1. A Troy Media Publication
SPECIAL REPORT
Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse
Information Communications Technology
Simulation and game development
Web publishing management systems
ICT transforming the energy business
E-health innovation

3. Table of Contents
Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse
Publisher
Gary Slywchuk
Senior Editor
Doug Firby
Art Director
Sally Hewson
Sponsored by
Alberta ICT Council
About Troy Media Corporation
Photo: Chuck Szmurlo
Troy Media is dedicated to fostering
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and the world. In less than five years,
we have become a major and
respected supplier of high-quality
opinion, analyses and timely editorial
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Over the past 12 months, more than
800 media outlets have consistently
used our content. Our circulation for 4 Innovation key to meeting ICT challenges
2010 exceeded 530 million.
Our website has also demonstrated
6 Alberta’s tech sector has no beef with the oil industry
dramatic growth. Visits to the end of
September 2010 exceeded 550,000.
8 54,000 Albertans employed in technology
With our new design – featuring
an enhanced format, a raft of new
10 ICT in the economic driver’s seat
content including syndicated
columns and features that will
12 BlackLine GPS gives parents peace of mind
be marketed globally, and easy,
instantaneous navigation – page
14 Integrating ICT into health care saves money… and lives
views are averaging 10 pages per
visit, with visitors remaining on
16 Alberta companies create bleeding-edge mobile apps
the site an average of 8.6 minutes.
Troy Media distributes more than
18 Cleankeys’ Randy Marsden takes a Swype at texting
45 commentaries, articles and
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20 What we have here is a failure to communicate
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21 Wireless synching innovation frees users from shackles
and topics, written by authoritative of USB
and well-known writers and
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For more information about Troy the environment
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email us at info@troymedia.com 24 Three-time curling champ now has his head in the clouds
26 Canada third largest video game producer
28 Third-generation websites go far beyond earning money
30 We should stop trying to compete against China
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Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse 3

4. Innovation key to meeting
ICT challenges
By Patrick Binns edmonton, ab, troy media/ – Two companies transaction, or groups of transactions,
ExEcutivE DirEctor invest similar amounts of time and money to become readily available. Changing inefficient
AlbErtA ict council build their Information and Communications processes requires insight into both available
Technology (ICT) infrastructure and yet they computing devices and business knowledge.
may have completely different outcomes. Why Sadly, this is where the innovation process
the difference? often fails.
The key difference between the two
FoCuS on buSIneSS proCeSSeS
outcomes comes down to whether businesses
look beyond the basic infrastructure – the To get beyond mere “computer plumbing,”
“ICT plumbing” – and take a different attitude companies have to focus more on business
towards their ICT investment. processes than available technology.
ICT Plumbing refers to the workstations, This is where Alberta’s ICT sector shines:
networks, servers, data centres and portable we have companies involved in business value
computing devices – in other words, stuff. chains that build industry solutions based on
While these devices are critical to the integrated components, data resources and
processes that support our economy, they are advanced software. These systems address
less important than the innovation thinking productivity opportunities in economic
required to utilize these devices to their sectors, such as resource management,
maximum potential. advanced manufacturing, eHealth and
industrial systems.
ICT IS A Core CoMpeTenCy
System components are readily available;
Do you consider your ICT infrastructure the innovation challenge comes in integrating
as “a cost to your business” or as “an enabler them to solve complex real-world solutions
to your business?” If you view it as an enabler, that drive productivity – for example next-
then ICT is a core competency and is being generation processes to manage our wellness,
used to set you apart from your competitors. health, and chronic diseases. •
If it’s just a cost, then ICT purchases are being
treated much like buying pens, paper, and
Patrick Binns is the Executive Director of the
other office supplies.
Alberta ICT Council. The council works with
ICT-enabled innovation is responsible for companies and stakeholders in Alberta to promote,
process improvements because it eliminates develop, and distribute ICT-based products.
information barriers. Data to support the Contact: Patrick.Binns@AlbertaICT.ca
3D Interactive
(3DI) is a leading
developer of
interactive
simulation software
for industrial
training and design
visualization.
4 Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse Volume 1 Issue 1 • A Troy Media Publication

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6. Alberta’s tech sector has no
beef with the oil industry
calgary, ab, troy media/ –They don’t wear cowboy hats, spray crops or work on oilrigs. Yet
they contribute up to 15 per cent of the province’s gross domestic product. They’re techies, and
they’re the unsung heroes of Alberta’s economy.
The statistics are impressive: Alberta’s information communications technology (ICT) sector’s
direct economic impact exceeds $8 billion per year, and ICT companies are among the largest
spenders on industrial research and development, according to the Alberta ICT Council, a
not-for-profit advocacy group. Health care, education and government services are among the
countless industries benefiting from Alberta’s burgeoning tech sector.
Driving that growth are a handful of factors, including low provincial taxes, government
initiatives and an impressive talent pool.
While the presence of tech titans like Nortel once lured IT professionals to this prairie
province, Ranil Herath, president of DeVry University’s Calgary campus, points to smaller
outfits as being key contributors to Alberta’s economy. “These days, there are many small- to
medium-size tech firms that continue to thrive in the province of Alberta, and we’re seeing a
Delivering CT and MRI scans fair bit of innovation come out of them.”
and other critical data, MeDICAl IMAGInG
ResolutionMD Mobile by
Calgary Scientific allows One of those firms is Calgary Scientific, which has developed an iPhone and iPad app that
emergency personnel to provides round-the-clock, worldwide access to medical images on mobile devices. Dubbed
make life-saving decisions ResolutionMD Mobile, the life-saving software lets emergency personnel deliver to doctors CT
on the spot. and MRI scans and a range of other critical data that allow them to make decisions on the spot.
Not bad for a business with just 53 employees.
6 Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse Volume 1 Issue 1 • A Troy Media Publication

