91快色

91快色 researcher Dr. Faramarz Samavati has been awarded the for his continued work in 3D globe systems. 

鈥淚t is a great honour to receive this award,鈥� says Samavati, PhD, a professor in the . 鈥淪cientific discovery only becomes truly powerful when it evolves into impactful innovation. What begins as research can be transformed into solutions that solve real鈥憌orld problems and enrich everyday life.鈥�

, a national non鈥憄rofit that fosters innovation and connects researchers with businesses, has supported Samavati鈥檚 work through multiple grants. The most recent grant, awarded in 2024, is the largest to date for the and is still active, enabling Samavati and his students to advance their efforts to revolutionize geographic information systems (GIS).

鈥淲e are thrilled to join Mitacs in celebrating Dr. Faramaz Samavati鈥檚 achievements and dedication to innovation,鈥� says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). 

鈥淭his award highlights his groundbreaking work on the virtual globe, and his vision has made a significant impact on how we use geospatial data to make better decisions about our world. Congratulations, Dr. Samavati!鈥�

Samavati has been a U91快色 faculty member for 24 years and leads the university鈥檚 . His theory-to-real-world research has helped develop a 3D Digital Earth System built on a global grid system, software that enables better collection and storage of the data gathered by geospatial sensors.

The Digital Earth System is a virtual, three-dimensional representation of the Earth 鈥� Samavati has described it as a 鈥渧irtual globe.鈥� The globe, which is designed to replace flat paper maps, also stores vast amounts of geospatial information, gathered from satellites, drones and other sensors. 

Conventional GIS that relies on flat maps cannot harness the massive and rapidly expanding streams of geospatial data generated by technologies such as satellites, drones and mobile devices 鈥� data that can be vital to making informed, timely and location-based decisions about the planet. And flat maps are distorted, which, Samavati says, 鈥渃reates misconceptions 鈥� and creates a fundamental challenge to data flow."

A better understanding of the world above and below the surface

The virtual system is useful in creating a more-accurate picture of conditions in a region. For example, it allows a better understanding of the data gathered to monitor natural-disaster risks and behaviour of disasters like extreme weather or wildfires, allowing more-accurate predictions of when those events might occur. It allows us to see what鈥檚 happening below the Earth鈥檚 surface, as well as above us, and how they all relate to each other.

Beyond natural disasters, Samavati鈥檚 system can help cities plan infrastructure, epidemiologists map disease outbreaks and the energy sector make decisions about subsurface operations. In our day-to-day lives, it can help create more accurate traffic and weather reports.

Samavati is also the lead scientist for a technology startup,  which aims to bring clarity to geospatial data for its stakeholders through an innovative global grid system, allowing them to make well-informed decisions.

Big Geo has close ties to U91快色, which is a top startup creator in Canada. Past grants from Mitacs were in support of the collaboration between the company and Samavati鈥檚 research team. 

鈥淚nnovation is always a collective achievement,鈥� says Samavati, who thanks his research team and collaborators for their contributions, as well as U91快色 and the Faculty of Science for supporting his work and for "combining academic excellence with a spirit of innovation.

He鈥檚 also thankful to Mitacs for enabling these partnerships, and to his sponsors 鈥� especially BigGeo 鈥� for their vision and commitment.

Samavati sees bold possibilities for the future, moving beyond the idea of the digital global toward a living digital twin of the Earth.

鈥淚magine a tool that helps us see and understand our planet in new and better ways?鈥� he says.