ORION announces PoP at Southlake Regional Health Centre

YorkRegion.com
Oct. 15, 2015
By Chris Simon

The installation of a new broadband network means more data in less time will be able to be pushed through York Region - and beyond.

The Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network, most commonly known as ORION, has announced a new point-of-presence (PoP) at Southlake Regional Health Centre. The installation will connect the local hospital to Ontario’s research, education and innovation institutions through a 10-gigabit-per-second optical fibre link, according to ORION president and CEO Darin Graham.

“Just for a reference, that’s 30 Netflix movies in one second,” Graham told dignitaries and members of the business community who attended the launch event at the hospital. “This is the first hospital to join the PoP network and will make initiatives like real-time telecommunications and telerobotic surgery possible.”

The installation is a key component of the broadband strategy outlined in York Region’s economic development action plan and will enhance research and collaboration capabilities, according to regional chairperson Wayne Emmerson. Not only will the network assist with health care, he continued, but it will also foster innovation and economic development across the region.

The new high-speed network will begin to enhance current initiatives at the hospital immediately, especially the CreateIT Now incubator.

“CreateIT Now at Southlake offers unparalleled access to a leading community hospital, its clinicians and researchers,” Southlake president and CEO Dr. Dave Williams said. “With ORION’s speed and bandwidth, our imagination is no longer limited by our connectivity, giving us the ability to exchange vast amounts of data in real time, potentially accelerating research and development, which ultimately improves the care we deliver to our patients.”

Dr. Carolyn McGregor presented a project that streams patient data live, which can help care providers diagnose serious complications, such as sepsis, much earlier. But it wasn’t possible before the network due to data speed constraints.

“This is the new face of health care,” she said. “This technology will allow me to continue with my research and continue with it here in Ontario.”

The ORION network stretches 6,000 kilometres, with connection points in 28 communities throughout Ontario. More than 2 million researchers, scientists, faculty, teachers and students rely on ORION as their lightening-fast research and innovation network.

“This type of forward thinking...is reflective of a connected and collaborative community that uses innovation to drive growth and prosperity,” Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen said. “With the technological capabilities supported by ORION, there is no limit to what our libraries, our schools, our hospital, our community and our region can achieve.”

ORION was created in 2001 and was originally known as the optical regional advanced network of Ontario. The first connection was completed and tested in 2003 between Laurentian University and York University. The provincial government and ORION then invested $5.5 million to connect more institutions, leveraging $8 million in additional local investment.

The network is intended to allow those connected to it to share information in real time, which will allow great minds to work together to improve health care, education, quality of life and be an asset in improving the economy.

For more information about ORION, visit orion.on.ca.