7. But profit parlayed into government
subsidies isn’t the only way tech-related
companies are piggybacking on Alberta’s
energy, agriculture and oil sectors.
“People don’t realize it, but the oil patch
is a very technical business,” Osing says.
“Calgary is one of the centres of the universe
for technology development as related to the
resource industry.”
That’s not to suggest that Alberta’s tech
sector doesn’t face major challenges. Although
the province still enjoys a relatively low tax
regime, the oil boom has driven up the price
of residential and commercial real estate.
According to a recent Royal LePage housing-
price survey, the average price of a two-storey
home has risen by 5.5 per cent, and prices for
detached bungalows have increased by 4.6 per
cent since 2009.
InSuFFICIenT venTure CApITAl
Another obstacle to the tech sector’s positive
impact on Alberta’s economy is poor access
to venture capital. While some provinces,
Ontario for example, have labour and
pension-sponsored funds, Osing says that “the
single biggest factor that we lack in Alberta
is a significant amount of venture capital or
institution capital to invest in early-stage
technologies here.”
Nemish agreed. “Compared to Eastern or
“People’s perception is that you can’t build CollAborATIve SpIrIT Western Canada, there isn’t really a strong
the kind of advanced technology that we’re venture-capital community for high-tech
A collaborative spirit has also greatly
building in Alberta,” says Byron Osing, CEO companies. Ninety per cent of business in
contributed to Alberta’s strengthening
of Calgary Scientific. “But my team stands in Alberta is focused on oil and gas, so venture
tech sector. “Alberta is still the most
front of the biggest, smartest companies in the capitalists see that as a much lower-risk
entrepreneurial province in the country,”
world all the time and blows them away.” investment than high tech. Besides, it’s much
Osing says. “We’re a Western-based province;
Long gone are the days of Alberta’s gold- easier to invest in businesses you understand
we’re not fed by government; you pull yourself
rush-driven work force, which spawned mass than ones you don’t.”
up by your own bootstraps, and you find a
influxes – and exoduses – of talent. “Once Business leaders have criticized the Alberta
way to make a go of it. To do that, you have
people move here, they find the lifestyle in government for picking favourites when
to depend on each other as entrepreneurs
Alberta is wonderful,” Osing says. “It’s a great allocating scarce funds. “The government
or private businessmen for access to a lot of
province to live in, and the personal taxes has to be careful not to be perceived as
resources that people in other provinces can
are a lot lower than many people are used to picking winners and losers (among high tech
access through government programs.”
paying in Ontario or British Columbia. Once companies),” Nemish says. “It’s a very fine
There’s no disputing that Alberta’s tech
technology-based talent comes here, it seldom line.”
sector has been overshadowed by the
leaves.” In the end though, sustaining Alberta’s
province’s much-ballyhooed beef and energy
Roman Nemish has seen similar ICT sector and its positive impact on the
industries. However, savvy business leaders
employment trends. Nemish is the president province’s economy may have as much to do
are tapping into the advantages of being so
of Tektelic Communications, a Calgary-based with innovation, talent and venture capital as
close to such lucrative industries.
company specializing in high-power and with gracefully embracing its second-string
“When the oil and gas companies were
high-efficiency radio solutions for wireless status. After all, says Herath, “the two main
doing really well, the government was able
networks. “It’s not difficult to attract people in areas Alberta is known for are beef and oil.
to see a meaningful profit, which it’s now
the telecom industry to Alberta,” he says.
using to make Alberta a stronger location for
And that’s not going to change.” •
investment,” Nemish says.
Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse 7

8. 54,000
calgary, ab, troy media/ –This summer, as the renowned Tutankhamun and the Golden
Age of the Pharaohs exhibit opened in the brand-new Discovery Times Square Exposition
in New York, an online video game set out to recruit secret agents aged eight to 12 to follow
Albertans
explorer Howard Carter’s trail all the way to the exhibit.
Seek Your Own Proof, an educational game that encourages children to research historical
events online and in nearby museums to solve puzzles and earn points, is one of the
employed
cornerstones of the Discovery Channel’s Discovery Kids website. It’s also one of the interesting
success stories of Alberta’s information and communication technologies sector. It was
developed by Edmonton’s Rocketfuel Productions, a joint venture between two Alberta ICT
in companies, Hotrocket and Redengine.
“Ten years ago, when I started Redengine, we focused on making software and providing
services and platforms for professional associations in Canada and U.S.,” says Tom Ogaranko,
technology the co-founder of Redengine, who also serves as chair of the Alberta ICT Council. “We wanted
to branch out, and we got together with Hotrocket and launched Rocketfuel to do the online
game, which is now being played by more than 10,000 kids, and which Discovery is building
into its broadcasting.”
54,000 AlberTAnS work In TeCHnoloGy
Ogaranko is one of 54,000 Albertans employed by about 4,300 companies that generate
$10 billion in revenues across the province. He is also a perpetual entrepreneur, having moved
on from Redengine and Rocketfuel in 2008 to found Kanata Health Solutions, a University of
Alberta spinoff company that is taking a wireless wearable patient-monitor patent developed by
the university and bringing the technology to market.
Clusters of research
and development
infrastructure
centre around the
University of Alberta
and the University
of Calgary.
Dr. Cooper Langford
8 Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse Volume 1 Issue 1 • A Troy Media Publication

