CIDCO, technology that probes the ocean’s depths
Everyone has heard about the damages caused by the flooding in Eastern Quebec in December 2010 and coastal erosion, all problems that share a common denominator: water. Thanks to various technologies developed in partnership with business, the experts at the Centre interdisciplinaire de développement en cartographie des océans ( CIDCO -- Interdisciplinary Centre for the Development of Ocean Mapping) are providing data and images that allow for careful, detailed analysis of these phenomena which may become more frequent in the near future.
Established in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, CIDCO is well known for the undersea applications it has developed and that are used to inspect underwater structures, calculate receding shorelines, and characterize the marine soil.
CIDCO is a non-profit marine geomatics research and development organization. It is dedicated to the enhancement of state-of-the-art technology for marine geospatial data acquisition, management and graphic representation. CIDCO aims to increase the expertise of enterprises in this field by improving or developing new methods and technologies for ocean mapping in partnership with industry and educational institutions.
Since that which is essential is invisible to the eye, CIDCO’s experts have attempted to supplement human nature with technology: bionic eyes to scrutinize the seafloor, sound detectors, soil surveys, whatever it takes to demystify the ocean depths … but for what purpose? The information collected is used to address diverse problems, such as climate change or the erosion of our shorelines, to name but two.
Canada Economic Development has been a partner of CIDCO since its inception. This partnership has enabled the organization to purchase equipment, finance R-D activities and transfer technology to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The results of this particularly productive collaboration speak for themselves. Indeed, since 2003, CIDCO has created seven permanent jobs and carried out more than 50 projects with more than 20 clients. It has also established 10 research partnerships and developed no less than four new technologies. Its achievements include:
Inspection of underwater structures
In collaboration with the firm Mosaic 3D, which specializes in the acquisition and processing of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data, CIDCO has developed a method to see a three-dimensional view of emerged and submerged vertical surfaces of the bridge pillars and quay wall structures, with a multibeam sonar.
High resolution mapping
Thanks to tools developed by CIDCO, seafloor objects can be identified, whether they are under sediment layers or floating in the water column, with a level of accuracy varying between a metre and a few centimetres. Based on these data, bathymetric images (study of the ocean depth) and seafloor reflectivity images are produced, representing coastline movement or shoreline erosion.
Seafloor characterization
Certain methods provide the capability to classify various bottom dwelling species and to characterize benthic (seafloor) habitats. The findings of these analyses facilitate the management and sustainable use of marine resources, such as, for example, the identification of a habitat suitable for crab or lobster rearing.
What’s more, CIDCO supports geomatics sector SMEs in testing and understanding how to use cutting edge equipment and in their efforts to enter new markets.
Through their various activities and numerous projects, CIDCO’s experts make a significant contribution both to the development of the Bas-Saint-Laurent’s science and technology industrial cluster and to the emergence of innovative enterprises in the region. Who knows, after conquering space, perhaps the world’s next feat will be to conquer the Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
For more on CIDCO: http://www.cidco.ca
