The experts say that to have continued success in business you need to nurture innovation by building a culture that is open to new ideas. Every business needs a Don Quixote who is prepared to dream the impossible dream. But if innovators are dreamers, are they also problem solvers?
If we agree that the most effective innovators don’t wait for problems to arise but rather fix what isn’t broken and seek to improve on things that have no apparent deficit, then Alberta Einstein was correct when he said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge”.
When we choose to explore rather than apply, these are the behaviours and choices that drive innovation. It would also be true then that business is about solving problems. Getting an education and developing professional expertise is therefore about learning how to solve problems.
So if you have a job, it means you solve some problem that business would have if you weren’t there. The ability to solve problems is certainly a high-value skill, and the more difficult the problems you can solve the more value you provide.
But innovation is about much more. Innovation is about providing products and services and capabilities people don’t even realize they lack. Think about the automobile, the airplane, the light bulb, the personal computer, the internet, the mobile phone, WiFi, Post-It Notes, ATM’s and i-Pads. None of these products addressed any widely recognized problem.
Rather than being solutions, these innovations are things that have enhanced our lives, enhancements so dramatic that we would now consider it a problem to be without them. Few of us would want to try to live without computers and cell phones and cars, but until someone dreamed them up and figured out how to make them real, we didn’t miss them.
Innovators do need to solve problems in order to create these breakthroughs. But if they waited for some problem to be recognized before pursuing their ideas, they might still be waiting. Henry Ford famously said that if he’d asked consumers what they wanted (i.e. what problem needed solving) they would have told him a faster horse.
Exactly what problem did Facebook solve? Yet look at its value today. Innovators are those who don’t have time to wait for problems to arise. They’re the dreamers who as George Bernard Shaw put it, “do not see things as they are, “…and say ‘Why?’ but…dream things that never were and say ‘Why not?’”.
Problem solving is essential to innovation, just as it is to business. But if your approach to innovation is to first identify problems, and you’re dismissing ideas that don’t meet that limited criterion, innovation will be slow at best. You need to imagine possibilities beyond those tight parameters or you’ll soon find that you’re falling far behind those who do.
For more information on this article, or to contact The Centre for Research & Innovation call (780) 539-2807, toll free at 1-877-539-2808, email info@TheCRI.ca or visit our website at www.TheCRI.ca .

With ‘innovation’ becoming the buzzword of the millennium, many businesses are attempting to establish a ‘culture of innovation’ within their organizations. The challenge with this idea is taking the steps to turn theory into action; to water the root of the tree, not just the branches.
The key is to remember that organizations do not innovate; people innovate – inspired people, fascinated people, creative people, committed people. Therefore, innovation is always from the inside out.
The organization’s role is to get out of the way. And while this ‘getting out of the way’ will probably include formulating supportive systems, processes, and protocols, it is important to remember that they are the context not the content. What’s needed in organizations that aspire to a culture of innovation is an inner change.
People need to experience something within themselves that will spark and sustain their effort to innovate – and when they experience this ‘something’, they will be self-sustaining. People will innovate not because they are told to, but because they want to. When people are inspired; share a common, compelling goal; and have the time and space to collaborate, the results become self-organizing. General George Patton said it best: “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”
Creativity however is often a numbers game. Einstein had plenty of bogus theories. Mozart wrote some crap. But they continued being prolific. And it was precisely this self-generating spirit of creation, which enabled them to access the good stuff. An innovative organization needs to be a place where everyone is encouraged and empowered to think creatively.
It also needs to be fun! Unfortunately, the sound of laughter in the workplace is often interpreted as proof of a slacker workforce, as if laughing and working were mutually exclusive. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“If you lose the power to laugh, you lose the power to think,” explained Clarence Darrow. HAHA and AHA are two sides of the same coin. The same thing that triggers laughter triggers insight. It’s all about a momentary shock to the system: the unexpected, a surprise, and delightful discontinuity. When that happens, when we are momentarily boggled by an input that does not fit with our logical expectations, VOILA! Breakthrough! A good time!
So you want to establish a ‘culture of innovation’ in your organization do ya? Well, words are cheap. It’s easy to wax poetic about culture change, it’s quite another thing to make it happen. Still, the effort is worth it.
Your employees are more than hired hands; they are hired minds and hearts as well. Start by listening and honouring their ideas no matter how many or how bizarre they may seem a first blush – you never know when you will find the priceless one. Bottom line?  The time it takes you to listen to the ideas of others is not only worth it – the success of your enterprise may depend on it.
For more information on this article, or to contact The Centre for Research & Innovation call (780) 539-2807, toll free at 1-877-539-2808, email info@TheCRI.ca or visit our website at www.TheCRI.ca .

