techlifev2.2

InnovateAs one ETS training officer says, the Daily Crime Forecastnot only curbs crime within the transit system, it is also a moralebooster for employees who are being deployed more effectively.“This allows us to focus our resources on where it’s most likely thatthings will happen and prevent those things from happening again,”Tana Vea says. “It’s like fishing with a fish finder. It tells you wherethings will happen and because you’re there, you see a positiveoutcome.”Contré says his idea for crime-forecasting software was bornnearly a decade ago when he was working as a cop in Ottawa.Officers were periodically given crime hot spot maps that lookedat where crime happened previously. “In a sense,” Contré says, “wewere always fighting yesterday's battle instead of anticipating whatwas going to occur today.”During his time in Africa, the pieces of the puzzle beganto come together – and with most nights spent confined to acompound because of security concerns, Contré, who has abachelor’s degree in civil engineering and no formal training incomputer programming, hunkered down and taught himself whathe needed to know to develop the Daily Crime Forecast. “Everynight I’d spend a couple of hours on my laptop reading and learningand programming. That’s how I was able to learn most of my skills.”Then came the issue of data quality. “Figuring out how to workwith imperfect data was quite a challenge, but I was able to workthrough that.”In fact, Contré developed 81 different algorithms, none of whichworked, before going back to the drawing board. “Finally, I just hadto step back and totally change the way I was working at the problem,”he says, adding that what he came up with took him in an entirely newdirection.Fast forward to 2008: with his software proven to work, and workwell, Contré was ready to commercialize it. The opportunity to help himdo just that landed in his mailbox last fall. A copy of techlife magazine,addressed to a previous resident, caught Contré’s eye with its offerof a chance to win $10,000 in services from novaNAIT, the institute’scentre for applied research and technology transfer. Contré entered theinaugural novaNAIT Technology Commercialization Challenge and won.Stuart Cullum, novaNAIT executive director, says picking Contré overthe other 35 applicants, including seven other finalists who pitched theirbusiness and technology ideas to a panel of judges, was difficult. “Whatwe liked about Stephane’s software was that it had a very clear andpractical application. It was already being used in a policing context andwas piloted within that context and it had reaped significant results.”The centre is now helping Contré commercialize the Daily CrimeForecast, as well as providing him access to its business incubator, theDuncan McNeill Centre for Innovation.Contré sees the potential for the Daily Crime Forecast as virtuallylimitless. For example, on a recent tour in Afghanistan, Contré (who isalso a reservist with a local military intelligence company) effectivelyapplied his model to roadside bombing situations. He envisions a daywhen, with the help of novaNAIT, his crime-forecasting software willbe used around the world by police and security agencies – even oilcompanies operating in dangerous territories – to keep people safer.GROUP HOME AND AUTO INSURANCE for members of NAIT Alumni AssociationPROTECTION MADE EASY...GROUP RATES MADE EASIER!As a member of NAIT Alumni Association, youcan SAVE on your home and auto insurance throughpreferred group rates, while enjoying high-qualityinsurance products and outstanding service.Request a quote and you couldInsurance programendorsed by:MelocheMonnex.com/nait1 866 352 6187(Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)The TD Insurance Meloche Monnex home and auto insurance program is underwritten by SECURITY NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY and distributed by Meloche Monnex Insurance and Financial Services Inc.in Québec and by Meloche Monnex Financial Services Inc. in the rest of Canada.Due to provincial legislation, our auto insurance program is not offered in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan.*No purchase required. Contest ends on January 16, 2010. Skill-testing question required. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Complete contest rules available at MelocheMonnex.com.Meloche Monnex ® is a trade-mark of Meloche Monnex Inc.TD Insurance is a trade-mark of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, used under license.18 techlifemag.ca