Tag Archives: rr.com project

Telus Crew Installs Microwave tower- Feb.22, 2000

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The TELUS Crew Installs the Antenna on Observatory Hill behind Pearson College.


Not only has the antenna been donated, but the costs of crew and equipment for several days of installation, and the routers for operation have been provided. Telus has also agreed to assist the college in its bandwidth requirements necessary to run the streaming video from Race Rocks . We greatly appreciate their commitment as a collaborating partner in this unique venture.
Garry Fletcher on behalf of the students and faculty of Lester B. Pearson College

CONTINUE TO DISH AND RADIO INSTALLATION AT RACE ROCKS

racerocks.com Project Update Feb 13, 2000

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The week of February 6 through 13, 2000 has plotted more progress for the racerocks.com project.

With only 27 days remaining until the system is scheduled to go on line, daily progress is required so we will meet the project deadlines.

On Monday, Coast Guard officials granted permission for us to temporarily install a 24 inch radio antenna atop the historic Race Rocks lighthouse tower. Required for the transmission of our Race Rocks video
and data signal, the antenna will be fastened by Coast Guard technicians to the ladder structure above the main light room on the tower. We are very grateful to Coast Guard officials Fred Stepchuck and Noelani Taylor for reviewing our request so efficiently.

Wednesday morning Lyle Kosola, the radio engineer from Comlink caught the 7:00 am BC Ferry from the mainland to Vancouver Island along with Telus antenna and microwave specialists Al Mireau, Dave Farley and Rob Robinson. These top Telus staff members pulled together to make the radio link happen. While Chris Blondeau took Lyle and Dave to Race Rocks Al and Rob drove to the top of the hill near Pearson College’s observatory. As the island crew laboured up the spiral staircase in the 140 year old light tower Dave set about the tough task of hand climbing a 200 plus year old Douglas Fir tree. At the 60 foot mark Dave thankfully and somewhat breathlessly reported seeing the top two stripes of the black and white lighthouse. With a strobe light held just in front of a mirror Dave was finally seen in his tree by Chris Blondeau from atop the lighthouse. With two towering trees framing the radio path like goal posts on a ridge Lyle collected the information he would need to determine the tower height required to make all this work. The swell from Tuesday’s storm was still throwing waves at the Race Rocks jetty despite the pleasant day causing the Pearson College workboat Second Nature to plunge on her spring lines so it was decided to evacuate the island crew as quickly as possible. At the antenna location Al determined the best lay out for the tower and Lyle scouted locations for the radio equipment and wiring. A very good day filled with promise.

On Thursday Lyle completed his calculations and determined that the tower height could be reduced to 60′ provided we shot the radio right through the middle of the Douglas Fir “goalposts” on the Rocky Point ridge. Its worth a try. The shorter tower (as opposed to the 100′ considered) will have much less aesthetic impact at the college site, protect a clear sky view for the College’s telescope and, we hope, save Telus a bit of money. The antenna tower was a late addition to the Telus contribution.

Friday was a very positive day for the development of the project. Work on wiring Great Race Island for the network that system designer Ken Dunham has prescribed is 75% installed. Al Mireau from Telus reports that antenna installation will begin on Tuesday February 15. Our ever watchful professional worry specialist Aengus MacIntosh will review the critical time paths at this stage. Unlike the picture 10 days ago this looks like it can actually happen! We have a few wrinkles in our server delivery plans. We meet with Ian Scott our guardian angel at Telus to devise final plans for delivery of the signal to the internet. Ian as always has some creative solutions. We also have a good conversation with Richard Catinus our contact at Apple. We are very keen on using Apple’s remarkable QuickTime software to stream our video on the net. This will of course also commit us to Apple’s computer equipment. Garry Fletcher has lusted for Apple’s new G4 computer. We are very close to a decision. Mid afternoon we meet with John Nightingale, Director of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre and his senior science and external relations staff. Their enthusiastic support backed by a significant financial contribution is greatly appreciated. At the end of a network planning discussion with Ken Dunham it suddenly dawns on me that we have spoken with every one of our sponsors and suppliers today and they are all doing their very best for us.

Saturday, members of the public and various interested groups joined DFO and BC Parks staff to review the status of the Race Rocks Marine Protected Area plans. Marc Pakenham the DFO coordinator has lead an exhaustive series of community consultations on the plan along with Jim Morris from BC Parks. Brian Smiley, a DFO scientist gave a compelling presentation about the ecological values of Race Rocks. There appears to be real enthusiasm for the protection of the Race Rocks area and many creative ideas of how the opportunities for public access and educational uses could be accommodated were suggested. The last public presentation on the MPA plan will be at the Olympic View Golf Club on Wednesday February 16, 2000 at 19:00 hrs.

