For Immediate Release

Aug 31, 2016

OpenBroadcaster Inc and Computerisms Corporation are pleased to have played a part in a project spearheaded by SSI Micro and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA) to introduce its latest public service, the Kitikmeot Radio Network (KRN).

The pilot project was launched July 9th and was timed to coincide with KIA’s 40th Anniversary. Nodes of the KRN were deployed in Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, and Ottawa, and were used to broadcast a live FM broadcast and Internet stream of Nunavut Day Music Festival held in Cambridge Bay. The success of the project paves the way to expand the project to all Nunavut communities.

Computerisms Corporation deployed software produced by OpenBroadcaster Inc on Linux servers for each of the three pilot project’s KRN nodes. Each server is configured so that each community can interact with its own server without using expensive and limited Satellite Internet resources. The geographically diverse servers then synchronize themselves using the Satellite Internet connection in the most efficient way possible. A node in Ottawa with less expensive and more abundant Internet resources is used for streaming to other parts of Canada and the world.

“This is a classic example of how the extreme reliability and cost-efficiency of Linux is an excellent fit for Northern data networks,” says Bob Miller of Computerisms, a long-time promoter of Linux and Open Source Software. “It is perfectly suited to running in environments with scarce hardware and network resources, and requires a minimum of maintenance so is ideal for hard-to-get-to geographic locations. We have used it in multiple projects, including management of an entire Yukon First Nation’s IT infrastructure, where security was a really important factor.”

OpenBroadcaster software running on the KRN servers is used by individual community members to schedule and program radio shows using its own online media library, and then outputs those shows to an FM transmitter or as an Internet stream. As Canada’s first and only Open Source Software to support the CAP emergency alerting protocol as recently mandated by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), it also provides valuable Emergency Broadcasting services for corporate enterprises, government organizations and local communities.

KIA’s primary purpose for initiating the KRN project is as a language preservation tool. Communities will work with Inuit Language speakers to create a library of media, including language lessons, oral history, and contemporary information. OpenBroadcaster’s online media library function will be used for long-term storage of this media, where radio station programmers in any community can schedule it for broadcast for years to come. The KRN nodes in Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk will be used to broadcast daily shows in the Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut dialect in the two communities.

With the success of the pilot project, owner/operators of the KRN infrastructure SSI Micro will apply to the CRTC for a formal FM Radio license in preparation of expansion of the radio network.

For further information, please contact:

Bob Miller
Director
Computerisms Corporation
867-633-3760
https://computerisms.ca

Rob Hopkins
Founder and CEO
OpenBroadcaster Inc.
867-667-6397
https://openbroadcaster.com

About Computerisms Corporation:

Computerisms has operated since 2006 in Whitehorse, Yukon, providing IT consultation, design, deployment, and maintenance to a wide variety of indigenous governments, businesses and organizations across the territories and BC. Linux and Open Source Software have been a staple in Computerisms’ goal of providing businesses network implementations that provide a comparable or superior feature set at a lower price point as compared to Microsoft-based solutions.

About OpenBroadcaster Inc.:

OpenBroadcaster’s mission is to develop and provide products and services for broadcasters of any size, working in analog or digital environments. We offer open-source broadcasting solutions to individuals, small-to-medium sized businesses and communities that allow them to distribute media over the air and via the Internet in an efficient and cost-effective manner. We aim to strengthen links between communities and cultures globally by supporting and facilitating the formation of broadcaster networks that are capable of pooling resources, jointly managing media, and sharing stories.

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