9. Ogaranko’s story is emblematic of Alberta’s There are also small but significant the broader topic of innovation. He offers a
ICT sector, which is made up largely of small pockets of innovation in Medicine Hat, good explanation of what those offshoots may
and medium enterprises that dot an economic where the federally funded Canadian Centre look like.
landscape still dominated by resource extraction for Unmanned Vehicle Systems facilitates “Calgary is a knowledge-base centre,” he
and servicing the oil patch. research in unmanned vehicles near the says. “There is not much oil around here
As a large, sparsely populated province Canadian Forces Base in Suffield and in anymore, and not much gas, but Calgary is the
with abundant natural resources, it is no Lethbridge, where the Canadian Centre for place where you can put together the technical
surprise that Alberta’s ICT sector is mainly Behavioural Neuroscience at the University and managerial capacity for extractive
focused on geomatics, land management of Lethbridge attracts world-class researchers projects around Alberta, Canada and abroad.”
and environmental science, which allow like Dr. Bruce McNaughton who in 2008 won So you have ICT, managerial and financial
for more efficient use of land and resources, the $10-million Alberta Heritage Foundation services, and there is innovation in each area.
“What is interesting is that wireless services
and its Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
cousin have spun off from services in oil and
gas into its own cluster,” Langford adds.
Langford’s research points to trends in
Calgary and across the province, where the
presence of large market niches like the oil
and gas sector and the Alberta government -
as well as university research centres - provide
fertile ground for innovation.
“Certainly GPS is strong in Calgary, but that
is partly because the GPS group here at the
University of Calgary developed an explicit
strategy in developing a GPS industry,” says
Langford. “They did it by taking an activist
stance within an academic organization, the
U.S. Institute of Navigation. They encouraged
their students to publish papers, which talk
about Calgary-manufactured prototypes.
Their students were getting more best-paper
awards at these international meetings than
anyone, and the industry benefits.”
and wireless- and mobile-communication for Medical Research Polaris Award, the enCourAGInG A CulTure oF
technologies, which foster communication largest medical award in Canada. exCellenCe
across vast distances. Those two areas of Dr. McNaughton joined the CCBN from the
expertise are complemented by strong University of Arizona to lead a 10-year project Several e-services companies in Edmonton
e-services (especially e-health) and digital investigating electrical impulses and memory are focused on e-health, and there is also
media sectors. consolidation, and he is in good company. a growing gaming cluster, led by software
Just this summer, another CCBN researcher, developers Bioware, that has produced some
CAlGAry, eDMonTon HoST TeCH of the most recognizable video game titles on
Dr. Robert Sutherland, announced a major
CluSTerS the market, including Star Wars: Knights of
breakthrough in brain research, showing that
The ICT companies that either serve damaged adult brain cells can be regrown in the Old Republic.
or are spun out of the energy sector are mice, raising hopes that similar methods may “From a consumer point of view, anyone
clustered around Calgary, along with the be used to help treat diseases like Alzheimer’s who loves computer games knows that one of
wireless sector, which goes back to the days and Parkinson’s. the most productive companies in the world
when Nortel was a global powerhouse in In the meantime, Alberta’s more traditional is Bioware,” says Randy Goebel, professor
network technologies. Many of Alberta’s advantages in oil and gas continue to benefit of computing science at the University of
e-services, e-health and digital-media companies in the ICT sector. Alberta and the former CEO of the Alberta
companies are clustered around Edmonton. Informatics Circle of Research Excellence,
oIl AnD GAS oFFSHooTS which was established in October 1999 by the
Both cities provide a favourable climate
for innovation, with large, well-educated Dr. Cooper Langford, professor of government of Alberta.
populations and clusters of research chemistry at the University of Calgary and “But, do consumers notice that it’s an
and development infrastructure at the director of its Science, Technology and Alberta company?” asks Goebel. “The
University of Calgary and University of Society Program, has studied the origins and geography of where a product comes from is a
Alberta. structure of the Calgary wireless sector and nonissue for the customer. It just has to
be good.” •
Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse 9

