The Canadian government is taking a high-tech, high-altitude approach to protecting marine life from oil spills and other pollution.
EMS Technologies Inc., which designs and makes wireless communications products, said Tuesday that Transport Canada will use its high-speed data-transfer technology to enhance an airborne maritime surveillance system from Swedish Space Corp.
The combined system allows data captured during aerial pollution patrols to be sent directly to marine safety inspectors enabling quicker response times that can aid prosecutions. The system works day or night and in all weather conditions, Louis Armstrong, Transport Canada's national aerial surveillance program manager, said in a statement.
"The surveillance system will enable Transport Canada to detect very fine details on the sea's surface and provides excellent imagery for oil spill detection as well as information about currents and other environmental phenomena," Armstrong said.
The satellite-based system was already installed on one of Transport Canada's aircraft, and another will be equipped with the system later this year.
The pact, which was awarded in the first quarter of 2006, is in the six-figure range, said Kate Murchison, spokeswoman for EMS Satcom in Ottawa, declining to provide more specific details. It is the first pollution-related use for the company's communications equipment, but the Taiwanese government uses EMS Satcom technology for forest fire and coastal surveillance, she added.
For the Transport Canada system, EMS Satcom provides its high-speed data terminal and other equipment, while Swedish Space provides advanced radar, an automated system for receiving ship identity information, and high-resolution digital photography and video cameras to document evidence. The digital images are combined with electronic nautical charts and displayed on a console designed for maritime surveillance missions, according to EMS Satcom.
Shares of Atlanta-based EMS Technologies added 15 cents to $20.50 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
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