When you look at them from the outside, inventors and entrepreneurs can look very similar. According to Wikipedia, they are both “creative, pioneering and driven to solve problems.” However, that is where the similarities end.
An inventor develops or discovers a new product or service that never existed before.  He or she may or may not bring it to market. An entrepreneur, on the other hand, takes the risk to bring a product to market with the goal of making a profit. It is not necessary for an inventor to be an entrepreneur. Similarly an entrepreneur may or may not be an inventor.
It’s easy to understand why many inventors feel that once the patent is filed, their product design is complete, and their invention goes into production they’re almost home free in terms of getting their product to market. After all, it’s taken a lot of time and effort to reach this point.
In reality, the final element – sales – still weighs heavily on the invention’s success and shouldn’t be underestimated. To be successful, inventors have to look at their inventions as marketable products. In addition, due to their personalities, inventors often do not have the appropriate skills or even the desire to turn novel ideas into self-sustaining enterprises.
Enter the entrepreneur, who acknowledges the great idea and then allows his creative instincts to take advantage of the opportunity.
Inventors, therefore, have four choices when it comes to commercialization:
➢They can license or rent their idea.  When an inventor licenses or rents an idea to a manufacturer, the manufacturer handles the marketing, manufacturing, distribution and basically everything else required to bring the product to market. The manufacturer usually pays the inventor a quarterly royalty on every unit they sell. This royalty, generally a percentage of the total wholesale price, is the inventor’s payment for bringing them a new product idea that they can sell to their customers. Licensing is an attractive, low-risk alternative to manufacturing products and taking them to market.
➢To sell an invention outright for the present value of the anticipated royalty payments over the life of the product or the life of the patent. Lump-sum payments are rare because of the amount of capital required and the difficulty of estimating the product’s life and sales.
➢Inventors can partner with someone who has entrepreneurial skills. Partnering may mean sharing the profits, but it also means sharing the risk and responsibility. Inventors who find complimentary partners stand to gain more and stress less.
➢Or finally, they can assume the risk and play both roles – inventor and entrepreneur. Inventors should bear in mind that few people are successful at both roles because each requires distinct skills and aptitudes. There are notable exceptions – people who are simultaneously successful inventors and entrepreneurs – but the list is very short. Remember, venture capitalist General Georges Doriot said, “There have been many fine scientists desperately trying to become poor businessmen.”
Whichever route is taken, entrepreneurs and inventors are generally completely different but invariably dependent upon one another.
For more information on this article, or to contact The Centre for Research & Innovation call (780) 539-2807, toll free at 1-877-539-2808, email info@TheCRI.ca or visit our website at www.TheCRI.ca .

Does ‘Einstein’ make you think of someone extremely intelligent, able to multitask, process huge amounts of information and then make that information work in the practical world?
In the case of Alpha Safety Ltd, Einstein means all those things and more. But instead of a ‘someone’, it’s a very complex ‘something’. They have had a software program created that will be handling the whole range of in-house administration tasks that are presently labour intensive and time consuming.
One of the biggest benefits of ‘Einstein’ is that the program, although intended as an in-house aid, is also going to benefit both students and client companies as much as it does Alpha, said training manager Colin Kearney.

“There’s a whole package that aids us in a huge way. We’re going to be able to manage students, invoicing, policies, registration, history – everything that we do with our school is going to be run through Einstein – scheduling courses, scheduling our instructors, our rooms, stock control, the whole thing,” said Kearney.
And all of this is in time for the company’s new branding.  Alpha Safety has expanded its training division, which is now known as Alpha Training Solutions – all in time for the arrival of Einstein.

