Ocean scientists are sleeping with smiles on their faces these days.

Christmas came early for ocean sciences as undersea programs from the Peninsula to the University of Victoria were federally funded June 24.

Gary Lunn, MP for Saanich and the Islands, started his afternoon that day alotting more than $2.8 million to repair, maintain and upgrade the Institute of Ocean Sciences in North Saanich. He made the announcement on behalf of Gail Shea, minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

“Our government recognizes the Institute of Ocean Sciences as crucial to ocean and fisheries science in Canada, and a major contributor to our local economy,” said Lunn. “Today, I’m pleased to announce funding that will enhance the efficiency of its operations, and bring economic stimulus to Sidney and British Columbia.”

IOS is the centre for research on the coastal waters of British Columbia, the Northeastern Pacific Ocean, the western Canadian Arctic and fresh waters extending from the West Coast of Canada east to the Alberta border. The institute also houses the Pacific Geoscience Centre of Natural Resources Canada, the main centre in western Canada for monitoring and research on earthquakes.

The funding is part of a $250 million commitment in Canada’s Economic Action Plan designed to accelerate investment over the next two years to modernize federal facilities across the country. As one of the job-creating investments being provided under Canada’s Economic Action Plan, funding includes $1.1 million in 2009-10 and $1.7 million in 2010-11 for building repairs and upgrades, including updating plumbing and electrical systems and improving insulation and heating systems, to support enhanced efficiency and operation of IOS.

While their working conditions improve, so will the technology and information the ocean scientists have to work with.

During his second visit in less than a week since the grand opening of the marine centre on the Sidney waterfront Lunn announced $1.16 million for two projects — one of them a robot.

Western Economic Diversification Canada offered up $800,000 to UVic’s Laboratory for Automation, Communication and Information Systems Research (LACIR) to acquire an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that will enable researchers, ocean technology companies and other marine industries to better see, hear and interpret information from the ocean floor.

“Today’s funding will help the Oceans Technology Test Bed acquire a highly specialized scientific instrumentation including an autonomous underwater vehicle, sidescan sonar and integrated acoustic system,” Lunn said.

The AUV will greatly aid data gathering for researchers at UVic’s OTL, explained Alison Proctor, a research engineer with the lab who was onsite to show off both the remote operating vehicle (ROV) and AUV. A standard ROV requires a surface ship with a pilot to control the vehicle, she said.

“They actually drive the vehicle remotely over the tether,” Proctor said. “[With the AUV] there’s no tether, there’s no pilot. We program it to complete a specific mission and we drop it off the side of the ship. It does the mission all by itself and then it comes back at the end and we download the data.”

They’re already well into research that will benefit greatly from the new underwater robot, projects that will become commercially viable.

“We’re building, right now, a subsea engineering laboratory that will enable development of technologies for underwater vehicles,” Proctor said. That’s just the beginning of a laundry list of items they can improve or create. An AUV can help assess fish stocks and monitor the marine environment, as well as help engineers develop better AUV technology for future use in scientific and industrial ocean exploration.

“Our prilmary mandate is to enable the development and demonstration and testing of new techonologies through this underwater system,” she said. “We can do all the testing and development that makes them ready for the market.”

The technology associated with the AUV will be installed in the Oceans Technology Test Bed in Saanich Inlet. The OTTB will be available to organizations to pursue technology commercialization, concept testing and demonstration and application development.

“The new acquisition will help UVic student research as well as generate income,” said Dr. Howard Brunt, vice-president of research. “The Ocean Technology Test Bed is a local research hub. It also provides a unique service, which is sought out by both Canadian and foreign companies. The addition of this AUV will increase this facility’s revenue potential. Revenue that is generated by the OTTB — especially revenue from foreign companies — will have a direct, positive impact on the local economy.”

“In conjunction with the Ocean Technology Test Bed that UVic is constructing in Saanich Inlet, the new AUV will provide many new valuable ocean-technology research opportunities at the University of Victoria,” added Dr. Colin Bradley, director of LACIR. “The test bed facility will be the first of its kind internationally and, when it is fully operational, will include some of the most advanced technology in the area.”

The third announcement of the day, and Lunn’s second at the marine centre in Sidney, saw funding for new leadership.

“The second investment of $360,000 will support the Ocean Network Canada Society bringing their new ideas and developments to market,” Lunn said. Created by the University of Victoria, Ocean Network Canada is a not-for-profit society aimed at building and sustaining Canada’s world leadership in ocean science and technology. This is achieved by creating commercial acceptance of a technologies and capabilities developed in support of the NEPTUNE Canada and VENUS cabled underwater observatories.”

NEPTUNE Canada and VENUS are ocean observatories — cabled underwater ocean laboratories that use innovative engineering, data communication and sensor technologies to gather continuous real-time data and images from the ocean depths.

“Basically what they’ve done here in the Saanich Inlet and off the coast of Vancouver Island they’ve created a fibreoptic cable system that anchored to the ocean floor, “ Lunn explained VENUS in simple terms. “They connect scientific instruments of all different kinds ... they’re able to take all of that data in real time and people have access on the internet.”

Specifically, the funding will support costs for a new senior business development officer for 27 months. So starting today [July, 1], Scott McLean takes on his new role as senior business development officer with Ocean Networks Canada. His new job comes courtesy of $360,000 from Western Economic Diversification Canada. ONC is best known for its work as the managers of the VENUS and NEPTUNE Canada cabled ocean observatories, which use innovative engineering, data communication and sensor technologies to gather continuous real-time data and images from the ocean depths. Added to $240,000 from ONC — the non-profit UVic society that is designed to help build and sustain Canada’s leadership role in ocean science and technology — it’ll cover the costs of McLean’s position, including support staff, operating costs, office set-up and equipment.

“We’re delighted to have someone of Scott’s expertise and experience join ONC to lead our new centre of excellence,” said Martin Taylor, ONC President and CEO.

McLean will direct the seven-person ONC Centre for Enterprise and Engagement, building on existing partnerships between observatory researchers and relevant Canadian and foreign organizations. ONCEE will help establish new spin-off companies when suitable industry partners can’t be found.

McLean comes to ONC from Halifax, where he served for eight years as chief technology officer and vice-president of research and development at Satlantic Incorporated, a marine high-tech company.

“I’m excited by the unique opportunity afforded by my new position to promote and support the commercialization and outreach potential of the VENUS and NEPTUNE Canada projects. Canada is currently leading the world in this new generation of ocean observing systems and we can build significantly on this competitive advantage,” said McLean.

reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com