation of the most important submarine cable networks in operation today. "We’re pleased to continue our cooperation with UVic in this exciting technological adventure that is NEPTUNE Canada," states Jean Godeluck, President of Alcatel’s submarine network activity. "This new project confirms the momentum of submarine network deployments for scientific applications enabling investigations into a wide range of phenomena, from astrophysical to oceanographic subjects." "With this funding, NEPTUNE Canada will move ahead with a much expanded scope, on schedule, and realize significant cost savings by installing additional instrumented nodes in 2007 and 2008," says Dr. Chris Barnes, NEPTUNE Canada’s project director. "With these additional nodes, we’ll more than triple our scientific data collection and achieve a profoundly better overview of earth and ocean processes." Initial funding for NEPTUNE Canada was announced in October 2003 and totalled $62.4 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF). Contributions from the U.S. and UVic bring total funding for the NEPTUNE project to CDN $112 million. Another USD $120 million is expected from the U.S. as its main contribution to this bi-national project.

New Funding Propels ONC Forward

Overview

**NEWS RELEASE** Completion of the world’s largest deep-sea tsunami array, new instruments to improve marine safety in the Strait of Georgia, and the first subsea instrument platform in the Arctic—these are three exciting developments underway at the University of Victoria’s world–leading Ocean Networks Canada Observatory. Today, the governments of Canada and British Columbia announced a total of $41.7 million in new funding to support the operating costs of the observatory, which is managed for the University of Victoria by the not-for-profit organization, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC). The funding is awarded through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) Major Science Initiatives Fund, which supports a portion of the operating costs of selected big science projects across Canada. Of the total, CFI is contributing $32.8 million and the BC government, $8.9 million. > “UVic is extremely grateful to the governments of Canada and British Columbia for their commitment and support of major science,” says UVic President David Turpin. “This investment ensures that the Ocean Networks Canada Observatory—the VENUS and NEPTUNE Canada subsea networks—remains a leader in global ocean research.” Ocean Networks Canada pioneers a new generation of advanced ocean observation systems that, using power and the Internet, provide continuous, 24/7 monitoring of ocean processes and events, as they happen. “The significance of this funding support cannot be overstated," says Dr. Kate Moran, president and CEO of Ocean Networks Canada. “ It enables Canada to maintain global leadership in cabled ocean observatory technology and research while playing a major role in understanding our oceans in an era of significant change.” Development of the ONC Observatory to date has been made possible with capital funding from the Government of Canada through the Canada Foundation for Innovation, CANARIE and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council, and from the Government of British Columbia through the BC Knowledge Development Fund. **UVic Backgrounder**
[Changing The Way We View The Oceans](http://communications.uvic.ca/releases/release.php?display=back&id=196)

Funding Supports Innovative Oceans Research

Overview

**NEWS RELEASE** Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), run by the University of Victoria, will receive $8.9 million from government to support ongoing research activities. Established in 2007 by the University of Victoria, ONC manages the NEPTUNE Observatory in the northeast Pacific and the VENUS Observatory in the Salish Sea. Ocean Networks Canada uses innovative engineering, data communication and sensor technologies to gather continuous data and images from the ocean depths, and then streams the live data around the globe. Ocean Networks Canada has been recognized as a national research platform, and is ranked among the finest in the world in ocean discovery and technological innovation. Continuous observations at key sites in the northeast Pacific Ocean and coastal Salish Sea help to address global challenges, manage marine resources, monitor regional environmental and climate change, and detect hazards to coastal communities. This investment – part of government’s existing 2012 Budget – leverages UVic’s partnership with the Canada Foundation for Innovation (which funds research infrastructure across Canada, including ONC) and other non-provincial government sources. To date, government has provided almost $48 million in capital funding to the University of Victoria for the undersea cabled observatory project, along with a one-time discretionary grant of $4.4 million in 2008 for NEPTUNE operating costs. **John Yap, Minister of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology –** > “Investing in the Ocean Networks Canada Observatory helps to support British Columbia’s position as a world leader in science and technology. The data gathered and lessons learned will help further economic development of B.C.’s resources and strengthen the sustainability of our fisheries and ocean environment.” **Ida Chong, MLA for Oak Bay Gordon Head and Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation –** > “This observatory provides the tools for us to look into the undersea world in an entirely new way. Our government is pleased to provide this financial support that helps continue the exploration of the ocean’s mysteries.” **David Turpin, president and vice-chancellor, University of Victoria –** > “UVic is extremely grateful to the governments of Canada and British Columbia for their commitment and support of major science. This investment ensures that the Ocean Networks Canada Observatory—the VENUS and NEPTUNE Canada subsea networks—remains a leader in global ocean research.”

CFI Supports Future Endeavour Research

Overview

Ocean Networks Canada is kicking off a year of exciting research and innovation at the Endeavour node of the NEPTUNE observatory with a show of support from the Canadian Government. Today’s $1.62 million funding commitment through the **Canada Foundation for Innovation’s 2012 Leading Edge Fund** is intended for future study and continuous monitoring of the Endeavour Segment. "This funding support will nearly triple Ocean Networks Canada's current instrumentation at this spectacular location in the deep ocean and will provide a new way of monitoring the health of remote marine protected areas.” says Dr. Kim Juniper, NEPTUNE Canada's Associate Director of Science. "It's a huge vote of confidence in the technology we offer to the global research community." Located more than two kilometres below the surface, the Endeavour site is set in a challenging mid-ocean ridge environment featuring hot vent fields and actively spreading ocean crust, approximately 300 km offshore Vancouver Island in the northeast Pacific Ocean. The University of Victoria’s Dr. Laurence Coogan will lead a consortium of ten principal researchers from seven institutions across North America in this $4 million initiative to further investigate the hot fluids discharging from a secton of the volcanic chain that encircles the Earth beneath the oceans. Principal users include: - Laurence Coogan, University of Victoria - David Butterfield, University of Washington - Christopher German, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - Kathryn Gillis, University of Victoria - Mark Hannington, University of Ottawa - Kim Juniper, University of Victoria - Marvin Lilley, University of Washington - Anna Metaxas, Dalhousie University - William Seyfried, University of Minnesota - William Wilcock, University of Washington **Dr. Laurence Coogan on future research plans at Endeavour**
In the following clips, Dr. Coogan provides an overview of the project: **What does the Leading Edge Fund mean for future research at the Endeavour site?**

Government of Canada invests in Smart Ocean™

Overview

**NEWS RELEASE** **Vancouver, BC.** - The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, announced today at the Vancouver Aquarium that the Government of Canada will provide up to $20-million over three years to support the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada (ONC). Also speaking to the announcement were Dr. John Nightingale, President and CEO of Vancouver Aquarium; Dr. David Castle, Vice President Research, University of Victoria; and Dr. Kate Moran, President and CEO of ONC. > "Smart Ocean™ is an innovative program to harness science and research for the benefit of Canadians. It leverages the unique capabilities of Ocean Networks Canada’s world-leading cabled ocean observatories to inform public and marine safety and environmental monitoring. Made possible through funding from Transport Canada, Western Economic Diversification and IBM Canada, Smart Ocean™ is the next phase in the Ocean Networks Canada system that will position Canada as a global leader in ocean technology that delivers science and information for good ocean management and responsible ocean use,” stated Dr. Moran.

Ocean Networks Canada to coordinate earthquake early warning system for B.C.

Overview

NEWS RELEASE Earthquake early warning receives a big boost in British Columbia today. Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, will develop a regional earthquake early warning system for southern British Columbia—home to over 50% of the province’s residents—with funding from the province.