“What is really amazing is that down the road we can add to it anything which will better serve our client’s needs,” said Kearney.
That’s a big claim for a program that, as it is now, can do so much. Everyone from staff to students to client companies will now have the freedom to register online in real time – anytime of day or night. Einstein will be accessible by multiple staff members to process phone registrations, however, with 400-450 students a month being processed presently by one staff member, Einstein will impact that process and will create a much faster, more accurate and more convenient process.
Their soft launch, planned for the beginning of April, is the first stage of an incremental implementation of the program and will see a limited number of companies using the existing potential as a final test run.
“One of the key things that we’ve discovered is that we get calls almost every day from someone saying, ‘I forgot to get my ticket, I need it tomorrow’, or ‘I lost my ticket last week’. Sometimes a company calls and says ‘we have five guys who need training and we need them in tomorrow’,” said Kearney. Einstein can now help with 24/7, online registrations.
It isn’t just students that have a tough time managing their tickets and expiry dates. We know companies using spreadsheets that need to be meticulously checked every week, which is a huge time investment for client companies. Einstein will help alleviate that responsibility.
Einstein has a solution. As soon as a student finishes their course, the student’s ticket expiry date is entered into the system. Then 30 days prior to the expiry date, three, or ten – doesn’t matter -  years later,  the student will receive an email reminder, telling them it’s time to book their next course. An automated phone message and/or text message of the same type is on the drawing board.
Companies will receive the same notification for students they book. They will not need to track those details manually. They will be able to book students online, anytime, from any internet-connected computer, and will be able to book them into a course on scheduled days off, for example, minimizing the amount of downtime.
“We’ve spoken to a few companies already and they say, ‘Yes that would be a huge help’…now, literally they can just forget about it,” said Kearney.
Eventually, both students and client companies will be able to set up their own accounts to review all their own information. For approved companies, this will include the option to be invoiced online.
The first major upgrade, after the launch is to, “allow companies to have an online account in the system allowing them to logon…and to check their account with us. They’ll be able to check their workers expiry dates, check invoices, pay online, book students in online, that kind of thing,” Kearney said.
What makes Einstein truly unique is the level of integration and interactivity. An online interactive calendar, on the Alpha Safety website, will allow people to select a course and click through immediately to a registration page that can be filled out and which, after a convenient online payment, registers them, or the company’s staff, immediately into their course. Companies can book in multiple students and records will be automatically updated, invoices emailed and confirmation emails sent to the students and the company.
“For companys this means, the moment they register online, they receive a confirmation of payment, a confirmation email of the course booking, course date and start time, instructor’s name and the names of the people the company just booked into the course, offering the company a real-time record of the transaction.  This will all save time and money and avoid fees due to no-shows or miscommunications,” said Kearney.
One of the plans being investigated for future implementation is a job bank where students can indicate whether they are working or not and client companies can search for potential employees secure in the knowledge they have been well trained.
“Einstein will allow us to operate multiple campuses from the same web based software, which we plan to use when we open our future campuses – the first one is planned for Red Deer Alberta,” Kearney said, pointing out yet another benefit of the new program.
The final product is well worth both the money and time for development said Kearney, but that doesn’t mean the process was without its issues.
“The program was developed by a great company in Ontario, so I think the main challenge we had was communicating between our time zones and making sure that we were clear on exactly what we wanted. We did have moments when, I would have a picture in my mind – I would like it to look like ‘this’ and then I would explain it to them and they would develop, and I would test it, and I would think to myself– that’s not it,” said Kearney.
Therefore, one of the suggestions he had for other companies looking at software development was to set regular meeting times with the programmers, and use that time to ensure the details were clear, understood and taken care of.
“Book it every week so the programmers and you are up to date because the moment communication breaks down, things fall apart. Define (things) very clearly in more words than you think is necessary so that what you see is the same picture they’re painting on the other side,” he explained.
“I even communicated so clearly to the point that I was taking snapshots of my screen, and I would draw little circles around ‘issues’ and say, ‘This is the problem, do you see the same thing?’”
Another piece of advice he had was to have a detailed plan in place far in advance. Understanding exactly what processes are currently in use, what processes are expected from a program, and in detail, how the processes interact. After all Kearney said, it’s the extra, unanticipated work that can add dollars to the bill.
The other big challenge he mentioned was to ensure they could duplicate the efficiency their staff now have in electronic form. Hours spent observing the people now performing the functions which the program will take over, helped to refine the specifics that were needed.
Kearney anticipates the Return on Investment (ROI) within a year based on man-hours, processing time and paper savings. He added that the opportunity for more direct Internet marketing should also speed up that process.
“The more I get to know Einstein, the more I see he’s living up to his name. There’s more functionality than I expected.”

