From time to time, Blue Sky Net undertakes research in areas of interest relating to Broadband usage or other areas of technology, education or economic development. The research undertaken through studies is of interest to a number of user groups. Feel free to browse through these past projects and check back for new research.
THE SPEED OF NORTHERN ONTARIO BROADBAND REPORT
From late 2015 there have been just over 4,500 speed tests completed that can be verified and 4,330 within Northern Ontario. To date, connectednorth.ca has used the Speedofme platform with the test server located at a key interconnection point in Sudbury. The Speedofme platform was selected for several reasons, including because it was built with HTML5 the test looked similar and performed the same, across all browsers and devices. Speedofme also uses a testing methodology that does not overwhelm limited connections, making the test as fast for someone connecting with .5 Mbps as it does for someone connecting at 50 Mbps. With every speed test there are limitations, however due to the high number of test results received from connectednorth.ca, the test results provide useful insight into averages of upload and download speeds for those in Northern Ontario.
Read the full speed test report by clicking here.
ICT Skills Gap Study
To determine what skills gap exists and what future gap is anticipated in the information, communication, and technology (ICT) sector in the Blue Sky region, Precision Management was engaged by Blue Sky Economic Growth Corporation to interview regional employers. During the study, 25 employers, with ICT staff numbering from one to 95, were interviewed.
ICT Labour Shortage Study
The following research was collected to investigate the ICT industry in the Blue Sky Region and to forecast its future labour needs. After reviewing the articles “Canadore slashes programs, cuts staff” in the North Bay Nugget and “Study Shows Vast Skills, Labour Shortages Looming for Canada’s Tech Sector” by the Information and Communication Technology Council, it was necessary to investigate the implications of these claims on the Blue Sky Region.
Digital Economy Consultation Response
Blue Sky Net (BSN) is a non-profit Technology Development Corporation specializing in the implementation of ICT and developing broadband infrastructure across northern Ontario. BSN has facilitated the construction of a number of large ICT networks throughout Northern Ontario by brokering partnerships between the private network builders/owner and the public sector funding agencies. We would argue that the greatest challenges facing Canada in achieving a global “digital advantage” is to insure that the resources necessary for innovation to thrive are in place. This means assembling the best ICT infrastructure and building the skills necessary through education for a digital economy of the future.
Economic Impact of the Tourism Sector
The 2005 both explores and offers recommendations based on the study which focused on visitor spending, economic impacts, preferred visitor activities and more.
Human Resources Gap Analysis
An analysis of the human resources gap in four industries in the Blue Sky region. In terms of labour markets, the Blue Sky Region is conveniently located around the Trans Canada highway, Highway 11, and many lakes, most notably Lake Nipissing, is home to a variety of profit and not-for-profit employers, supported by a strong and viable workforce.
Blue Sky Festival Tourism Study
A report conducted during 2005 which studied the performance of both the Heritage Festival and Voyageur Days. In this study, the objective was to identify the level of tourism activity generated by both festivals, identify the opportunities to increase tourism by both festivals and identify the opportunities to maximize the marketing investments use to attract tourism.