Innovating the Future with Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster
When the Government of Canada pledged $950 million toward economic innovation last year, businesses and institutions across the country came together and pitched their strategies. In February, five superclusters were selected for funding, one of which was BC’s Digital Technology Supercluster.
The goal: to accelerate tech growth in natural resources, precision health, and industrial sectors.
“This is about Canada being an exporter of innovations.” – Norma Biln, Augurex
At the Digital Technology Supercluster Forum in Vancouver yesterday, Sue Paish, CEO, shared her vision for the world to view Canada as a centre for digital transformation. And more than benefiting Canada, this collaboration-focused initiative has the potential to enact positive changes globally. Let’s look at what the goals and challenges are and why we at Safe Software are so excited to see where this leads.
Where will BC’s Supercluster take us?
Areas of focus for the Digital Technology Supercluster are on rising technology trends:
- Data visualization, including X Reality, mapping, and simulation/modelling.
- Data analysis, including cloud, supercomputing, quantum computing, AI and machine learning. – because “Less than 0.5% of data is ever analyzed.” (x)
- Data collection, including IoT, connectivity, and data repositories.
The proposed projects are awe-inspiring, from building a digital twin of the earth to enabling X Reality for manufacturing to building a platform for advanced cancer treatments. (See all thirteen projects currently under consideration on page 9.)
At yesterday’s forum, which was focused on Precision Health, the united vision was to improve patients’ lives and revolutionize healthcare through integrated, accessible health data. Maryam Sadeghi of MetaOptima talked about the importance of reducing manual effort and error-prone subjective processes. Fiona Dalton of Providence shared her vision that placed equal emphasis on science and compassion, combining complex technology and human connection to tailor treatment plans to each individual patient.
The Role of a Data Integration Platform
Safe Software is one of 200 associate companies, and we’re excited to be supporting this technology initiative. It’s inspiring to think what will happen when Canada’s top minds collaborate on technological advancements. We’re all part of the same goal to change the world through disruptive innovation.
A word that continually arises when discussing the Digital Technology Supercluster is integration. Looking at the goals and challenges ahead, it’s clear that a key piece of these projects will be a data integration strategy. Connecting disparate sources, synchronizing systems, sharing data, automating processes—this is all essential to accelerating digital technology. Of course, this is what FME does best. We look forward to seeing what projects arise over the coming months and years, and where FME can help all that data flow.
The Importance of Data
The first step to the success of the Digital Technology Supercluster is to have its supporting companies and institutions on the same page. Together, we are here to grow the economy, to accelerate technology, and to make a global impact.
If there’s one solid indication that Safe Software is on board with the vision of the Digital Technology Supercluster, it’s on the first page of the Executive Summary:
“If the prize resource of the 20th century was oil, the prize resource of the 21st century is data.”
Yes, ye who attended the FME UC: that is the “data is the new oil” metaphor Safe Software co-founders Don and Dale discussed during the keynote. As Don and Dale said, FME is the pipe that gets the “oil” to the refinery and to all of the systems that use it. Data is valuable, it’s abundant, and it’s in demand—and through this initiative, it’s time to harness its power to change the world.
