Canadian Engineers use space technology to detect threats to sites on earth
Vancouver engineers for AMEC, the international
engineering services firm, will begin working this month to test a down-to-
earth use for Satellite Earth Observation technology with the European Space
Agency.
The tests will locate and evaluate potential land subsidence problems at
seven sites around the globe. Land subsidence can cause significant structural
damage to highways, dams, pipelines and buildings if not identified and dealt
with early.
“When precision counts, this technology provides a level not seen before
on these types of projects,” states Colin Russell, Project Manager, AMEC.
Russell is a geotechnical engineer who is leading the project with the ESA.
“Not only is this accurate and innovative, but the information it provides can
forecast problems, increasing public and environmental safety.”
Under an ESA-funded technology-development contract, AMEC is working with
some of the world’s largest resource and infrastructure development companies
who must deal with land subsidence problems on projects throughout the world.
Testing will begin this month at underground mine workings in northern
Ontario for Placer Dome; a reclaimed mine waste rock dump in California for
Kinross Gold; a railway in Germany for Die Bahn; tunnel construction in
Germany for Walter Bau; a salt mine in Germany for Sudsalz; an open pit mine
in South Africa for Rio Tinto; and a mine access road in Peru for Teck
Cominco. Future test are planned for a pipeline corridor in British Columbia
for Terasen Gas, a railway in the United Kingdom for Network Rail and an oil
and gas reservoir in Germany for Wintershall.
In Vancouver last month, project leaders met with AMEC and the ESA to
develop protocols for using the space-borne technology. The project uses
technology that involves images acquired from satellites. The satellites can
detect changes in the ground surface with a vertical precision of a few
millimeters. This information can find zones of ground settlement that could
harm existing or future facilities.
The ESA is an entity funded by 15 European states that promotes space
exploration and research. It launches and operates satellites and annually
funds contracts to promote the use of earth-observation technology.
AMEC is being assisted by subcontractor and strategic partner Atlantis
Scientific Inc., a world-class earth observatoion provider. It is also
employing the services of Infoterra Ltd. of the United Kingdom to provide high-
resolution optical imaging services that can be used to help interpret the
satellite data. Additionally, the Land Use Planning and Natural Risks Division
of BRGM (French Geological Survey) will provide scientific review of the
project.
AMEC is an international project management and services company. With
office networks across the Americas, continental Europe and Asia, AMEC manages
projects worldwide. It generated annual revenues of CDN $11 billion and
employs 45,000 people in more than 40 countries. www.amec.com