10. ICT in the economic
driver’s seat
calgary, ab, troy media/ – Breaking new ground, forging creative links, and educating by
opening people’s minds to the beneficial wonders of cutting-edge technology is all in a day’s
work for Alberta’s ICT leaders.
Leslie Roberts, president of GoForth Institute, is a good example of one of those leaders.
Roberts is a leader in entrepreneurship, education and research and now ICT. She was the first
person in Canada to be awarded a PhD in entrepreneurship. GoForth is a private nationwide
institute dedicated to entrepreneurial education — the only one of its kind in Canada.
nATIonAl enTrepreneurSHIp eDuCATIon
“We’re doing something quite nontraditional in the education sector,” Roberts says. “We are
delivering the first national entrepreneurship education program for adults using a technology
program.” Market research uncovered a demand for adult education delivered in a way that
would suit working entrepreneurs.
“I was not intending to become a technology company, but I let the market drive us there.
“This is where I connected with the technology sector and with Calgary Technologies
Inc. (CTI) helped us identify and select a program that would respond to the needs of the
marketplace and protect our valuable content, streaming high-def video.”
Roberts says GoForth took the curriculum and “packetized” it, which condenses each of the
30 segments to a maximum of 20 minutes. The video lessons cost $295 per student for the full
10-hour course, and users can sign on and watch whenever it’s convenient.
“I had a background as a professor, and I really wanted to build something,” Roberts says.
“The technology arrived at the right time, allowing us to deliver entrepreneurship education
anywhere in the country. Having a tech partner makes it easy for us to stay at the forefront of
Web videos.”
Another pioneer to watch, says Roberts, is Calgary-based Worldplay, a leader in video-
compression technology, with whom she will be launching a new product that will lower the
barriers to transmitting educational information worldwide.
web 2.0 SeCurITy
Roberts believes ICT drives every aspect of the economy, and that includes protecting the
security of all high-tech applications.
Enter Wedge Networks Inc., a leader in Web 2.0 security for enterprises and service providers
worldwide.
Wedge Networks’ CEO Hongwen Zhang estimates there are about four million viruses
transmitted via the Internet, and he warns that they are becoming more aggressive with the
proliferation of Internet usage. “Because of our clear vision for a clean network, Wedge is taking
a leadership role,” he says.
Zhang has more than 18 years of high-tech experience and notes that Wedge offers a security
solution “that is revolutionary in the sense that it offers great cost savings and simplifies day-to-
day management.”
Endorsements for Wedge Networks’ products come from such industry principals as Wmode,
a global leader in content management for mobile networks, and media companies.
Leslie Roberts,
president of
GoForth Institute
10 Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse Volume 1 Issue 1 • A Troy Media Publication

11. Describing the Internet today as “the
nervous system of the human race,” Zhang
also sees significance in promoting and
sponsoring partnerships. “We try to foster
an ecosystem where we can bring value to
society,” he says.
noT-For-proFIT ICT SHIFTInG
FoCuS
One of the beneficiaries of that sponsorship
is TRLabs, Canada’s largest information
and communications technology R&D
consortium.
Under the stewardship of CEO Robert
Tasker, TRLabs is bringing technologies
to market that used to be limited in use
to applied research. After 23 years in the
ICT private sector, Tasker recognizes the
challenges ahead, as did the board of TRLabs,
which realized a new mindset was required to
“lead the way to commercializing technology.”
When Tasker first joined the innovation
sector he admits to making a simplistic
judgment: “It’s a very fragmented ecosystem,”
with a number of players like TRLabs, but
little collaboration. “I see a huge opportunity
for TRLabs to take a leadership role in
partnerships, rather than competing for not-
for-profit dollars from government.”
Alberta Innovates is a prime example
of successfully consolidating high-tech
organizations, Tasker says. He believes
Robert Tasker, CEO, TRLabs
that Alberta Innovates CEO Gary believer in Europe’s approach to education,
Albach “understands and recognizes the where he grew up with “engineering as applied
fragmentation problem and hopes to create science.”
one technology-industry association with a In the U.K., he says, most professors
more consistent voice.” practice their specialties. “In Canada, super
Hongwen Zhang, Another problem Tasker is addressing is smart people get educated but never practice. I
CEO, the lack of venture capital available for small want to make what we’re doing more practical
Wedge Networks businesses. “Canada is attractive to investors, so industry sees the benefits. What’s changing
so we must help coach SMBs to find what the ICT sector is the legacy of what telecom
venture capitalists want and what they must and other providers can do for business and
do to attract them.” The Alberta ICT Council consumers.”
is heavily involved in this initiative globally, But Gedeon says the ICT community must
Tasker says. pull together more. For its part, his company
sponsors the Telus Innovation Award, “of
TIMe To puT TeACHInG InTo
which 30 per cent goes to communicating
prACTICe
innovative ideas.”
Ibrahim Gedeon, Prior to joining TRLabs, Tasker spent Looking ahead, Gedeon is intent on turning
Chief Technology 10 years as an executive with Telus, where engineering into applied science. He sees it as
Officer, Telus Ibrahim Gedeon is chief technology officer. a moral responsibility because it can do the
Internationally educated, Gedeon is a great most good on a global scale. •
Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse 11