PROCEED TO NEXT UPDATE- FEB 22/2000
Thank you for your interest.
Angus Matthews

racerocks.com Project Update, Feb 6 2000

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We have made very significant advances towards our goal of initiating Phase 1 on March 11, 2000. This is especially true in the week of January 31, 2000 thanks to an extraordinary effort from our lead partners at Telus and LGS.

NEWS FROM LGS
LGS Project Manager Aengus McIntosh has proven himself to be a stern task master and gifted conductor as he coordinates the various aspects of the project. We have ordered the radio equipment needed to beam the heavy bandwidth of streaming video from Race Rocks to Pearson College and our entry point into “mainland” fiber and the internet. With advice from the specialists at Telus we have selected Tsunami Radio, 5.8 GHz spread spectrum 4Mb equipment to deliver the signal from Race Rocks. This equipment has been ordered from Glentel in Edmonton. Web specialist Scott Nicholl at LGS is working with Garry Fletcher and his students from Pearson College to develop the new racerocks.com web page for the March 11 launch. Scott has sourced our first camera, a SiteZap from Reardon Technology which is on the way to us from California. Aengus McIntosh continues to track our activities to make sure we apply foresight in our design, maximize the value of our purchases and work together to meet the complex and interconnected deadlines.

TELUS TO THE RESCUE
At Telus, effective support from Ian Scott, has mobilized a dedicated group of specialists in various Telus departments. Telus provided the solution to our biggest challenge when they agreed to provide the tower required to mount the radio antenna at the Pearson College end of our radio link. This was a turning point for the whole project and we are all very grateful to Telus. Staff in their Advanced Communication division are working on the issues around delivering the streaming video out of Pearson College and onto the Internet through the Telus server farm. Tim will have more details on this in the near future.

AT PEARSON COLLEGE
With a red balloon tethered high above the College’s observatory it is obvious something is happening. Garry Fletcher and a group of students in the know are aware of the work being done by Tom Bates of Telus to find the site for a radio link to the Pearson College campus. Less obvious are the preliminary web activities and documenting of the project that Garry’s students are working on. As the educational leader | and Director of the project, Garry is researching the various needs and options of the project design. We are very grateful to Tom Sampson for his advice on First Nation’s aspects of the educational program. Throughout this time the public consultations onthe establishment of the Race Rocks Marine Protected Area are also proceeding. Garry and several students are very much involved in this process as well. Garry also finds time to teach as well!

MORE RESOURCES
We welcome more supporters to the project. Ken Dunham, a Pearson College graduate and the principal of Symmetrical Systems Consulting is a born again partner in the project. It was Ken Dunham and Garry Fletcher that first developed the idea of a virtual Race Rocks web site in 1996 (when the costs were prohibitive). Ken is donating his network design expertise to design and build the local area network on Great Race Island and across the campus of Pearson College to Telus fiber. It is amazing how much today’s design looks like Ken’s 1996 radical version! Vancouver Aquarium and Marine Science Centre have confirmed significant financial support for the project and we look forward to the benefits of the Centre’s extensive experience in delivering marine education programs as we move into subsequent phases of the project.

MILLENNIUM BUREAU
The Federal Millennium Partnership Bureau has made this project possible. We have been in extensive communication with Bureau staff in recent weeks and they have been of great assistance in developing our contract and accounting systems. Though detailed and precise the systems are efficiently expedited. The good news is that at this point we are exactly on budget.

On a personal note… it is a great experience to work on this project. I have never worked with a group of such eager problem solvers. Thank you to all those mentioned here and to the many others working on specific elements of racerocks.com who will I am sure be recognised as their particular component comes on line.

UPCOMING EVENTS
If you are interested in the Race Rocks Marine Protected Area plan you are welcome to attend a Department of Fisheries and Oceans and BC Parks open house on the plan at Royal Roads on Saturday February 12, 2000 from 9:00 to 15:00hrs or at the Olympic View Golf Club on Wednesday February 16, 2000 from 19:00 to 21:30hrs. Garry and some of our students will be there to discuss the issues and present information about Race Rocks from our existing web site at http://www.racerocks.com

please e-mail Marc Pakenham at DFO if you plan to attend.