You have a great idea but you lack the funding to take it to the next level.

 This is not unusual. Lack of investment capital is one of the biggest threats to any startup. So, if you want to have the best chance of success start by writing a great and comprehensive business plan. A business plan is what you’ll use to sell your business idea to potential investors. It will detail the benefits of your idea. It will explain your goals and vision for your business in both the short and long-term, your primary customers, your perceived competition and how you will handle them, and what your promotional strategy will be.

 Then you will explain how you plan to fund your business idea, the type of investors you’re looking for and why someone should invest. Followed closely by how much you’ll need, over what period, and all of the foreseeable risks involved. Once you have a professional and comprehensive business plan you can pursue funding options. First, you need to be willing to use your savings.

this, demonstrates to potential investors that you are willing to put your money where your mouth is – it makes you look more responsible. Along this same vein, you could also get or keep your job. Next, ask family and friends to invest. A lot of startups get their first funding in this way. The advantage of raising money from friends and family is that they’re easy to find. You already know them. Plus, even if they don’t have the funds you need, they can give you advice or direct you to other investment sources. There are also disadvantages: you mix together your business and personal life; they will probably not be as well connected as angels or venture firms; and they may not be accredited investors, which could complicate your life later.

Another way to fund a startup is to ask companies to sponsor your business. Many companies are looking for ways to expand their base. If you can emphasize the benefits they will gain, they may consider partnering with you. Angel investors or venture capitalists are two other funding sources. An angel investor is an individual or a group of individuals who want to increase their investments by funding start-ups that they believe are likely to be profitable. Angels are often willing to provide mentorship and training along with the funds to help fledgling businesses. Venture capitalists, on the other hand, are typically general partners investing third party money and tend to not invest in startups.

Venture capitalists tend to invest in established businesses that need additional funding in order to expand and for which the future financial picture is almost certain to be profitable. Government grants and bank loans are generally based on networth and cashflow. Both are very difficult to secure since a startup has no proven track record and banks and governments both have shareholders that do not appreciate them backing high risk investments. The best advice for navigating this funding minefield is to have a good guide. Get advice from agencies that specialize in assisting new businesses to get off to a sound start.

For more information on this article, or to contact The Centre for Research & Innovation call (780) 539-2807, toll free at 1-877-539- 2808, email info@TheCRI.ca or visit our website at www.TheCRI.ca

Marketing: that mystical and all-encompassing skill that, once mastered, can sell anything to anyone, right? Well, not without ground work.
First, let’s establish that marketing is just a $20 word for sales. Before you even think about marketing, you need to establish that whatever it is you are trying to sell must have someone interested in buying it. But not only that, they must buy it at a profit.  If there’s no buyer or you don’t make any money, you won’t be in business long. With this in mind, that profitable buyer now becomes your market.
Next, you need to know everything you can about your market, otherwise known as market research: Who they are, how many there are, where they live, what they like, what they believe etc. This information will allow you to most effectively reach them to let them know that you have what they need and/or want.
This information will allow you to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your product or service (SWOT analysis). Do you offer lower prices or faster service than your competition? Are you located off the beaten path? Do you have any new competitors? Or is there an opportunity for you to market to a new audience?
When you’ve gathered all of this information you will know how your product or service fits into the marketplace. What price your customers are willing to pay and whether or not it is competitive.
How you should reach your customers with your product or service and how and what you will use to promote it to your target audience. These steps are often referred to as the 4 P’s of marketing: product, price, place and promotion.
Gathering this volume of information may seem a little over-the-top but it’s all about trust. Would you trust someone you didn’t know? You need to use all of this information to build a relationship with your market. Your customers need to not only like you, they need to trust you and what you’re selling more than any of your competitors.
When you have established this you have more than just customers, you have loyalty and loyal customers will refer you to their families and friends. This process, in its entirety, is marketing. You have reached and motivated a customer to buy.
“No matter what your business claims to do or provide, you’re actually in the marketing business. Marketing is an all-encompassing outlook that must inform every activity of your business. When you discover this outlook, marketing your business gets really, really easy,” said John Jantsch in his book, Duct Tape Marketing – The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guild.
Every business is in the business of sales. No sales – no business. Information is power so the more you know about the marketplace you’re planning to play in, the more powerful and effective your marketing or sales presence will be.
Do your homework and if you plan to have continued success, continue to do your homework. As times, whims and markets change, you need to know and react. Marketing is therefore an ongoing and exciting process.
For more information on this article, or to contact The Centre for Research & Innovation call (780) 539-2807, toll free at 1-877-539-2808, email info@TheCRI.ca or visit our website at www.TheCRI.ca .

