New Technology Developed in Nova Scotia

An advancement in alarm technology was unveiled today at a demonstration at the water treatment plant in Sydney.

The autodialer software program, developed by Lynk Electric Ltd. of Sydney with the support of the Department of the Environment, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM), and the University College of Cape Breton (UCCB) is a major advancement in alarm detection and reporting for industrial and commercial use.

Allan Hawco of Lynk Electric said the impetus in developing this product centred on providing an accurate and reliable alarm and reporting program.

"Today's systems have the ability to track hundreds or even thousands of alarms, but until now, the average system didn't have a mechanism to report more than eight at a time using a phone connection," he said. "The autodialer not only reports all alarms or malfunctions, but it pinpoints the site, the problem, and allows for intervention by staff over the phone."

Mayor David Muise of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality said there is already evidence this system is saving time and money at the Sydney water treatment facility.

"When there is a system failure, the autodialer notifies on-duty staff immediately and that staff member can begin system corrections over the phone. In other words, the autodialer can initiate staff commands before a person even gets to the scene."

Environment Minister Don Downe said its another example of work that promotes the growth of the environmental industry sector in Nova Scotia. "We have made an investment here, and the potential is limitless. Lynk has developed this program which can now be marketed around the world. It's another great achievement for Nova Scotia."

The minister also congratulated the partners involved in the development of the autodialer software program. "Lynk, with assistance from the province, CBRM and UCCB, has shown how partnerships with government, business and the community can work."