Distinguished Professor Emeritus Don Cowan has received a CANARIE Award to expand iEnvironment++, a software platform that supports environmental science and engineering research on surface water. CANARIE, a component of Canada’s digital infrastructure supporting research, education and innovation, yesterday announced 20 successful recipients of its research software funding call.
Cowan’s team will develop a research platform to access and share environmental data and presentation facilities easily, while developing best practices through sharing, monitoring and modelling tools. iEnvironment++ will expand its users by adding new software components for data management, algorithm sharing, quality control, mapping, workflow management, and reproducibility services.
“Congratulations to Don for receiving this important funding from CANARIE,” said Dan Brown, Director of the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science. “The University of Waterloo is an international leader in water research. The support Don has received to expand his iEnvironment++ software platform will further accelerate collaboration and discovery in Waterloo’s environmental science and engineering research communities.”
CANARIE funding allows research teams in applied sciences and the humanities to adapt their existing research platforms to be re-used by other research teams, including those working in different disciplines. As a result, new research teams from across Canada will be able to re-use previously funded and developed software to accelerate discovery.
“Today we are making it easier for researchers to share their data with each other, no matter where they live in Canada,” said the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport. “Canada produces some of the world’s best science, and by equipping researchers with the software they need to make research more accessible, open and transparent, we are giving our researchers the best possible tools for future discoveries.”
“Software re-use lets research grants be used for the research itself, rather than for duplicated efforts in software development, enhancement and maintenance,” said Mark Wolff, Chief Technology Officer at CANARIE. “Efficient use of research funding helps to position Canada as a leader in science and innovation.”
This round of funding is part of the Government of Canada’s $105 million investment supporting CANARIE’s activities during its 2015–20 mandate. CANARIE strengthens Canadian leadership in science and technology by delivering digital infrastructure that supports world-class research and innovation.