Questor Technology has found a solution to a myriad of problems with an innovative look at a common industry practice and while their current waste gas incinerators are hugely successful, the company is continuing to evolve the technology to make it even more environmentally sound and financially worthwhile.

Almost everyone who has been in this region for more than a few weeks has seen a flare going off. And those who live intimately with flaring have concerns from several points of view: the public who are concerned with safety, and the companies that are concerned with costs. And it is to flaring that Questor has focused their sights.

“We’re an oilfield service company focused on environmental solutions for flared gas. Our focus is not only combusting them and handling them safely and effectively, we see a big opportunity to do something useful with the heat,” said Questor president and CEO Audrey Mascarenhas.

The Company’s proprietary incinerator technology destroys noxious or toxic hydrocarbon gases, which ensures regulatory compliance, environmental protection, public confidence and reduced operating costs for clients. And all that before mentioning the potential benefits of their current research projects.

People are accustomed to flaring, said Mascarenhas, and they recognize the rules allow them to do that and often see it as the easiest thing to do but really, it’s actually costing them more money sometimes to flare. Having to pull energy off the grid or good gas off to heat buildings and then you’ve got this stream of flared gas that’s being wasted, the energy going up, and unhappy communities to boot. Globally, 14 billion cubic feet a day – all of Canada’s gas production – is flared, and all of it wasted energy with negative environmental impacts. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Billions are being invested in ways to reduce industry’s carbon footprint and “we’re missing this low hanging fruit”, said Mascarenhas.

Questor’s incinerators run at 80 per cent less fuel than a flare, return on investment on some units is as little as four months, there’s no visibility, they guarantee 99.99 per cent efficiency so no one’s worried about safety or odour.

Questor’s Grande Prairie facility, which was initially opened as a service centre, is now home to most of their research and development testing and assembly and the results of that work are being recognized not only locally but also internationally.

People have been trying to find ways to do the “right thing on the emissions side of things” but there are costs both environmentally and financially to their approach, explained Mascarenhas.

“They create a whole bunch of water that’s contaminated with hydrocarbons, and they’ve still got some gas they’ve got to deal with,” she explained. “Everyone focuses on the gas and then forgets that if you’re trucking that water you’re spending a lot of money to truck it out to a disposal facility, which releases a whole bunch of greenhouse gas emissions, plus that water’s out of the ecosystem because you’re injecting it into the ground.”

Questor is looking at a different idea. Instead of flaring they incinerate and pick up the heat and using it to vapourize the water, resulting in numerous benefits. First, the cost of trucking water would be reduced and with it, wear and tear on transportation infrastructure, reductions in vehicle emissions and other costs currently accepted as part of the package.

And in this region, a more pressing advantage is that it frees up water that can then be used for fraccing which otherwise, would simply be pumped back into the ground, unusable.

“We’re in conversation with one of the large engineering companies up there…One of the things that everyone’s been struggling with is the fact that it’s (the water) got methanol in it, and how do you separate the methanol from the water. One of the ideas we think would have a lot of application there is to vapourize it and then condense the water and you’ve got clean water again.”

And then there’s the issue of the heat itself. Questor is also looking at ways to turn that into an opportunity as well.

“We see an opportunity to take this wasted gas that’s being flared, take the heat and either use it for heating buildings or heat tracing, or use it if you have enough energy to power that site so that you’re not pulling power off the grid,” explained Mascarenhas.

She also has other ideas that reach into the communities themselves. One such is to take the heat and send it into a greenhouse that could be used to grow food for the food bank. It is really about being better, more considerate neigbhours when you get right down to it. Flaring might be accepted as the way it’s always been done but that hasn’t made it any more popular with those that live with it.

Currently Questor has clients such as Devon, Spectra Energy, Encana, Shell, Talisman, Nexen, Exxon / Mobil, Shell, TransCanada Pipelines, Vacquero, and Dominion Exploration, to name only a few and has 100 units across BC and Alberta.

