Platform Calgary was a site for a different type of technology demonstration than what is typically done in tech incubators.

Defense Minister Anita Anand met with Tacteris Systems, a local defense contractor and technology company, to demonstrate software they have created to support the Canadian military, both at home and abroad.

Tacteris also received a $1.2 million federal Ideas for Defense Excellence and Security grant for its Forte logistics planning software in May.

Minister Anand said:

“There is ingenuity in the Canadian economy and Canadian business, and I witnessed it today here in Calgary. “

Minister Anand, along with Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal, questioned defense companies about their ability to plan, coordinate and execute battlefield management strategies using Calgary’s proprietary software.

Sundeep Kharey, Vice President of Business, said: Development of Tacteris.

“As I said at the conference, getting this technology into the hands of Canadian service members has been one of our unspoken goals from day one of starting this whole business.”

Calgary’s defense technology is a relatively unknown space

Overall, Calgary holds its own as a defensive city, Kharey said, but it’s often overlooked in the broader discussion of the tech industry. He noted that Calgary is home to General Dynamics, Raytheon, Lockheed and his Martin team.

“In some ways, we are isolated from the Silicon Valley and West Coast styles,” says Kharey.

“We’re just a bunch of guys trying to build a company that solves real problems. We’re not here to build a corporate unicorn, we’re here to get useful software.” I’m just a service member here in Canada.

Chahal said Platform has an opportunity to play a role in the civil and military defense industries.

“Platform Calgary is a great incubator and collaboration that provides opportunities for small startups to large corporations to build and grow here,” he said.

“One of the things we need here in our city is to diversify our economy. We are making it happen.”

3 Technologies Deployed for Military and Civil Defense Agencies

Kharey said the Forte tool they developed could help the military plan and maintain missions.

“So our [Department of National Defence] It happens to be operational, so we’re developing a software solution that helps us plan what supplies need to be deployed, not just initially, but to sustain that mission over the long term,” he said. Told.

“This is a really thorny problem, a lot of it is done using nothing but ad hoc technology, spreadsheets and people’s rules of thumb about past missions.”

Kharey used the example of a plan to provide enough water for troops in the field.

“At the end of the day, it’s the soldiers who suffer when they don’t have enough water, and that’s the easiest way to destroy morale,” he said.

“So solving that logistics challenge is what we are working on now.”

Tacteris also demonstrated emergency management software that helps civil defense authorities coordinate across multiple agencies through multi-tiered crises.

During the demonstration, Kharey was able to develop real-time response plans against hypothetical scenarios created on the fly by ministers.

“So if there is a wildfire or a pandemic and multiple agencies need to work together to coordinate resources, there is currently no way to do that. It is all done by very ad-hoc manual techniques.” said Harry.

“You answered the phone and said, ‘Do you still have fire trucks available?'” to ”

A complete combat management suite in development

Defense contractors are also developing self-contained combat management suites that don’t require deployment of server infrastructure. This development has been pre-certified by the Government of Canada.

“It’s really cutting edge, unlike anything else on the planet, and it doesn’t require any mapping infrastructure or intelligence databases or servers,” Kharey said.

“Just open up your computer and have a full combat management suite at your disposal, allowing you to collaborate and work in teams.”

A demonstration of the technology prompted the minister to declare that it was exactly what she needed.

Kharey said it was heartening to hear. It’s something I hear a lot from clients.

“I think what we have developed, and how we have solved this problem by integrating time, space and organization, is often not well integrated in other solutions.

“So often I go to military meetings and hear, ‘Wow, this is something I’ve never seen before.'”

Procurement, lead time and government assistance required

The lengthy time it takes for government procurement departments to match the demands of senior officials and military commanders is the biggest challenge facing Tacteris, Kharey said.

“Military ministers and commanders can say this is great, but the entire procurement department that has to deal with it may not be aligned with it,” Kharey said.

“The software development of creating new technology is really the fun and easy part. The biggest challenge is getting this into the hands of end users, military end users.”

He said having the opportunity to demonstrate the software to high-ranking officials is one way he’s trying to bring the Calgary-made solution to Canada. On the other side, we are building awareness with the support of industry partners such as platforms and local governments.

“I think it really helps because it reminds everyone in Canada that we are here, that our system is proven, low risk and prepared,” Kharey said. I got

“This technology can literally plug in and solve some of the problems that will arise five years from now, and it can also solve some of these problems today.”