The Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION) is a high-speed

optical Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviole ...

research and education network A national research and education network (NREN) is a specialised internet service provider dedicated to supporting the needs of the research and education communities within a country. It is usually distinguished by support for a high-speed backb ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It connects virtually all of Ontario's research and education institutions including every university, most colleges, several

teaching hospital A teaching hospital is a hospital or medical centre that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities and are often co-located ...

s, public research facilities and several school boards to one another and to the global grid of R&E networks using

optical fibre An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means to ...

History

ORION was founded in 2001 (then as The Optical Regional Advanced Network of Ontario, or ORANO) with the support of the Ontario Government. ORION is a self-sustaining not-for-profit organization kickstarted by the Ontario Government under Premier Harris. ORION is owned and operated by a not-for-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors, which includes representatives from the fields of education, research and business. ORION was initially funded by the

Government of Ontario The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor� ...

with additional funding from CANARIE, as well as private and public sector organizations and institutions. ORION is a self-sustaining organization, generating revenue from its connected institutions through user access fees and over network-based services.

Network

The network spans and connects 28 communities throughout Ontario. Almost 100 organizations and special projects connect to ORION directly, including 21 universities, 22 colleges, 34 school boards representing 2 million students, 13 teaching hospitals and medical research centres, and other research and educational and public library facilities.Who We Serve
/ref> ORION connects to research and education networks elsewhere in Canada and internationally through the national

CANARIE CANARIE (formerly the Canadian Network for the Advancement of Research, Industry and Education) is the not-for-profit organisation which operates the national backbone network of Canada's national research and education network (NREN). The orga ...

network, which exchanges with ORION at the

Toronto Internet Exchange The Toronto Internet Exchange Community (TorIX) is a not-for-profit Internet Exchange Point (IXP) located in a carrier hotel at 151 Front Street West, Equinix's TR2 data centre at 45 Parliament Street and 905 King Street West in Toronto, Ontar ...

References

External links

* {{American research and education networks Academic computer network organizations 2002 establishments in Ontario Organizations based in Toronto Organizations established in 2002 Science and technology in Canada