The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) is investing $265,000 to establish a Western Arctic Office (WAO) for Geomatics in Inuvik. The Western Arctic Office will operate as a partnership between the Northwest Territories Centre for Geomatics and Aurora Research Institute. The WAO's mandate will be to develop remote sensing data processing capacity, and to provide remote sensing products to partners to further support their research and programs.
This funding is for two years. In the first year, activities will include: developing an implementation plan that includes stationing a person in Inuvik to coordinate the roll-out of the office with partners at the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility (ISSF). Second year activities include: installing the required infrastructure and data storage capacity to support WAO operations; initiating demonstration projects; delivering projects and imagery development projects to end users; and identifying partnership opportunities including graduate internships and staffing, amongst other activities.
The NWT Centre for Geomatics is experiencing increased demand for satellite imagery and related projects. An office in Inuvik will allow more responsive development and delivery of products and services for time-sensitive applications such as ice monitoring and spill detection in the Beaufort Delta region. The office will increase scientific capacity in the North and has the potential to create long-term high tech jobs. It also has the potential to support a broad range of priorities: Arctic security and sovereignty, infrastructure, economic development, and land and community monitoring.
Investment in this project is made possible through CanNor's Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development (SINED) program, which focuses on long-term economic growth, economic diversification and capacity-building across the North.
SINED is one of several economic development programs within CanNor. CanNor delivers on its exclusive northern mandate through funding programs, providing project management services, leveraging the federal role in the North, serving as a champion for northern interests, and undertaking policy and research.
