The Boeing Company (Boeing) has made an Industrial Technological Benefit (ITB) Investment Framework (IF) placement into RaceRocks 3D Inc (RaceRocks) based in Victoria, BC. The data analytics platform will allow Boeing and other Aerospace and Defence (A&D) primes that collect and store big data to get data out of limited in-house IT infrastructures and deploy it to an ITAR and CGP compliant cloud based platform.
The ITB IF placement will enable the R&D project, now in a prototype stage, to move into Minimal Viable Product (MVP) and through to commercialization and will allow highly scalable processing and use of industry best practices, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). Initial testing of the prototype has shown the ability to take a project that took 16 hours to solve with existing capabilities and solve it in 22 seconds. The increased efficiency and throughput this represents will greatly enhance the predictive maintenance capabilities of Boeing’s data scientists and support their various solutions for military aircraft In Service Support (ISS) and Performance Based Logistics (PBL) programs, as they will be able to iterate faster, on larger datasets, and deliver value to customers quicker.
“Global competition in cloud-based big data is huge, but in the sub-sector of A&D, (ITAR & CGP) cloud-based solutions, there are currently few competitors. Amazon.gov is a relatively new service so each OEM is trying to understand the environment internally, but large primes have the added hurdle of complex IT, Legal, Security, contracting and HR constraints that will make this R&D take many years to implement instead of months. We are working to have a first to market solution that will win market share,” explains RaceRocks CEO, Scott Dewis.
RaceRocks has been supporting Boeing Vancouver’s data science team for over a year, particularly on C-17, KC-135 and KC-46 programs. RaceRocks will be able to work outside the rigid processes that internal IT teams would need to go through, while still maintaining compliance with security and IT requirements. RaceRocks also currently supports other A&D primes with data analytics as a service– demonstrating a near-term market interest to exploit with a functioning data analytics production environment.
“Through Boeing’s 100-year partnership with Canada and our industrial engagement programs, we are able to bring the best of Canadian industry to Boeing, and the best of Boeing to Canadian industry,” said Roger Schallom, Boeing senior manager, Canada, International Strategic Partnerships. “Boeing has contributed more than CAD$4 billion of economic benefit to Canada each year working with a strong team of Canadian partners and suppliers. Under active IRB and ITB programs, Boeing has completed more than CAD$11 billion in commitments and continues to provide opportunities for innovation and technology collaboration among other additional benefits.”
RaceRocks 3D Inc:
RaceRocks is a full-service provider of advanced data analytics that enable critical decision-making and Technology Enabled Learning (TEL) systems that enable people. We integrate technologies including augmented reality, simulation, games and video storytelling to transfer information in a format that is engaging, immersive and entertaining to achieve optimal training results. Incorporated in 2010, we are a woman and aboriginal managed small business located in Victoria, British Columbia, and we are proud of our diverse executive leadership, management, and workforce. This Platform as a Service R&D and commercialization project will allow RaceRocks to continue to organically attract a gender-balanced and culturally-diverse workforce adding an additional 8 people to our data team and allowing eventual growth to an additional 20 high-technology positions that align with Canadian Key Industrial Capabilities and priorities.
