New Trimble Technology Lab opens opportunities to navigate geospatial technologies

From creating bold 3D images from photos to developing better GPS for commercial and space flights, geomatics engineering is rapidly becoming a fixture in our daily lives.

The Trimble Technology Lab at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering will be at the forefront of research and teaching in the geomatics discipline. The new lab provides hands-on experience that prepares students to apply their geomatics skills in industries including construction, design and agriculture.

Thanks to a significant donation of hardware and software from Trimble, a global technology company that provides software, hardware, and services to connect the physical and digital worlds, particularly in industries like construction, agriculture, and transportation and logistics, the lab now provides access to cutting-edge technologies.

Schulich Dean Anders Nygren says the lab is a place where students and scholars can come together to explore geomatics and to solve complex challenges in our world.

“This generous support from Trimble highlights the importance of our industry partners in engineering a better tomorrow for everyone,” he says. “By having more hands-on opportunities, students will be able to advance their own practical skills and knowledge to better prepare themselves for careers in an ever-evolving technological world.”

Preserving buildings and memories

Nygren says the lab will be a transdisciplinary hub for Schulich students, as well as those in the Faculty of Arts and the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape.

One example of this work comes from Dr. Peter Dawson, PhD’98, a professor and department head in the Faculty of Arts’ Department of Anthropology and Archaeology.

He has been leading efforts to create a “digital twin” of Old Sun Community College, located east of Calgary on the Siksika Nation, which housed a former residential school.

“This high-resolution digital replica is a way of commemorating the site and serving as a tool for gathering survivor testimonials while educating the public about the building’s difficult history,” Dawson says. 

“Co-created in close collaboration with Siksika community members, this lasting digital record will help ensure the preservation of Old Sun for future generations.”

Dawson says the heritage work his team does is made possible by the generous support of companies like Trimble, as the remote-sensing and laser-scanning technologies they use are often beyond the reach of publicly funded heritage agencies and community partners.

“Technology evolves rapidly; what is cutting-edge today can quickly become outdated,” he says. “With Trimble’s support, we will be able to digitally preserve a wide range of heritage sites in Western Canada, many of which are currently at risk of loss.”

Dawson says the collaborative partnership will allow his team to train Indigenous youth in STEM and heritage-conservation technologies, empowering them to carry on the work within their own communities.

Building legacy through education partnership

One person who knows the first-hand value of those experiential-learning opportunities is Stephanie Michaud, BSc (Eng)’11.

A Schulich alumni, she is now the director of product management, field software at Trimble, responsible for the survey field software product portfolio and product-management teams.

Michaud has stayed involved with the School as a member of the Geomatics Engineering Advisory Committee, working to increase the number of industry interactions for students to help them succeed after graduation.

It’s something she says was limited during her studies.

“Personally, working on projects where I could visualize the real-life applications of the theory we were studying, helped me learn faster and apply that learning more easily, because the nuances and details were made clear why it mattered,” Michaud says. 

“For example, if your goal is to have a self-driving car, you will want to make sure the computer program you have written to process the accuracies of your sensors are predictable, repeatable, and reliable, especially if you are tasking your vehicle to keep you in a lane where millimetres matter at high speeds.”

Michaud says she’s excited the Trimble Technology Lab, located in ENE 323, will prepare more students for working in the geomatics industry while giving them a chance to use the theory they are learning in real-time. 

With the lab being available to all students across campus, she is eager to see the possible collaborations between different disciplines using geospatial technologies in new ways.