12. blackline GpS gives
parents peace of mind
calgary, ab, troy media/ – Parents are understandably nervous when their teenagers are
learning to drive. It’s hard not to think of all the things that can go wrong when your 16 year old
is disappearing down the street behind the wheel of the family sedan.
But now an Alberta-developed technology can bring those parents peace of mind.
Alberta’s BlackLine GPS has received wide acclaim for its “teen safety GPS system,” delivered
by its Entourage CIS product. It allows parents of teen drivers to monitor and “improve
the driving behaviour of their teens” using special report cards, explains Clark Swanson,
BlackLine’s president and CEO. These report cards are “based on parameters set by the parents,”
who set times they expect their teens to be attending school and driving speeds they consider
acceptable, he says.
It’s just one of hundreds of services and products developed in Alberta that are improving the
lives of consumers every day. And the Alberta ICT Council is working hard to make it easier for
the companies behind these products to reach the public.
The council, a not-for-profit agency that represents Alberta’s ICT sector, seeks greater visibility
for an industry that sometimes “gets lost” in the mix, according to Patrick Binns, the council’s
executive director. He says the council’s mission is to “create a brand for Alberta’s ICT sector,”
and help all parties better understand the value of collaborating as part of a larger “ecosystem”
for technology products and services.
Dr. Pierre Boulanger,
Adjunct Professor,
TRLabs in his virtual
reality lab.
Photos: Courtesy of TRlabs
12 Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse Volume 1 Issue 1 • A Troy Media Publication

13. and chair of Alberta’s ICT Council, one of
the council’s main goals is to “promote how
information and communication technologies
such as broadband, wireless and digital
Leo Yeung, TRLabs
media can improve the delivery of services
in such areas as water-quality management,
Photos: Courtesy of TRlabs
environmental monitoring, health care and
learning.”
TeleHeAlTH pIoneerS
Ogaranko says “Alberta has been a pioneer
in telehealth networks,” with significant
e-health efforts under way “at universities and
in the IT sector.” For example, the University
of Alberta, in concert with Seiko and Sony,
has developed a wearable physiological
monitoring system, which takes a person’s
“Alberta’s ICT Council is focused on five consortium. TRLabs fosters “innovation pulse and blood-glucose level and sends that
initiatives – sector awareness, sector alignment, across multiple industry sectors, and information back to a clinic.
access to capital, access to markets, and access innovation for the ICT industry in Alberta,” SuperNet, a high-speed broadband network
to skills,” says Binns. “Those initiatives support he says. The organization works with operated by Internet provider Axia (www.
technology commercialization of ICT products universities to fund students and professors, axia.com), has “made a profound difference”
and services that impact our economy. In this and bridge the gap between industry and in people’s lives in Alberta, “allowing them
capacity, the council promotes ICT developers, education. to communicate much better,” according
such as companies developing digital media; As a “broker and technical adviser,” to Randy Goebel, vice-president of Alberta
ICT distributors such as telcos, digital TRLabs plays a role in developing e-health Innovates Technology Futures. The network’s
networks, and resellers; and ICT markets.” solutions to alleviate the high costs of health goal is to eliminate the digital divide between
Binns believes the council has been effective care, which are driven by “a large aging rural and urban Albertans by making Internet
in bringing together industry leaders with population” and a greater incidence of service affordable to all Albertans, regardless
other ICT groups and increasing awareness chronic diseases. TRLabs uses technology of their location or income.
of Alberta’s ICT strength. In addition, the to improve delivery of health care through SuperNet delivers to formerly unserved
council has played a key role in helping bring “remote health-care monitoring, telehealth, areas, says Drew McNaughton, chief
new technologies to market, and creating and self-diagnosis tools,” Tasker says. technology officer at Axia. In fact, SuperNet
a better understanding among small and is often “the main network provider in rural
MAnAGInG your own HeAlTH CAre
mid-sized businesses about the value of Alberta,” Ogaranko adds. Through Axia’s
implementing new technologies in their TRLabs aims to develop products that allow NGN solution, which “underpins SuperNet,”
businesses. “consumers to take greater ownership of their Alberta’s global-interconnect grid connects
One way to get your product noticed is to health care,” and “bridge the gap between 429 communities.
help resolve an international incident. Blackline traditional health-care providers and self-
SuperneT DelIverS
GPS attracted media attention this year with managed health care.”
its Harpoon product. When a yacht was stolen TRLabs also supports initiatives to improve SuperNet’s education opportunities
from its Florida marina, the vessel’s Harpoon the efficiency of transportation services include delivery of specialized courses in
GPS-based security system alerted the captain, using new technologies, such as RFID (radio such areas as math and physics to students
who was then able to alert the U.S. Coast guard. frequency identification) and GPS (global in remote areas, access to more than 400
Aircraft and coast guard cutters pursued the positioning systems). To cite one practical online courses offered by eCampus Alberta’s
vessel, which headed for Cuba where Cuban application, it is helping the City of Calgary 15 post-secondary institutions, and access to
authorities intercepted it. The suspected explore the use of RFID and GPS to predict welding and electrician apprenticeships via
smugglers are now in Cuban custody. the arrival time of buses and trains, and videoconferencing by the Northern Alberta
In another effort to improve consumer determine which technology works best. Institute of Technology
security, BlackLine introduced in Canada The organization also helped with a project That’s for starters. Exciting bleeding-edge
the “Entourage PS, a portable product that called eScan for the province of Alberta, breakthroughs are going on behind closed
delivers similar features to the Entourage which involved interviewing leaders on the doors 24-7 throughout Alberta’s rapidly
CIS,” but, unlike that product, “is armed directions new digital technologies are taking, expanding tech sector. In the past, California’s
manually or via a BlackBerry or iPhone,” and their potential impact on Alberta life. famed Silicon Valley captured all the ink for
Swanson says. According to Tom Ogaranko, president innovative technology. It’s only a matter of
Robert Tasker is president and CEO of of Kanata Health Solutions, a developer of time before Alberta overtakes it as a creative-
TRLabs, a nonprofit telecom- and IT-research personal health-care monitoring solutions technology Mecca. •
Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse 13

