Melissa Erkic

Sales Director, Canada — Ouster

Melissa Erkic is the Sales Director, Canada at Ouster where she works with agencies to build safer, more efficient and inclusive transportation networks. A passionate advocate for vision-zero principles and road safety, Melissa is dedicated to deploying advanced sensor solutions that protect vulnerable road users and create safer communities. She is an active member of the TAC Road Safety Committee and has spent her career fostering strategic partnerships to solve complex transportation challenges across North America.

Moderating

F11 PANEL: Operationalizing digital infrastructure: The Roadmap from Pilot to City-Wide Deployment

Fri, May 22, 2026 · 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM · Calgary Room

Organized by Dr. Asad Lesani, CEO, Ouster

Moderator: Melissa Erkic, Ouster

Panelists,

Dr Asad Lesani, VP of Smart Infrastructure Product, Ouster
Roger Browne, Director Traffic Management at City of Toronto
Jonathan Hamel-Nunes, Chief de Division, City of Montreal •
Pranav Dave, Chief Engineer, Operations Planning – Toronto Transit Commission

This session moves beyond theoretical digital infrastructure to examine the successful operationalization of Physical AI within key Canadian cities, highlighting how AI-driven lidar digital twins can be used as real-time detection for the next generation of traffic management. Featuring expert panelists from the City of Montreal, City of Toronto, Toronto Transit Commission and Ouster, this panel will detail the critical, pragmatic steps required to successfully deploy lidar-powered Physical AI solutions on roadways and intersections at scale. The panelists will focus on the proven strategies necessary to integrate this technology into existing municipal systems, processes and budgets, with operational lessons learned so far.

Key discussion points will focus on the challenges and solutions for scaling intelligent systems:

Data governance & validation: Defining and validating digital multi-modal data for actuation and safety analytics, including spec development necessary for successful large-scale adoption across a city-wide digital program.
Integration & training: Practical steps for operationalizing Physical AI from sensor, connectivity, and edge computing assets to virtual loops and traffic controller integration.
Metrics & resiliency: Analyzing metrics for operational efficiencies in high-traffic corridors to optimize infrastructure investment and factors to consider when selecting AI models for resiliency and reliability.

This is a valuable session for agencies ready to take the first step with a pilot or to understand how to scale from a small pilot to integrated, city-wide digital infrastructure programs.