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Environment and Conservation October 10, 2008
European Space Agency to Incorporate Newfoundland and
Labrador Innovation
Water management technology from Newfoundland and Labrador will now be used by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of its TIGER project in Egypt to use space technology for water resource management. Following the successful completion of the two-year project entitled Satellite Monitoring of Lake Water Quality in Egypt � Enhanced System Demonstration, ESA has extended the project to use Real Time Water Quality Monitoring (RTWQ) technology from this province. Remote sensing � the use of cameras mounted on space-based satellites to observe the earth � will be partnered with RTWQ monitoring technology from Newfoundland and Labrador. This real time monitoring involves the installation of an instrument into a water body which then reports water quality information on a near-real-time basis. The combination of remote sensing and RTWQ will permit water resources specialists to map the water quality of large lakes at frequent intervals. This will allow for the better management of lakes and help with the detection of adverse events such as algal blooms.
"This is the first known integration of remote sensing
with real-time water quality monitoring in the world and is expected to
have many international applications, including within Newfoundland and
Labrador," said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment
and Conservation. "Lakes are a
precious source of freshwater in Egypt and internationally, and the
usage of lake water must be carefully managed to satisfy a variety of
different, and often competing, domestic, agricultural and industrial
uses."
The extension of this project to combine both these
technologies is international recognition of the Provincial Government�s
water resources expertise, and the remote sensing expertise of the
Newfoundland and Labrador company C-CORE. The project will be managed by
C-CORE with the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation as
an end user. "Our joint efforts are contributing to the social,
economic and environmental security of various countries, and we are
also witnessing the results at home," said Minister Johnson. "The remote
sensing expertise and technology gained through the first phase of the
project was used to develop a satellite-based snow monitoring service
that we currently use for flood forecasting in the Humber Valley region
of the province."
"C-CORE is looking forward to our continued
collaboration with the Department of Environment and Conservation to
export the world-class expertise of both our organizations," said Dr.
Charles Randell, President and Chief Executive Officer of C-CORE.
Four water resources experts from the Department of
Environment and Conservation- Martin Goebel, Haseen Khan, Dr. Amir Ali
Khan and Paul Neary � will travel to Egypt and Italy at various times in
2008 and 2009 to undertake field work, offer training courses to
Egyptian participants, participate in meetings and share expertise in
the application of space technology (satellite) for water resources
management. They will be accompanied by C-CORE senior manager, Thomas
Puestow. "The use of these technologies in the ESA project
highlights the strong expertise in this department and in our local
companies," said Minister Johnson. "This is international recognition of
our government�s success in using extremely innovative methods to
monitor our water resources. These individuals will represent our
department and our province well." - 30 - Media contact: 2008 10 10
11:00 a.m.
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