October 27, 2022 | Local, Land
Politics This Morning: Eyre talks the future of the CAF
Plus, the Bloc will argue in the House that Canada should ditch the monarchy.
November 20, 2017 | Local, Aerospace, C4ISR
FORT COLLINS, Colorado/VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Remote GeoSystems, North Shore Rescue and Talon Helicopters are pleased to announce the successful deployment of a geoDVR™ Gen2 with a FLIR daylight EO/IR gyro-stabilized video camera on an Airbus TwinStar (AS355) for Search and Rescue (SAR) missions.
The geoDVR Gen2 is an advanced mil-spec DVR for recording multiple channels of HD & Standard-Definition geospatial full motion video in airborne and rugged vehicle environments. The geoDVR's ability to reliably record HD color and IR, along with continuous GPS data and Live Moving Maps, makes it ideally suited for professional airborne search & rescue, law enforcement and infrastructure inspection applications that utilize multi-sensor gimbal video cameras.
“Remote Geo has a reputation for building one of the industry's most dependable and user-friendly airborne geospatial video recorders, complete with flexible post-flight mapping tools. So the geoDVR Gen2 was an obvious choice when we were asked to fly the FLIR on the TwinStar for mountain search and rescue,” says Peter Murray, Founder/Operations Manager at Talon Helicopters.
North Shore Rescue and Talon Helicopters team operate the geoDVR and FLIR during ground training in October 2017
“Adding the FLIR camera to North Shore Rescue's toolbox has been a great enhancement to NSR's capabilities. Having the ability to record and geo-track the location of the video seemed essential to maximizing the full potential of the FLIR camera. The geoDVR allows searchers to review recorded video for clues that may or may not have been observed during the flight,” says Jim Loree, North Shore Rescue SAR Manager and Air Operations Coordinator. According to Loree, “This feature could also be highly valuable in a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake where widespread areas are surveyed for damage. Emergency Operation Centers would be able to use the data to help them make decisions on where and how to deploy resources based on the exact location and extent of damages provided by the video recording.”
North Shore Rescue and Talon Helicopters will use the geoDVR with a FLIR generously donated by Port of Vancouver to perform helicopter-based SAR operations with color and infrared. Then, using LineVision™ software post-flight, North Shore Rescue will review the geoDVR videos and flight tracks overlaid on Google Earth and Esri maps for training mission planning and recovery operations.
Since North Shore Rescue is an all volunteer organization, Remote GeoSystems donated 18 LineVision Esri Maps and LineVision Google Earth licenses as part of the implementation.
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About North Shore Rescue
North Shore Rescue (North Shore Search and Rescue) is a volunteer community-based Mountain Search and Rescue Team based in Vancouver, BC and performs approximately 130 rescue calls a year.
The team consists of approximately 45 volunteers skilled in search and rescue operations in mountain, canyon and urban settings.
The team has existed for 50 years, making it one of the oldest SAR teams in Canada. During this time the number of calls each year has gradually increased. Over the past 50 years the team has been involved in more than 2500 search and rescue operations volunteering over 200,000 hours of effort. These calls have involved over 2000 subjects, and approximately 25% of the calls have involved subject injuries or death.
Learn more by visiting http://www.northshorerescue.com/
About Talon Helicopters
Talon is Vancouver's number one supplier of helicopter services, and the region's largest supplier of intermediate helicopters. Talon is locally owned and operated, and provides exceptional customer service with 20 years of incident and accident free operations. Specialized mission services include search & rescue, broadcast and film, wildfire suppression and utility patrols/operations.
Learn more by visiting http://www.taloncopters.com/
https://www.remotegeo.com/north-shore-rescue-talon-helicopters-geodvr-flir-sar/
October 27, 2022 | Local, Land
Plus, the Bloc will argue in the House that Canada should ditch the monarchy.
