Page 22: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2011)

FreshWater Monitoring and Sensors

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When modifying an aircraft, PAL installs a variety of equipment includ- ing: 360-degree maritime radars, gyro-stabilized forward-looking infrared, nighttime photography, dig- ital communication, airborne dataacquisition and management, anti-submarine acoustic, and signals intel-ligence systems. Focused on assisting governments in fulfilling their civilian maritimerequirements, PAL has had success executing on its business model. ?It?s not cost-effective to have military assets looking at fishing vessels and ships pumping their bilges,?explained Scott. Newfoundland?s harsh marine envi- ronment has been the key factor in PAL?s rise to global stature. ?This location has forced us to be innova- tive in our technology development,? Scott said. ?It?s our playground for developing capabilities in all of our operations: target detection, icereconnaissance mapping, and satellite communications.? After acing icebergdetection, Scott and his colleaguessoon realized they had a capability that could be applied to fisheries sur-veillance, pollution monitoring (oil spills and the discharge of ships? bilges), search and rescue, and defense. Whereas PAL purchases sensors and other electronics off the shelf, they use their proprietary Asynchronous Data Acquisition and Management System software for in-flight mission management and data collection(which PAL began developing in 1986), real-time mapping, and report generation. The UAE contract has been the main growth driver over the last three years, but PAL?s ice management business had also been increasing. Since the late 1970s, the company has conducted ice reconnaissance mis- sions and ice management operationson the Grand Banks for Hibernia Management and Development Corporation, Petro-Canada/Suncor, ExxonMobil Canada, Husky Energy, Norsk Hydro, and Chevron Canada Ltd. In 2010, PAL expanded its ice management operations to western Greenland, managing icebergs for Cairn Energy?s drilling program in the Baffin Basin?the first wells drilled in the Greenland Arctic in the 22MTRNovember/December 2011View from St. John?s Photo credit: Andrew Safer ?It?s not cost-effective to have military assets looking at fishing vessels and ships pumping theirbilges,? Derek Scott, VP, PAL MTR#9 (18-33):MTR Layouts 11/28/2011 9:43 AM Page 22

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