MacDonald, Dettwiler wins US$17M satellite surveillance contract

RICHMOND, B.C. – MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX:MDA) announced Thursday that it has signed a US$17-million land-cover surveillance contract with the U.S. National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

Under the initial 12 months contract, MDA will deliver data on land-cover changes on more than 100 million square kilometres of the Earth’s land surface. The contract includes two option years, valued at US$4 million each.

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MDA says its sophisticated software, by overlaying satellite images from multiple dates, identifies changes in land cover that persist regardless of seasonal changes or weather effects.

Such changes are typically caused by human activities and knowing where they occur allows customers to focus on the areas of change when updating their global data base of maps.

Best known for its robotic and satellite technology, British Columbia-based MDA’s main businesses include specialized data, surveillance and intelligence, communication systems and advanced technology.