Angus Matthews

PROCEED TO NEXT UPDATE- FEB 13/2000

A Bold Initiative : racerocks.com

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ARCHIVAL HISTORY:

racerocks
A Bold Initiative

racerocks.com utilizes 21st century technology to maximum advantage to create a dynamic educational web experience utilizing the extraordinary marine eco-system at Race Rocks, Canada’s most southerly point in the Pacific.

Real time streaming video will webcast digital images of marine life from above and below the sea at Race Rocks. In addition, a complete environmental scan will be continually transmitted from the site using an array of data sensors.

The knowledge of the First Nations will be explored and explained as the Salish people share generations of experience in living in harmony with the abundance that once dominated this region and is now threatened.

Creative educators will develop internet-based curriculum to stimulate students and teachers to engage fully in the racerocks.com educational program. Researchers will share their studies and discoveries as we gain a new and deeper understanding of the ecosystem.

The Place

mapFor centuries, deep ocean currents and the great rivers of the Georgia Basin have converged in the Strait of Juan de Fuca between southern Vancouver Island and Washington State. Race Rocks reveals itself as nine rocky outcrops thrust from the ocean floor in the middle of the strait.

For generations the people of the Salish Nation prospered in this region at the entrance to the Salish Sea. The extraordinary richness of this diverse eco-system represented by Race Rocks is valued today as it was then. Race Rocks has been an ecological reserve since 1980 and is likely to become Canada’s first internationally recognized Marine Protected Area.

3dbathThe small, rocky outcrops are home to seals, sea lions, elephant seals and birds, as well as the buildings and equipment of the Race Rocks Lighthouse. These outcrops are literally the tip of the ecosystem. New leading-edge bathymetry reveals Race Rocks as a giant underwater mountain. The diversity of marine life is breathtaking and still not fully explored. The teachings of Salish elders merge with more recent science to explain the mysteries of nature at Race Rocks. 

The Technology

sealionvideoRecent developments have made a complex real time streaming video site possible. As many as seven digital cameras and an array of data sensors above and below the ocean at Race Rocks will collect information. Connected by fire wire to computers on Great Race Island, the signal will be compressed and transmitted by broad band radio from the top of the Race Rocks light tower direct to nearby Pearson College. From Pearson College, through high speed fiber links to the racerocks.com server, the pictures and data will be available throughout the internet. Two-way interactive capability is being incorporated into the design to allow for specific educational programming.

The Partners

Pearson College– is one of ten United World Colleges located around the world. Two  hundred students from over 80 countries study the International Baccalaureate curriculum during their two years at Pearson College. Garry Fletcher, a faculty member teaching Environmental Systems and Biology at Pearson College, is the educational director of racerocks.com. Garry and his students will guide the educational content of the site. Pearson College operates the former Race Rocks light station facilities as a education centre under an agreement with BC Parks. Pearson College is the lead proponent and partner directing the racerocks.com project.

wolfur1LGS Group Inc. – is Canada’s largest full service IT consulting firm with 2100 employees in 20 offices in Canada, Europe and the US. LGS is donating the time and resources to provide project management and web design services in the creation of racerocks.com. Along with their ability to capitalize on emerging internet technologies to promote the project, LGS brings essential knowledge, skills, and expertise. 

Telus– a leading Canadian telecommunications company, is providing the bandwidth and server capability  to host racerocks.com. Skilled technical staff at Telus have assisted in the development and implementation of the project assuring high-speed delivery to the internet and accessibility to a large audience. Telus is donating this component to racerocks.com.

Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre-a leading organization in marine research and public education on the West Coast of Canada. The Marine Science Centre has committed a significant contribution of funds and expertise to the project. In return it will gain a new window for aquarium visitors into an ecologically sensitive marine world at the South tip of Vancouver Island.

Government Agencies- racerocks.com has received assistance from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in many aspects of the project development. BC Parks has provided the use of buildings and facilities at Race Rocks. Both levels of government are working cooperatively to create the Race Rocks Marine Protected Area.

melpartMillennium Partnership Fund– racerocks.com would not have been possible without funding from the Canadian Millennium Partnership Fund of the Government of Canada. We are very grateful to the Federal Government and all those who assisted us in our application.

 

Affiliated Organizations

  • Apple Computers 

  • Sony

  • Nuytco

  • Royal BC Museum

  • Open Learning Agency

  • Glentel

rrnview
http://www.racerocks.com
(now https://www.racerocks.ca)