Monthly Archives: February 2007

Toronto, February 2007: AUG Signals has been awarded a CSA (Canadian Space Agency) contract to develop a polarimetric constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detector using Markov chains. This is an innovative technique that will result in a new class of CFAR detectors, which may either stand alone or complement traditional CFAR detection performance. The anticipated CFAR detection improvement is expected to be as much as 30%.

Target detection is a fundamental analysis tool essential for almost all remote sensing applications. Unlike conventional CFAR detectors that have been designed to detect objects described by point data or with low image resolution, a high-performance Markov chain CFAR detector will make optimal use of the higher resolution information provided by RADARSAT-2. The Markov chain CFAR detector will exploit the finer resolution and selective polarization provided by RADARSAT-2 in order to yield greater detection performance.

This new technology can be used for a variety of military and defense applications such as coastal surveillance, ship detection, detection of land targets, iceberg monitoring, etc. In addition, Markov chain CFAR detector can also be employed in commercial applications, anything from agriculture (compliance monitoring, crop monitoring) and forestry to sea ice monitoring.

Markov chain CFAR detector will solidify Canada’s position as a global leader in remote sensing data provision, applications, and innovative technology.

For more information, please contact the Project Manager, Dr. Chuhong Fei.

Toronto, February 2007: AUG Signals has been chosen to lead an Intelligent Drinking Water monitoring project in partnership with EPCOR Water Services, University of Toronto, Public Health Agency of Canada, Queen’s University Centre for Water and the Environment, and University of Calgary. Funded by Precarn, the objective of the project is to develop an Intelligent Situation Assessment Unit (ISAU) that will detect drinking water contaminants by using inputs from multiple sensors and public health syndromic surveillance data. The water quality analysis will be communicated to water system operators, providing them with early warning of contamination and allowing for an immediate response.

Emerging sensor and intelligent systems technologies create an opportunity for drinking water distribution monitoring to be significantly enhanced. Current methods of laboratory sampling can be improved upon, reducing detection times and the costs of water monitoring. This is particularly true in smaller municipalities and rural regions, where water treatment procedures may not be as sophisticated and water testing facilities and expertise may be limited.

The fusion of sensor and non-sensor information pertaining to water quality is an entirely new application of intelligent systems and may lead to revolutionary methods of detecting drinking water contamination. The project establishes Canada as a leader in drinking water monitoring technology research and innovation.

For more information, please contact the Project Manager, Xia Liu.