Photo credit: Tom Sandler
by Dr. Sara Diamond, President and Vice-Chancellor, OCAD University
Taking Ontario Mobile is a comprehensive report that addresses the capabilities and requirements that can make Ontario a leading mobile jurisdiction. It provides a five year action plan based on lessons learned in other jurisdictions and successful experiments at home. Ontario is home to over 700 mobile companies; it is a global leader in mobile patents; it houses world-leading institutions in mobile and wireless engineering (University of Waterloo and University of Ottawa) and design, and is home to mobile companies that cross many verticals – entertainment, health, learning, gaming and productivity. There is a collaborative spirit between the private sector, government, public institutions and academia, and a diverse user base that possesses the attributes necessary to be a successful “mobile” market. We are an ideal test bed for applications because Ontario includes one of the largest metropolitan areas in North America, the seat of the Government of Canada, and remote, rural and Aboriginal communities.
The quality of life and economic well-being of Ontario residents can be radically transformed over the next decade with the possibilities that mobile technologies, networks and applications offer. What is more, the Ontario residents and businesses we polled were eager to adopt mobile services in all dimensions of their lives and wished to learn the ways that mobile technologies could augment or replace common tasks.
Here are some of the highlights of the report:
Job Creation and Retention
- The mobile industries are part of a strong economic sector that will continue to expand as mobility becomes even more ubiquitous. Demand in China, India and Brazil for mobile technologies, applications and content is strong.
- M-commerce and other extended infrastructure will lead to new kinds of jobs in the knowledge economy across many industries. M-commerce can complement Ontario’s strong financial industries.
- Provides new opportunities to build Ontario’s already powerful entertainment industries through adding multiple consumption channels and screen time, thus bringing new revenue streams and business models.
Government Services
- Government services can be delivered in a more cost-effective manner, combined with efficient just-in-time service delivery.
- Engaged citizens can monitor and report problems such as infrastructure breakdowns.
- Government can make use of mobile interfaces that can be highly personalized and meet Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards of accessibility.
- Mobility provides an open data resource that provides means for residents to engage with all manner of public information in order to affect decision-making.
Education
- The use of mobile devices and experiences can lead to increased flexibility and engagement in learning, and encourage high school completion by supporting experiential learning, mentorship and year-round and self-paced learning.
- Mobile delivery outside of the bricks-and-mortar campus can lead to efficiencies in the use of capital resources in the post secondary education sector.
- Location-based and context-aware educational opportunities developed with Aboriginal organizations can engage and retain learners in their own communities and ensure that they develop the skills needed for employment.
- M-learning is a core tool to ensure that the Ontario workforce remains competitive, as it helps workers continually adapt to change, provides a valuable tool for re-skilling and just-in-time learning, and allows employees to adjust to changing labour-force demands
Healthcare
- Mobility can be an important lever to enable the movement of medical support from acute care to chronic care, home care and prevention.
- Mobility can help to provide home services for the growing population of seniors through effective monitoring and mobile healthcare support.
- Mobile applications can eliminate wait times ensuring that patients go the emergency services, clinics and labs with lower wait times
- Ontario is home to successful developers of mobile applications and devices who reach international markets
Throughout our research a number of recurring themes emerged, such as:
- The need to facilitate affordable access to mobile broadband and devices for Ontario residents.
- The value of a comprehensive regional mobile policy, as exists in other jurisdictions.
- The importance of industry and government action on secure services and privacy protection in a form that encourages mobile take up by creating confidence, and enables private-sector development while protecting residents.
The next step for Ontario to realize its great potential is the creation of an industry and public sector advisory council to work closely with a cross-ministry task force. Their job would be to take action on the proposals in the report.
Dr. Sara Diamond, President and Vice-Chancellor, OCAD University, O. of Ont., RCA.
Twitter: Sara Diamond: @codezebra OCAD University: @ocad
Mobile Experience Innovation Centre: @mobileex
Facebook: www.faceboo.com/ocaduniversity
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Taking Ontario Mobile was led by Dr. Sara Diamond and Dr. Vera Roberts of OCAD University with the support of a diverse group of academic and industry researchers. It was funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development & Innovation and industry partners through the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre (MEIC). The companion report Mobile Innovation: Ontario’s Growing Mobile Content, Services, and Applications Industry, 2012 was edited by Kathleen Webb and produced by MEIC with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation, the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, the City of Toronto and OCAD University.
Copies of Taking Ontario Mobile and Mobile Innovation 2012, along with executive summaries and media kits can be downloaded at www.takingontariomobile.ca.
