June 9, 2006 OTTAWA - Dr. Barry Wellar, Distinguished Geomatics Scientist at the Laboratory for Applied Geomatics and GIS Science, University of Ottawa, has been appointed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council to the Strategic Projects Selection Panel - Safety and Security for a three-year term. Dr. Wellar was previously a member of the Selection Panel, Joint Interdependent Infrastructures Research Program, which is co-sponsored by Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

Professor Wellar is internationally known for his many studies into the connections between physical and cyber infrastructures, and the increasingly central role of information technology in the operations of governments and corporations. Based on information systems research and applications projects that began in the United States and Canada in the 1960s and 1970s, and assignments for the United Nations,

OECD,  and other public and private enterprises, he has been a leader in studying how computer-communications technologies, systems and services have evolved as  critical infrastructure in Canada and other technologically advanced societies.

Dr. Wellar’s current research at LAGGISS includes investigating the application of geographic information systems to wireless broadband planning and deployment processes, the refinement of 3D visualization techniques in geomatics education and training curricula, the integration of GIS, spatial databases and the Internet for disaster assessment and response purposes, and the design and application of indexes to evaluate infrastructure performance.

Faculty and students at LAGGISS congratulate Dr. Wellar on his appointment to NSERC’s Strategic Projects Selection Panel - Safety and Security.

For more information about the Laboratory, please contact Dr. Michael Sawada, Director at: msawada@uottawa.ca or (613) 562-5800 x1040.

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