Backgrounder
September 30, 2008
BUILDING ONTARIO’S INNOVATION ECONOMY
Digital Media And Information And Communications Technologies
GREATER TORONTO AREA
University of Toronto
Dr. Sean Victor Hum
Advancing Ontario’s expertise in satellite and wireless networking technology
Provincial Funding: $101,504
Modern communications systems demand multi-function antennas, specifically ones with reconfigurable radiation patterns, which promise to enable seamless roaming between service providers, geographic areas and networks. Developing low-cost, high performance reconfigurable antennas is the goal of research being done by Dr. Sean Victor Hum at the University of Toronto. His work will improve the performance of communications systems used in satellites, terrestrial wireless networks and remote-sensing systems – and contribute to Ontario’s reputation for innovation in the information and communications technologies sector.
Dr. Matthew Roorda
Designing logistics practices to improve trucking efficiency
Provincial Funding: $100,000
Almost all consumer products and foodstuffs used in Ontario are shipped by truck at some point in the distribution chain. The ability to provide reliable and efficient time-sensitive service is critical to the industry’s continued success. Improving trucking efficiency is the focus of research being done by Dr. Matthew Roorda at the Centre for Urban Freight Analysis (CUFA) at the University of Toronto. Dr. Roorda and his team are gathering and analyzing real-time truck location and engine data from 20,000+ trucks in the GTA with the goals of improving logistics practices for trucking firms and traffic management for the Ministry of Transportation.
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Dr. Stefan Saroiu, Dr. Nick Koudas
Developing the next-generation of search and content delivery technologies for the Internet
Provincial funding: $194,366
Social information systems are systems that leverage online social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn.com. They are the fastest growing class of Internet information systems today. These systems have the potential to radically change the way in which people search and share information at all levels, including government, private and military sectors, by answering queries using information from a user's social or professional context. For example, when upgrading a product, a manufacturer could better determine what problems to fix by exchanging information with its community of users. Despite their potential, these social information systems are in their infancy. In a new Social Information Systems Laboratory at the University of Toronto Mississauga Drs. Stefan Saroiu and Nick Koudas are creating search and content delivery technologies for these systems – and in the process, helping to establish Ontario as a leader in the fast-developing social information systems technology.
Dr. Yashar Ganjali
Developing new networking systems to keep the Internet growing
Provincial funding: $120,000
The experimental evaluation and design of new communications network components is the focus of the new Advanced Pack Switch and Network Laboratory at the University of Toronto. Led by Dr. Yashar Ganjali, researchers will use a “networking experiment testbed” to evaluate new network components and suggested changes in a network. The goal is to determine effectiveness and show that any given change is harmless to the system before it’s deployed in the real network. The ultimate goal of this work is to create new networking systems that enable the continuous growth of the Internet as a unified, super-fast, reliable communications infrastructure. This research will help to keep Ontario at the forefront of communications technology.
Dr. Joyce Poon
Developing the next-generation of optoelectronic devices
Provincial funding: $199,916
Wherever light is used to transmit information tiny semiconductor devices are needed to transfer electrical current into optical signals and vice versa. These devices include light emitting diodes in TV screens and other appliances, photodetectors in digital cameras and laser diodes that transmit phone calls through glass fibers. Such optoelectronic devices take advantage of sophisticated interactions between electrons and light. Production of the next-generation of optoelectronic devices (micro/nano-scale optoelectronic devices) is the focus of research being conducted by Dr. Joyce Poon at a new Micro/Nano-Optoelectronic Devices Laboratory at the University of Toronto. Her work will lead to advancements in fibre optics communications, computation, and optical sensing and monitoring and keep Ontario at the forefront of optical science and photonic technologies
Dr. Sajeev John
Harnessing light to create super-fast computer processors
Provincial Funding: $200,000
Photonic crystals are artificially structured materials that trap light, guiding and controlling it in a manner more remarkable than the way electronic microchips process electricity—and with a speed that is unparalleled. At the University of Toronto Dr. Sajeev John is developing photonic crystal architectures for trapping, guiding and processing light. These “semiconductors of light” will have applications in optical telecommunications and information processing ultra-energy-efficient light sources, solar energy trapping and conversion, and high-intensity laser-light delivery through fibers for surgery
Dr. Brendan Frey
Making advances in image and video processing techniques
Provincial Funding: $174,921
An algorithm is a finite list of well-defined instructions for solving a complex mathematical problem. Many problems in engineering the science require development of new algorithms. Led by Dr. Brendan Frey, researchers at the University of Toronto are inventing and implementing a new generation of powerful information processing algorithms. They’ll use these algorithms to make major advances in image and video processing techniques, as well as scientific breakthroughs in the field of molecular biology. This work will help to keep Ontario –and Ontario information technology companies – competitive.
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