MONTAGUE — High speed internet is now available in every nook and cranny of Prince Edward Island and six new rural information technology projects should see some benefits.
The announcement was made here Tuesday on the town waterfront following the provincial cabinet and Premier Robert Ghiz meeting in the new Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development building. The group lunched at Windows on the Water and then toured the new regional high school set to open next week.
"We've got some very interesting projects that have been approved including one that will help fishermen record this lobster catches, for example, right onto an Iphone so they can keep computerized records,'' said Fisheries Minister Neil Leclair during the announcement.
According to Innovation and Advanced Learning Minister Alan Campbell, Innovation P.E.I. and Bell Aliant will offer support worth $331,000 to six rural information technology projects through the Rural Broadband Fund.
"We have committed this government to developing Information Technology and to using this technology to help support development in all areas of this province," said Campbell.
Premier Robert Ghiz said the announcement was another step towards the commitment on turning the province into one linked community.
Bruce Howatt, vice president of Bell Aliant said the company will continue to enhance and expand broadband throughout the province but that every Islander should be able to connect wherever they live.
The Rural Broadband Fund was launched in December, 2009 with the mandate to stimulate P.E.I.'s rural economy through the use of the Island-wide broadband network.
The next call for applications to the Rural Broadband Fund is expected to be released in the summer of 2011. Three more rounds of funding are expected in order to fulfill the province's commitment of $1 million over five years.
Approved projects:
• Thinking Big Information Technology Inc., a Charlottetown company is partnering with the P.E.I Seafood Processors Association to create a lobster tracking system using smart-phone technology. The lobster tracking can be done by fishermen and the buyers to ensure traceback in the marketplace.
• Gorman Controls Inc., a South Melville based company, will develop a storage controller aimed at the agricultural industry for monitoring environmental factors in storage facilities.
• UPEI, in collaboration with local cultural sites across West Prince, will use the open source Islandora software to develop a multimedia community archive portal containing a wealth of historical and cultural data on the region. The project will also develop an iPad version of the portal.
• SiteValet is an innovative, web-based tool for inns and B&Bs to easily build and manage better websites for their business. With proceeds from the Rural Broadband Fund, SiteValet will offer a series of special offers and programs to help more of Prince Edward Island's rural tourism operators improve their websites and their overall web presence.
• The IT faculty at Holland College will develop an interactive telepresent education program, enabling rural Islanders to access distance training in IT. The enriched telepresence in this project will provide added value to media-rich learning environments, while pioneering innovation in distance learning for rural Islanders.
• P.E.I. Monitoring Inc. will make an Island-based ULC certified monitoring centre available to any security company and will provide a wide variety of security services such as cameras, home security and remote data storage services. Island-based security companies requiring ULC certification currently outsource their monitoring services off-Island.