14. Integrating ICT into health care
saves money… and lives
bellevue, ab, feb. 27, 2011/ troy media/ –
Four years ago, when pharmacist Darsey
Milford decided to open her own dispensary,
she scrambled to outfit her business with the
latest technology.
She had read all about the electronic health
network in Alberta, and “how it was up and
coming.”
“I was in a bit of a panic to get ourselves
connected. I felt like we were behind the eight
ball,” says the owner of Turtle Mountain
Pharmacy in the small southern Alberta
community of Bellevue.
When the business finally opened its doors
in 2007, Milford was stunned to learn she
wasn’t behind the curve; she was leading
it. Hers was actually the first independent
pharmacy to migrate to the Alberta Netcare
Portal, a province-wide program that provides
instant access to medical information like lab
reports and diagnostic imaging.
And after seeing how it has transformed her
business, her industry and the lives of patients,
Milford says she’s surprised it hasn’t been
more widely implemented across Canada: “It
enhances what we do so much.”
CloSInG THe proDuCTIvITy GAp
Health care is just one Canadian sector
where there are huge opportunities to
enhance productivity by using information,
communications and digital technology, the
prescription for a prosperous economic future.
Once an ICT leader, Canada has fallen
behind the United States – its main
competitor and trading partner – in
technological innovation.
Studies show that, size for size and sector
for sector, a firm in Canada invests only
62 per cent per employee in technology as a
comparable firm in the U.S.
“That’s a huge gap,” says Bernard Courtois,
president and chief executive of Information
Technology Association of Canada (ITAC).
“That’s causing a prosperity gap and
concern for our future, our competitiveness
Alberta Netcare Portal is a province-wide program that provides instant access to
medical information
14 Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse Volume 1 Issue 1 • A Troy Media Publication

15. freeing up more time to spend with patients.
It’s made her practice extraordinarily efficient.
Everything from appointment scheduling
and email reminders, to billing to
communicating with other physicians is done
digitally, saving both time and money.
“There are no bodies pushing paper
around,” says Goldade. “We used to get 400
pieces of paper a week,” referring to the mass
of medical information flowing in from
hospitals, labs and other doctors’ offices that
necessitated an employee for filing.
The efficiencies created in her office not only
boost her bottom line, but benefit the broader
health system.
Alberta has led the drive toward e-health
and has spent $674 million on the plan since
1999. The province will pump another $108
million into it over the next three years. The
final bill is expected to reach about $1.4 billion
by the time the project is fully implemented.
An electronic medical record means less time is wasted on paper work. Innovation doesn’t come cheap
With health expenditures in Canada
expected to increase by 30 per cent in the next
few years, ICT has a critical role in finding
in the future and prosperity. Most of the what that would mean, not just in terms of our
new ways to boost productivity.
productivity in today’s economy comes from prosperity, but in terms of our being able to
“E-health offers new opportunities for new
the digital economy.” pay for our social programs like health care.”
optimized processes, reduced administration,
The challenge Canada faces is to get
TeCHnoloGy MAkeS MeDICIne patient-centric care and patient-directed
companies to aggressively use technology
MobIle care,” says Patrick Binns, president of Abinsi
to grow their businesses and make them
Solutions Group, an innovative Alberta-based
competitive, Courtois says. Like pharmacist Darsey Milford, whose
consulting firm that helps organizations grow
iPad makes her office mobile, Dr. Roxanne
THe exAMpleS Are nuMerouS. within their areas of business.
Goldade has seen technology transform
Binns, also the executive director of Alberta
For starters, ICT can be used to automate her practice. Her laptop and iPhone are
ICT Council, says electronic medical record
a small-or-medium-size business’s supply critical tools in her work as a pediatrician, as
systems also result in less duplication of
chain or how it deals with customers. Sales important as her stethoscope.
treatments, which is better for both patients
teams can be equipped with technology While most doctor’s offices or clinics have a
and the overall health system, which is primed
that allows them to address customer needs packed waiting room at any given hour, there
for a radical technological overhaul.
and e-commerce can provide access to new, are never usually more than one or two seats
“There are huge and gross inefficiencies in
untapped markets. occupied in the tidy southwest clinic Goldade
the health system because of processes that are
There are myriad ways technology creates shares with another physician.
50 and 100 years old,” Binns says.
efficiencies, whether it’s software that allows Goldade packs her laptop from one patient
As Milford and Goldade point out,
paperless customer billing or inventory waiting room to the next, typing in symptoms
integrating ICT into a business can save “a lot
tracking systems that reduce waste. and answers to questions as they are offered
of money.” But in health care, it can also be a
It’s not always about the plumbing - the instead of scribbling indecipherable notes into
hardware and computer systems – it’s a chart hours after a patient’s visit.
matter of life or death.•
about how to use information within the It isn’t just about efficiency; an electronic
organization; using online tools to manage record also makes charts more readable to
relationships internally and externally. other doctors, a profession is often mocked for
“One of the biggest challenges… for Canada its poor handwriting skills.
is that we have a productivity gap with the “It’s not a joke. Doctors still have terrible
U.S.,” Courtois says and Canada could grow handwriting,” says Goldade, pointing out
its economy by 20 per cent if the productivity the potential for medical mistakes because of
gap was addressed, especially in lagging illegible prescriptions or charts.
sectors such as manufacturing, construction, An electronic medical record also means
energy and agriculture, he says. “Imagine Goldade wastes less time pushing paper,
Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse 15

