Month: August 2018

We all know the saying that “there’s an app for everything”, and in today’s world, this couldn’t be more true. Apps are replacing some of the more traditional industries, such as PayPal taking the place of banks in some situations, iTunes taking over the place of CDs and records in music, and online news subscriptions have caused a massive drop in the news industry. However, one of the biggest and most burgeoning industries on the app world is the dating industry, with top apps such as Tinder not only getting hundreds of millions of downloads, but even working their way into our daily lives such as with the phrases “swipe left” and “swipe right” becoming commonplace phrases.

These apps have taken their foothold all over the world, and in Ottawa, it’s no different. In fact, the city itself has actually adopted this new movement to technology and has endorsed some apps that would provide a public service to its citizens  Like other cities, they not only endorse apps created by people made for the city, but have taken it one step father and have even developed some themselves.

Granted, the city may not be the cutting edge of technology but to me, it’s worth quite a bit that they have taken the effort to embrace the new culture surrounding public services. Some of the apps provided do miniscule things, such as one on the Ottawa.ca website called “Bathroom Scout”, which does just what it sounds like; finds the nearest bathroom, while others are a little more general and widespread like the “JOINOttawa” app, published by the city itself, which helps people get more involved with the community by showing things to do while they’re there.

In today’s world, as more parts of business and people’s personal lives becomes dependent on technology, there is a race between cybersecurity and the people who try to circumvent it. However, there is also a different kind of crime that can be tackled using technology; in-store theft. While most companies are trying to focus solely on protecting their customers online assets from tech savvy people with bad intentions, the Ottawa-based company Solink is using that technology to delete a problem that has been around for years.

Solink fills a hole in the niche industry that I think has been around for far too long. They use video surveillance and tracking to weed out fraud and theft, which minimizes loss due to crime. Their work is valuable in the sense that it will make prices go down for the customers of these establishments, which is something that I am sure we can all be happy for. It also means higher profits for these conglomerates, leading to happy owners.

Through their work, they have received recognition both inside and out of Ottawa. In late 2017, they were named the recipient of the 2017 Team of the Year Award presented by the Best Ottawa Business Awards. Not only have they received awards in Ottawa, but they are also drawing more innovations to the city with some of their prestigious customers. One that is known by everyone is the business mogul Elon Musk, who has added them to his portfolio. In my eyes, once other companies see the potential for such big investments, they will not only be drawn to make better products, but even to see Ottawa as a new potential business hub for the high-tech age.

When I think about Ottawa, I think of quite a few things: stunning museums, brutal snowfalls, and huge multiculturalism. But, one of the things that the capital of Canada is not so well-known for is being on the cutting edge of technology, and especially not in an automotive sense. However, earlier this year, Aurrigo’s Canadian division made the city the new headquarters of its project for driverless pods.

This is a decision that Aurrigo haven’t taken lightly, it is one that has Ottawa to thank for, as Ottawa in recent years has been determined to attract more technology companies to the city. Even though they are not the first driverless car company to invest in the city, they seem to make much more of a news topic than some of the other competitors. This is because no one expected them to choose Ottawa.

The company Aurrigo itself has stated that it chose Ottawa for two main reasons. The first being that where the company itself is based, in the United Kingdom, does not have nearly the same climate as Ottawa, so a different kind of region would be good for testing their products’ endurance. The second is the investments from Ottawa itself. Ottawa has an entire department dedicated to enticing high-tech companies into moving some of their assets to the city, and I have no doubt that they had a big part to play in this deal as well.

Overall, I see this as a major addition to the development of Ottawa, and because of this major step, there will likely be many more companies attracted to the city. As more technology keeps moving in, it will not only benefit the city, but provide evidence to other firms that Ottawa is a viable environment for their high-tech needs.