While the Company’s current client base is primarily in the oil and gas industry, this technology is applicable to other industries such as water and sewage treatment, landfills, tire recycling and agriculture.

“As we all look for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, working with wasted gas that’s being flared right now is a great opportunity to do that and a very cost effective way,” said Mascarenhas.

“When you look at how much gas is being flared not only in Canada but all over the world, it’s a big opportunity to not only be more energy efficient but to have an impact on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Ideas, like money or equipment, are assets.

If you get that one in a million idea, the next logical step is to determine if you need to protect your intellectual property (IP). IP is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which property rights are recognized. It is imagination made real and under IP law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. The most prevalent types of intellectual property include patents, trademarks and copyrights.

A patent is a legal document issued by the government that gives the holder proprietary rights for 20 years, and is granted for products or processes that are new, useful and not obvious. A patent also covers any new and useful improvement of an existing invention. Patent protection applies only within the country that issues the patent plus, when you file for protection in Canada, you have only 12 months to file for protection in other countries. But before you rush out and start applying, patents aren’t cheap (anywhere from $4,000 – $6,000 just for a Canadian patent) so you need to be sure that the potential financial benefits are worth the effort, cost and risk.

A trade-mark, on the other hand, promotes and identifies different brands or services and is registered with the government to protect the words, names, symbols, devices and images that you use to represent your product, goods or service. It’s all about standing out in the marketplace. When you register your trade-mark you receive the exclusive right to use the mark across Canada for 15 years and your registration is renewable every 15 years after that.

Copyright is different again. Canadian copyright law is governed by the Copyright Act, which protects original literary, artistic, musical and dramatic works. One very significant right granted to the copyright owner, is the exclusive right to reproduce the work, (or any substantial part of the work). Copyright comes into existence automatically, at the time the work is created, and, in most cases, continues until the end of the calendar year in which the author of the work dies – plus an additional period of 50 years.

There are some notable exceptions however. To put it simply, if someone invented an improved car tire that never went flat, they could patent the improved process. They could also trade-mark register the brand name of that invention, ‘The Tireless Tire’. Then they could copyright the instruction manual that they wrote to explain how to take care of a ‘Tireless Tire.

Like filing your tax return, you can go through the process of protecting your intellectual property on your own. There are numerous books on the subject and you can find guidelines and all the forms you need at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office’s website, www.cipo.ic.gc.ca.

However, you may decide to seek professional help. After all, just like hiring an accountant for your taxes, you can benefit from their expertise and insight in the field. Either way, remember the Centre for Research & Innovation is your first point of contact.

For more information on this article, or to contact The Centre for Research & Innovation call (780) 539-2807, toll free at 1-877-539-2808, email info@TheCRI.ca or visit our website at www.TheCRI.ca .

