Canada Centre for Remote Sensing
Encyclopedia
The Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) is a branch of Natural Resources Canada
's Earth Science Sector. It was created in 1970 with Lawrence Morley
as the first Director General. The department also works closely with the private sector
, especially with the development of GIS software.
. The Centre constructs remote sensing
technology and applications. It is also working closely with other departments for the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure, which helps distribute acquired information.
The CCRS also has the responsibility of maintaining the Atlas of Canada
. The Atlas is a summary of the information acquired that is released to the general public.
The CCRS operates two remote sensing ground stations, the Gatineau Satellite Station and the Prince Albert Satellite Station
.
imagery. The GlobeSAR program included the collection of airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia/Pacific region. The primary purpose of GlobeSAR was to strengthen the capability of the participating countries to use radar data in resource management applications, and to prepare for the use of data from the Canadian Radarsat-1
satellite which was launched in 1995. Canadian scientists and experts traveled throughout the world to collect, process and distribute the data to collaborating scientists in host countries. A series of training seminars were held over the course of several years, which greatly contributed to improving awareness and also developing applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar
imagery.
Natural Resources Canada
The Department of Natural Resources , operating under the FIP applied title Natural Resources Canada , is the ministry of the government of Canada responsible for natural resources, energy, minerals and metals, forests, earth sciences, mapping and remote sensing...
's Earth Science Sector. It was created in 1970 with Lawrence Morley
Lawrence Morley
Lawrence Morley, Ph.D. is a Canadian geophysicist. He is best known for his studies on the magnetic properties of ocean crust and their effect on plate tectonics.-Biography:Morley worked with Britons Fred Vine and Drummond Matthews...
as the first Director General. The department also works closely with the private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
, especially with the development of GIS software.
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the CCRS are to provide remotely sensed geographical information to decision makers, related industries and the general publicGeneral Public
General Public were a band formed by The Beat vocalists, Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger, and which included former members of Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Specials and The Clash...
. The Centre constructs remote sensing
Remote sensing
Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...
technology and applications. It is also working closely with other departments for the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure, which helps distribute acquired information.
The CCRS also has the responsibility of maintaining the Atlas of Canada
Atlas of Canada
The Atlas of Canada is an Internet atlas published by Natural Resources Canada that has information on every city, town, village, and hamlet in Canada...
. The Atlas is a summary of the information acquired that is released to the general public.
The CCRS operates two remote sensing ground stations, the Gatineau Satellite Station and the Prince Albert Satellite Station
Prince Albert Radar Laboratory
The Prince Albert Radar Laboratory was a radar research facility operated by the Defence Research Telecommunications Establishment , part of the Canadian Defence Research Board. Its primary purpose was to test long-range radio propagation and radar techniques in the presence of the aurora borealis...
.
Sub-units
The department is coordinated into the following sub-units.- Applications Division
- Data Acquisition Division
- Director General's Office
- Earth Observation and GeoSolutions Division
- GeoAccess Division
- Geomatics Canada - Geodetic Survey Division
Selected Programs
GlobeSAR was a very important Program that propelled Canada and the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing as a key contributor to the international Earth Observation Community, and positioned companies such as Radarsat International Inc (now part of MacDonald Detwiller and Associates) and Intermap (formerly Interra) as key commercial partners in providing data and services based on Synthetic Aperture RadarSynthetic aperture radar
Synthetic-aperture radar is a form of radar whose defining characteristic is its use of relative motion between an antenna and its target region to provide distinctive long-term coherent-signal variations that are exploited to obtain finer spatial resolution than is possible with conventional...
imagery. The GlobeSAR program included the collection of airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia/Pacific region. The primary purpose of GlobeSAR was to strengthen the capability of the participating countries to use radar data in resource management applications, and to prepare for the use of data from the Canadian Radarsat-1
RADARSAT-1
Radarsat-1 is Canada's first commercial Earth observation satellite.-Mission:It was launched at 14h22 UTC on November 4, 1995 from Vandenberg AFB in California, into a sun-synchronous orbit above the Earth with an altitude of 798 kilometers and inclination of 98.6 degrees...
satellite which was launched in 1995. Canadian scientists and experts traveled throughout the world to collect, process and distribute the data to collaborating scientists in host countries. A series of training seminars were held over the course of several years, which greatly contributed to improving awareness and also developing applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar
Synthetic aperture radar
Synthetic-aperture radar is a form of radar whose defining characteristic is its use of relative motion between an antenna and its target region to provide distinctive long-term coherent-signal variations that are exploited to obtain finer spatial resolution than is possible with conventional...
imagery.