16. Alberta companies
create bleeding-edge
mobile apps
calgary, ab, feb. 25, 2011/ troy media/ -
Michael Sikorsky was once called an “Internet
revolutionary” by Profit Magazine and a
“CEO to watch” by CNN Money. So when
the 38-year-old Calgary programmer speaks
about the future of mobile applications, people
pay attention.
And like others in the industry, the co-
founder (along with his wife Camille) of
Robots & Pencils, sees the smartphone
applications, known simply as apps, about to
explode at a pace unlike anything previously
seen in the world of cyberspace.
The rate of adoption is about two or three
times faster than the rate at of the desktop,
Sikorsky says. “The trend is crazy, it’s
unbelievably fast. Faster than when Netscape
took off.”
The reason is simple - today’s cellphones,
combined with the rapidly increasing number
of apps available, is like having a laptop in
your pocket.
“And it’s not kids, it’s all of us, the entire
world is going mobile,” says Jim Barr, founder
of Snowseekers, a multi-media company
providing education and information about
where to find snow fun in Western Canada.
“We’re looking at statistics suggesting that,
by 2014, there will be more of us in North
America accessing the Internet via mobile
than there will be via desktop,” says Barr.
“We’re at the same point now in terms of
technological advances as we were when the
Internet got launched.”
While most of today’s apps are
entertainment-based, that is about to change
as companies recognize the potential to
market their products at home and abroad.
And Alberta companies are caught up in the
explosion.
Edmonton’s Victor Rubba, owner of Fluik
Entertainment, says his company is working
with a spa manufacturer to build an app that
will allow users “to use your smartphone to
control your spa from anywhere.”
16 Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse Volume 1 Issue 1 • A Troy Media Publication

17. There are apps providing immediate
information on local hotspots, along with
directions to find them; others allow people
to keep in touch with friends in real time, and
companies to track time devoted to clients.
The last, says John Carpenter, chief
technical officer at Calgary’s Mob4Hire, a
service that tests and reviews new apps, “is
critical information. It allows (an independent
Find snow fun with contractor) to assign a call to a client as soon
SnowSeekers as you hang up, making it billable.”
DevelopMenT IS expenSIve
Sikorsky says because it is hard to produce
a well-developed app for less than $50,000,
companies are continually looking for ways to
recoup their costs.
Last year, Snowseekers experimented with
a paid app - for $1.99 clients can purchase
a “chapter” on local ski areas that provided
information ranging from snow conditions
to hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and other
activities available. They sold about 7,000
chapters, nowhere near enough to cover
development costs. (Snowseekers has since
updated and improved its app.)
But Visa is experimenting with embedding
credit cards into phones, allowing users to
purchase products through their apps on their
Trip Tik app provides Visa account. That could open up huge new
maps and directions revenue streams for companies.
The Wall Street Journal says global revenue
from mobile apps could increase from $4.1
billion last year to $17.5 billion by 2012.
“You could also use it for control of media through GPS technology,” says Frank Fotia, Barr says one of the huge advantages of
in your house. It can be a remote control vice-president of insurance, automotive, and mobile apps, for both clients and companies,
for your TV, use it for home automation, corporate affairs for CAA. is that ”opposed to a static piece of media,
download apps to control your security Fluik Entertainment is working on an this is one that’s living and breathing and can
system from your phone.” app to allow mortgage brokers and agents be fed content on a regular basis . . . so for
to fill out forms on their iPads, and recently the user the experience is increased tenfold
MobIle App THAT STArTS AnD because they have everything they need
developed one for Grower Direct to improve
MonITorS CArS right on their hip. You’re never going to leave
service for their customers.
Another app, developed by Edmonton- That app will allow customers to order home without your phone.”
based Certified Tracking Solutions, will allow their flowers through their phones, access Sikorsky, whose company slogan is “we
motorists to use their iPad or Blackberry to the company’s 300 pages of information and love to make things for the iPhone, web and
remote-start and monitor their vehicles from hook into the messaging database to allow desktop,” suggested that apps will be “way
any distance - even another country - as long Grower Direct to send text messages alerting bigger than the Internet,” perhaps leading to
as there’s wireless coverage. customers of upcoming holidays. the end of laptops in companies. He says that
The Canadian Automobile Association’s Health and fitness apps are becoming more he can only imagine where the future will take
Trip Tik app provides maps and directions, competitive and advanced in the ever-growing us.
listings of approved hotels, routes to addresses, genre for mobile devices. There are apps to “You would need a crystal ball,” Sikorsky
and its Roadside app allows the CAA to find provide a comprehensive study of a user’s says. “But you just know it’s going to be huge.
your vehicle and send help. workout, monitor his or her weight, heart rate When I look at what people are asking us to
“By simply tapping open our app on your and calories burned, map out runs and bike do, and what we’re building, I can tell that
iPhone screen and clicking the “request for rides, calculate body mass index or track and 2011 is going to be a turn-around year for
assistance” button, we will quickly receive analyze sleep patterns, all while auto tweeting businesses.” •
your request for service and your location and updating Facebook.
Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse 17

