Middleton, NS – Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) will become the only college in Canada with a research bathymetric Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) device that can unlock the mysteries off Nova Scotia’s shores thanks to the support of a national innovation award and industry partners.
“The possibilities are as vast as the waters we will be charting,” says NSCC research scientist and PhD in Earth Sciences Tim Webster. “Our team will be able to map seabed topography by air, unearthing a wealth of data to support initiatives in areas including sustainable harvesting practices, aquatic vegetation health, wave predictions to better define storm surge detail, and nautical hazards plotting.”
Industry partners investing in the research project, including McGregor GeoScience Ltd., Acadian Seaplants Limited, Leading Edge Geomatics, GeoNet Technologies Inc. and Nova Scotia Power Inc., are relying on the project’s equipment and research to be of benefit to their specific business needs.
“Acadian Seaplants’ stewardship of the rockweed fishery will advance even further because we will use the latest imaging technology and high-tech software to identify, much faster, where the rockweed is and how much is there,” says Acadian Seaplants Limited, Vice-President of Research, Alan Critchley.“NSCC’s expertise and new technologies will augment our sustainable resource management practices and enable the adoption of the most advanced scientific tools to safeguard the marine resource.”
The project scope includes the purchase of a new laser system, two new GPS receivers, a boat and extra staffing support. The bathymetric LIDAR equipment is able to measure the subsurface topography in oceans, rivers and lakes, offering a safe, cost-effective and efficient means of collecting data in difficult-to-access areas.
This bathymetric LIDAR is unique in that it can be mounted in an aircraft to look down into the water or can be turned sideways and mounted on a boat to measure the detail of the coastline. Repeat surveys can accurately measure erosion after storms or provide important information to infrastructure projects along the coastline, such as cable landing sites.
The award is part of a $12.5-million funding announcement for applied research and business innovation from the foundation’s College Industry-Innovation Fund.
“Canadian colleges are an important player in our national innovation ecosystem,” says Gilles G. Patry, president and CEO of the CFI. “The team at NSCC is showing what colleges can achieve when they have the state-of-the-art research infrastructure they need to conduct top level applied research.”
About CFI
The Canada Foundation for Innovation gives researchers the tools they need to think big and innovate. By investing in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in Canada’s universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions, the CFI is helping to attract and retain the world’s top talent, to train the next generation of researchers, to support private-sector innovation and to create high-quality jobs that strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life for all Canadians. For more information, visit innovation.ca.
About NSCC
NSCC is committed to building Nova Scotia’s economy and quality of life through education and innovation. Serving the province through a network of 13 campuses, NSCC offers over 100 programs in five academic schools. These programs reflect the labour market needs and opportunities of the provincial economy and set graduates on a course for career success. According to NSCC’s 2012 Graduate Follow-up Study, 86% of NSCC graduates are employed, most in their field of choice. Of those, 94% live and work in Nova Scotia. For more information about NSCC, go to www.nscc.ca.
[images source: agrg.cogs.nscc.ca]
