One of four Ocean Supercluster projects announced today
Today, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announced four new projects with a total value of almost $11 million, including the Mobile and Mixed Reality Virtual Technician and Maintenance Software project.
This Nova Scotia-led project will develop an integrated service-hub, referred to as “Tech Companion,” that centralizes data in a remotely accessible, intelligent, and automated digital ecosystem for use in ocean industries. As a unified digital platform, Tech Companion will connect technicians across the globe and facilitate the collection of core data, including condition-based monitoring of equipment, task level instructions, structured reporting, and augmented reality training to support tasks on demand.
With a total project value of more than $2.2 million, the Ocean Supercluster will provide close to $1.2 million, with the balance coming from project partners. In this project, Modest Tree Media Inc. will work with RENK, Mitacs, and Microsoft Canada to enhance the development of Canada’s digital ocean workforce.
Tech Companion uses live, data-driven systems for more accurate and streamlined maintenance operations, resulting in significant time and cost-savings during in-service product support and a substantial reduction in the downtime of ocean assets. This project will enhance the capabilities of the ocean economy by providing consolidation of the maintenance management process into one centralized, data-centric service hub where all data and remote teams are connected to core enterprise systems, all while supporting multiplayer function and multi-device support in a fully integrated and AI-driven system that includes Microsoft Azure Digital Twins, IoT Hub, and Azure SQL.
The software developed in this project will position Canada as a leading provider of digital technologies for the ocean economy, will help bridge technology and ocean advancements, and will increase competitiveness in the global market. Through implementation, this project will create almost 50 jobs for the duration of the project and will provide data-centric technology to support the extended ocean ecosystem.
About Modest Tree
Modest Tree is an award-winning Canadian software company focused on providing data-driven digitalization solutions for global Enterprise. Founded in 2011, we have worked with leading OEMs and military clients to develop digital solutions that accelerate employee training, product sales and marketing, and secure virtual communications. Visit www.modesttree.com to learn more.
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Quotes
“Canada’s oceans, the bounty in their waters, and the riches underneath them have created prosperity for generations of Canadians. Our people have expertise now that can take on the world. So, that’s what they’re doing.” – The Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister of Natural Resources
“There is so much opportunity for growth in the ocean sector, and I am thrilled to see Atlantic businesses leading the way with innovative projects that will make lasting contributions in this area. Canada’s Ocean Supercluster has done fantastic work connecting small businesses with the networks and expertise they need to succeed in today’s economy.”- Andy Fillmore, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for Halifax
“Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is a national network where partners are coming together to deliver game-changing projects in ocean and another step towards building Canada’s digital ocean workforce, and increasing our competitiveness in global markets. This project will bring an exciting new solution called Tech Companion to the ocean sector, creating almost 50 jobs during the project. This data-driven system will enable more accurate and streamlined maintenance operations that are fully integrated and AI-driven.” – Kendra MacDonald, CEO, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
“This project marks a significant milestone in the evolution of data-centric technology to transform the way industry collects and leverages operational and maintenance data on marine equipment during build and in-service support. Through the Ocean Supercluster and the Government of Canada, Modest Tree is poised to drive digital transformation across the ocean industry by bringing historical and new data from multiple sources into an integrated, data-driven platform.” – Sam Sannandeji, Chief Executive Officer, Modest Tree
“RENK supplies marine gear systems to over 45 governmental customers in 40 countries around the world. The complexity of propulsion systems continues to increase, and as a result, users of these systems are increasingly being faced with the challenge of having the right information available at the right time and in the right place. In the future, knowledge management in particular will be a key requirement for the efficient maintenance and repair of complex drive systems, and this project presents an essential component of a digital-centric maintenance, repair, and overhaul strategy.” – Christoph Fenske, General Manager Special Gears, RENK Group
“The Ocean Supercluster continues to drive Canadian innovation and community prosperity. The Tech Companion project, leveraging Microsoft HoloLens technology, is not only a bold idea but an example of innovation that gives Canada’s ocean economy a competitive edge.”- John Weigelt, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Canada
“Mitacs is delighted to support Modest Tree as they work on digital tools that have the potential to advance Canada’s position in the global ocean economy. By connecting companies with skilled post-secondary talent, we hope to drive innovation, stimulate prosperity, and economic growth. – Dr. John Hepburn, CEO and Scientific Director, Mitacs