18. “Dentists, hospitals, labs – they all need a
sterile environment,” he says. “I did not know
this when we first began, but it turns out that
the keyboard is often the most contaminated
surface in the hospital. You would think
toilets, or doorknobs, but those get cleaned
more often than the keyboard or mouse.”
The Cleankeys keyboard solves the germ
problem by removing the mechanical keys. Its
glass or acrylic surface is flat, and its touch-
capacitive technology senses keystrokes just
like a touch screen on a mobile phone or a
bank machine.
TypInG wHIle TAkInG A bATH
Cleankeys’ randy Marsden
Unlike other touch-screen keyboards,
however, the Cleankeys model can sense when
a user is resting their fingers instead of typing.
takes a Swype at texting
This provides a normal keyboard on a surface
that can be cleaned like any countertop to
minimize the risk of infection.
Although it was developed with medical
professionals in mind, the Cleankeys
edmonton, ab, troy media/ – Muhammad Ali Marsden’s current project, the Cleankeys keyboard has drawn interest far beyond the
once boasted that he was so fast that when he keyboard, is in the nascent field of hygienic hygienic computing field and the company
turned off the light switch in his hotel room, computing and has the potential to help may begin to license its innovations for
he was in bed before the room was dark. hospitals and clinics worldwide fight personal computing.
Cleankeys Inc. CEO Randy Marsden’s infections. “We’ve had a number of inquiries, but one
boasts are a little more modest. “The ‘Eureka!’ moment came when a dentist of the more bizarre ones was with a company
“I invented the world’s fastest way to enter bought a camera for people who cannot use in the U.K. that wants to make some sort of
text on screen,” he says about Swype, a text their hands,” says Marsden. “I got hold of an entertainment solution for people taking
input system that he co-developed around the him, and asked, ‘Why are you buying this?’ a bath,” says Marsden. “Apparently there are
idea that people could write by sliding a finger By asking that question, I learned about this quite a few people soaking in tubs who want
across a touch screen keyboard. “We broke world of infection control.” to be able to type.” •
the Guinness World Record for texting speed
twice this year!”
Impressive? Certainly, but when looking
at Marsden’s two decades as an innovator,
Swype almost looks like a diversion, at least in
terms of the impact on the quality of life of his
customers.
GerM-Free keyboArD
Ever since he developed a communication
device for a quadriplegic friend when he was
a student at the University of Alberta in 1987,
Marsden has been a pioneer in the field of
assistive technology. His innovations have
helped millions worldwide.
18 Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse Volume 1 Issue 1 • A Troy Media Publication

20. what we have here is a failure to
communicate
By Patrick Binns edmonton, ab, troy media/ – We have TV channel of interest). Despite the many
ExEcutivE DirEctor many more ways to communicate than we options available, people tend to pick the
AlbErtA ict council did 150 years ago and that is increasingly wrong communication channel. How many
becoming a problem. times of you heard of someone breaking off a
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to relationship via Facebook?
even confirm receipt of a message or to These new sets of commonly-used
gain the attention of the recipient. Email, communication channels are beyond the
previously a trusted channel, cannot be relied control of corporate IT groups, which is
on because of spam blocking devices that creating significant problems as users expect
consume messages without responding to the these tools to work reliability within their
originator. corporate networks. More importantly,
Now add in the fact that many people have controlling confidential materials and meeting
multiple email accounts, and the problem legislated records retention requirements is
becomes even more dire. Which do you use? becoming increasingly complex.
And which is for business and which for Corporations are also challenged by the
pleasure? What happens when the person gets personal use of external communication
a new job or moves to a new Internet service technologies (YouTube, Skype, and others)
provider? which are consuming valuable network
resources. Their uncontrolled use reduces
productivity and increases corporate network
costs.
TIMe To lIMIT CoMMunICATIon
CHAnnelS
Effective communications is one of the
most important skills to have in today’s world.
The number of communication events grows
geometrically as the size of the team increases.
We can avoid miscommunication by
limiting the channels we use, defining
preferred inbound channels and selecting
channels preferred by the message recipient.
THe CoSTS oF new Don’t over-communicate. And use network
CoMMunICATIon ToolS infrastructure responsibly by not loading it
It’s a much more complex time than the with high-definition video content. •
1800s, when people communicated by word
of mouth, letter, printed books, and social
gatherings. By the 1950s, technology gave us
the telephone, audio recordings, billboards,
movies and TV. Compare that relatively
advanced time now, with e-mail, the Internet,
SMS texting, RSS, Facebook, Twitter, web- Patrick Binns is the Executive Director of the
conferencing and 500+ TV channels. Alberta ICT Council. The council works with
There is a cost to this plethora of channels companies and stakeholders in Alberta to promote,
in terms of communications risk and lost develop, and distribute ICT-based products.
Contact: Patrick.Binns@AlbertaICT.ca
productivity (having to check all your e-mail
accounts, phone messages, and finding the
20 Alberta’s ICT Powerhouse Volume 1 Issue 1 • A Troy Media Publication