It’s a wide world and knowing exactly where things are is becoming a more integrated part of doing business.
While many people haven’t heard of geomatics, it nonetheless is likely to be a part of their lives. And for industry, it is a must.
Geomatics technology is relatively new but is advancing rapidly and one company has made it their mission to ensure that people who are trying to develop geomatics technology have the best chance possible.
“We do not develop technology but we enable and fund the development of technology,” explained Tecterra CEO Dr. Mohamed Abousalem.
“We have funding from the province of Alberta and the federal government to use those funds to stimulate the economy. Our objective is to create commercial activity with the money we have by encouraging and helping companies to bring technology out to market.”
In a nutshell, geomatics is the discipline of gathering and interpreting information that pertains to location and positioning. Applications that are location, positioning, navigation, mapping, remote sensing imagery based– all these are geomatics applications.
“It originally started with surveying…today people use satellites instead of the conventional surveying equipment. Satellites are used to provide accurate positioning, with a lot of advantages from an operational point of view,” said Abousalem.
There is no shortage of applications that impact industry, as Abousalem points out. Knowing where and how deep to drill, inertial navigation sensors such as pipeline pigs carry, navigation systems of all kinds, wildlife tracking devices, underwater positioning, and a host of other applications, some as yet undeveloped, are just a few examples.
“One of the first things in any project at any site is you see a lot of earth moving activity. Ground is being dug in one area and earth is being moved from one spot to the next, every minute of that equipment being used costs a lot of money because this is expensive equipment and time is money. It is important for them to know in the field, what to move, how much earth to move and where to move it to. GPS and laser technology are typically used together as a geomatics application to help operators of those (pieces of) equipment…to determine what they need to do in the field in real time and to the centimeter,” explained Abousalem.
And that really is just the start of it. But, that’s where Tecterra comes in. Geomatics is still a relatively new thing. The advent of satellite technology and the advancement of communications technologies have taken geomatics from its infancy to a rapidly advancing set of technological applications. However, not all companies with a good idea have the resources to take that idea to market.
Perhaps the most critical advancement impacting the ability to commercialize the applciations, said Abousalem, is the miniaturization of the technologies. This he added reduces expense and that’s important because the more inexpensive technology becomes, the more applications they can be deployed in.
“Lets talk forestry applications and imagery and taking pictures by airplanes if you will or fighting fires with aircraft. You can only put so much on an aircraft because it’s important how much that equipment weighs. So, again, with the miniaturization of technology that has become very useful now and very usable if you will,” he said.
Sometimes cost is the prohibitive factor in using technology in certain applications,” he added. Tecterra is offering a number of programs to help with this and other stumbling blocks.
“We work with university programs and research programs to help them push their technology out to market. They line up industry partners and we can fund their development to bring their technology to market. We will be launching programs to assist in the employment of highly qualified professionals in the field of geomatics, not only technical but also business,” said Abousalem.
One example of the business focus is the recently launched GEomatics Commercialization Kick-Off (GECKO) program. It will provide early-stage funding to geomatics entrepreneurs and researchers for the development of comprehensive business plans for the purpose of commercializing new geomatics technologies.  Grants of up to $25,000 per business plan project are available to qualified applicants. “The ultimate goal is generating wealth,” said Abousalem.
For more information about programs offered by Tecterra, their website at www.tecterra.com has a complete listing.

Alberta Advanced Education and Technology announced the second round of innovation voucher recipients in March of this year. Sixteen companies in the Peace Region received either $10,000 or $50,000 amounting to $320,000 in total.

“The foundation of our province’s next generation economy lies in new ideas, new companies and new industries,” Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology said when the awards were announced.
“It is in the early days that many promising small businesses struggle to get the resources they need to take them to the next level, which is where the Innovation Voucher Pilot Program can make a real difference.”
The Alberta Innovation Voucher Pilot Program through an approved, non-profit service providers such as the CRI (Centre for Research & Innovation), assists small businesses and entrepreneurs at the pre-commercial stage, where the majority of new businesses fail. Vouchers can be put towards up to 75 per cent of the cost of specialized services such as labs, fabrication centers or intellectual property managers.
Of the 16 Peace Region recipients, the majority are at the initial research and development stage. They have an amazing idea and now they need to develop a prototype to see if it’s functional. However, some recipients are ready for the marketplace or are poised to make that leap.
Bullet Solutions Inc. of Grande Prairie has developed a new and innovative sand line heater. This product is already being sold to the oil and gas industry. Bullet plans to utilize their $10,000 voucher for R&D on an expanded model line for greater marketability.
David Forseth of Cherry Point has developed an environmentally friendly, flameless, self-powered, hydronic heating system for the natural gas industry. His $10,000 voucher monies will be spent on certification; both CSA and Intrinsically Safe. However, even though he has this final hurtle to leap, Forseth is presently negotiating a lucrative partnership agreement.
Intel Energy Systems Ltd. of Grovedale, provides environmentally friendly power generation systems. They will be utilizing their $10,000 Innovation Voucher for final engineering and manufacturing prior to product launch.
Almost a quarter of this round’s recipients are at or near the point of commercialization. This means that as more innovations move into the marketplace and start to generate dollars for their inventors.
Across the province, 204 vouchers worth almost $6 million were awarded. Of these, 98 were awarded in Calgary, 70 in Edmonton, 16 in the Peace Region, seven in both Medicine Hat and Red Deer, and three in Lloydminster and Lethbridge. Considering the comparable sizes, the Peace Region appears to be out performing the rest of the province.

For more information on this article, or to contact The Centre for Research & Innovation call (780) 539-2807, toll free at 1-877-539-2808, email info@TheCRI.ca or visit our website at www.TheCRI.ca .