MDA receives surveillance and detection R&D contracts

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., a global communications and information company, announced on Sept. 22 that it was selected by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for three projects.

Under the first project, MDA plans to evaluate how radar and optical images can be combined to detect and track ships more rapidly. Such rapid identification allows decision makers to use information as efficiently as possible to support Canada’s maritime surveillance capability.

Under the second project, MDA aims to improve the solution for monitoring geo-hazards in pipeline corridors. Early detection of changes, such as land shifts that could cause ground subsidence or landslides, allows remedial actions to happen before problems escalate and create a risk to pipelines. The information could provide pipeline developers and operators with critical risk assessment information, and potentially support more reliable monitoring of pipelines in Canada and worldwide.

For the third project, MDA intends to demonstrate the added value of RADARSAT-2 in the monitoring of forest areas by providing information on forest clear or partial cut, and to develop innovative features that will enable its use in detecting forest disturbances. The results of this project could improve the Canadian Forest Service’s current practices for disturbance mapping, providing added value to their activities, such as maintaining a national-scale carbon budget.