Challenge Question
Is it possible to build a low-cost system to monitor ocean sediment near sea disposal sites, to ensure the environment is protected?
Project Source: Buy and Sell, via Lassonde
Project Summary
Disposal at sea is the disposal of a substance at sea from a ship, aircraft, platform, or other structure, permitted by Canadian law under Part 7, Division 3 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999). These permits allow Canada to meet international obligations to prevent marine pollution by regulating the disposal of wastes and other matter. Many of the permitted substances consist of dredged material from river or marine sources or inert, inorganic geological material from land-based excavation. Disposal site monitoring is an integral part of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)’s disposal at sea program. Monitoring, which includes sediment sampling, acoustic and video surveys, and laboratory analysis, helps to ensure that permit conditions are met and that human and environmental health are protected. ECCC proposes to incorporate Sediment Profile Imaging (SPI) into the spectrum of monitoring techniques. Sediment Profile Imaging provides high-resolution profile pictures of the sediment/water interface (upper ~20cm of seafloor) and plan-view pictures of the seafloor surface at each station location. The addition of SPI will supplement ECCC’s ability to assess the physical and ecological impact of disposal activities. The goal of this project is to develop a low-cost, fully functioning SPI system to monitor ocean sediment near sea disposal sites, including colour cameras capable of taking high-resolution digital images, camera housing, remote triggering/communication capability, internal storage/memory, and GPS equipment. The unit should be capable of operating in depths up to 500 metres and penetrating soft sediment up to 20 centimetres deep, and it should have an operational capacity of at least 12 hours. Students interested in this project might have backgrounds in mechanical, electrical, or computer engineering; environmental science; and marine biology. This challenge originated from the Buyandsell.gc.ca website, and team members will be working with a York University mentor rather than a mentor from the organization.
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Organizational Profile
Buyandsell.gc.ca is a service of Public Works and Government Services Canada that helps Government of Canada procurement specialists, government buyers and materiel managers, and Canadian businesses that want to supply goods and services to the government. Conceived by businesses and procurement professionals to make government procurement easier, Buyandsell.gc.ca offers one location to find simple but authoritative answers to everyday questions about how to buy and sell for the federal government. By accessing open procurement and contracting data, Buyandsell.gc.ca helps businesses and government buyers focus less on figuring out how to do business and more on doing business.
Project Source Website
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Additional Information
The objective is to develop:
A fully functioning SPI system including camera(s), camera housing, remote triggering / communication capability, and deployment frame capable of operating in depths up to 500 metres
Fully functioning colour camera systems (10 megapixel minimum) capable of providing high-resolution digital images
Sufficient camera lighting / internal flash capabilities and optical image stabilization to enable taking high-resolution digital images in low / no light conditions
Ability of SPI unit to penetrate soft sediment to depths of up to 20cm deep for the purposes of profile pictures
A fully functioning secondary camera on the SPI unit with the ability to take high resolution plan view digital pictures of the seafloor at the same location and time as the profile pictures
Sufficient internal storage / memory and ability of the unit to remain operational for the duration of a 12-hour shift
GPS equipment that will record vessel position during SPI unit deployment
Key Words
- Disposal at Sea
- Waste Management
- Monitoring System
- Environmental Impact