May 7, 2020 | Local, Aerospace
Posted on May 7, 2020 by Chris Thatcher Public Services and Procurement Canada has extended the deadline for proposals to replace the CF-188 Hornets until July 31, 2020. The 30-day extension is a response to the coronavirus pandemic that has disrupted business operations globally, especially in the aerospace sector. “The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting numerous challenges for businesses and their workforce, including the eligible suppliers for the Future Fighter Capability Project,” said a spokesperson for the department in a statement on May 6. “The unprecedented situation has impacted proposal finalization. To support our commitment to conducting an open, fair, and transparent competition, the extension will ensure all suppliers are able to submit their most competitive offer to Canada.” Three qualified contenders remain in the competition to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force fighter jet fleet: Sweden's Saab Aeronautics with the Gripen E and the United States-backed Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II. Dassualt Aviation and Airbus Defense and Space withdrew their entrants, the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon, in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The project, valued at up to $19 billion, is seeking proposals for 88 advanced aircraft to replace an aging fleet of 76 A and B model Hornets that began entering service in the mid-1980s. The bids will be evaluated on technical capability, worth 60 per cent of the evaluation; acquisition and operating costs (20 per cent); and economic benefit to Canadian industry, also 20 per cent and the highest weighting for economic return on any defence procurement to date. It's the second time this year the federal government has prolonged the deadline for the request for proposals (RFP). In February, at the request of one of the suppliers, it granted a three-month extension from March 30 to June 30. Release of the formal RFP was also pushed back several times before being issued in July 2019, to accommodate changes during the draft RFP process. The project is the largest acquisition in recent Air Force history and has faced numerous schedule changes over the past decade. This latest change comes a week after Canada submitted an annual payment of US$70.1 million to remain in the F-35 development program, which is being supported by nine partner countries. To date, the government has invested US$541.3 million since 1997 into the multi-variant, next-generation fighter program. However, Canadian companies have captured US$1.8 billion in work on the fighter. “This participation provides Canadian industry with contract opportunities that are only available to program participants,” a spokesperson for National Defence told Canadian Press. “Our membership will also allow us preferential pricing and sequencing in the build schedule should the F-35 aircraft be successful in the current future fighter capability program.” Despite the recent delay because of COVID-19, PSPC still anticipates to award a contract in 2022. The first new aircraft would be delivered in early 2025. In the interim, the government is acquiring and upgrading 18 operational Australian F/A-18A Hornets to augment the current fleet of 76 Hornets. The RCAF is also finalizing an upgrade package for the 76 fighters that will likely include enhancements to their combat capability. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/government-extends-fighter-proposal-deadline/
May 22, 2019 | Local, Other Defence
C2MI et Varitron inaugurent le premier centre de fabrication de pointe au Canada consacré à l'assemblage de cartes électroniques et à l'électronique imprimée Bromont et Saint-Hubert (Québec), 17 mai 2019 – C2MI etVaritron sont fières d'annoncer officiellement l'ouverture du premier centre de fabrication de pointe au Canada consacré entièrement à l'assemblage de cartes électroniques et à l'électronique imprimée. Établi dans le centre de recherche de C2MI à Bromont, le centre de fabrication de pointe sera doté des équipements à la fine pointe utilisés dans les domaines de l'électronique imprimée, de l'assemblage de circuits, de la nanoprotection et des techniques de refroidissement avancées ainsi que d'une chaîne d'approvisionnement intégrée qui permettra une fabrication à grande échelle. Cette annonce a été faite dans le cadre du CPES2019, le plus important congrès canadien sur l'électronique imprimable, flexible et hybride, organisé par intelliFLEX à Bromont les 16 et 17 mai derniers. Des installations uniques pour accélérer le développement des technologies émergentes L'objectif de ces nouvelles installations est de veiller à ce que des entreprises de tous les segments de marché demeurent des fournisseurs de premier plan par leurs capacités à offrir de nouveaux produits, de nouvelles possibilités et de nouvelles applications, restant ainsi à l'avant-garde du processus de l'offre et de la demande. Des équipes hautement qualifiées composées d'experts et de scientifiques chevronnés provenant de l'industrie et du milieu universitaire aideront les entreprises dans leur développement de produits et leur processus de conception, tout en continuant de se concentrer sur des cibles de production à grande échelle pour les diverses solutions qu'elles proposent. Les entreprises pourront avoir accès à des services à la carte ou proposer des technologies qui n'ont pas encore été testées ou développées en utilisant un éventail de services allant de la conception à la commercialisation. La Politique des retombées industrielles et technologiques (RIT) est un incitatif significatif pour les entreprises étrangères qui choisiront d'utiliser les services du centre de fabrication de pointe puisque cette politique exige que les entreprises à qui l'on octroie des contrats dans le domaine de la défense exercent leurs activités au Canada. Le projet du centre de fabrication de pointe, qui représente un investissement total de 6,5 M$, a pu être réalisé gr'ce à la collaboration scientifique de l'Université de Sherbrooke et de Varitron, ainsi qu'au financement du Ministère de l'Économie et de l'Innovation du Québec de l'ordre de 3 M$, du C2MI pour 2,1 M$ ainsi qu'aux fournisseurs d'équipement qui ont contribué jusqu'à 1,4 M$ en capacités à valeur ajoutée. « Le centre de fabrication de pointe jouera un rôle déterminant pour que les entreprises canadiennes demeurent en tête de peloton de la concurrence en accélérant le développement de solutions et de produits novateurs afin que ces derniers soient commercialisés plus rapidement. En tant que centre de recherche et de développement, l'un de nos objectifs principaux est de veiller à ce que nos installations soient dotées d'équipements qui assureront la compétitivité de nos clients et de nos membres, peu importe le secteur industriel dans lequel ils évoluent », a indiqué Normand Bourbonnais, chef de la direction de C2MI. « Ce centre de fabrication de pointe est une étape importance pour s'assurer que l'écosystème d'innovations a accès à des installations et des équipements de pointe et à la plus récente expertise scientifique pour accélérer son développement technologique », a dit Michel Farley, président et chef de la direction de Varitron. « Après plus de quatre ans de planification et de peaufinage, Varitron est fière de voir ce projet se concrétiser. » http://www.c2mi.ca/communique-de-presse/c2mi-et-varitron-inaugurent-le-premier-centre-de-fabrication-de-pointe-au-canada-consacre-a-lassemblage-de-cartes-electroniques-et-a-lelectronique-imprimee/