Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Simon Fraser University (SFU) is partnering with MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), ThreeteK Ltda. (Brazil), the Universidade Federale do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), and the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) to apply advanced satellite-based geospatial analysis methods to improve understanding of hazardous natural processes in Canada and abroad. The proposed research will integrate state-of-the-art radar remote sensing techniques enabled by MDA's new RADARSAT-2 satellite with ground field studies to measure displacements of Earth's surface with millimetre accuracy. Four specific projects are proposed over the period of the project; each provides training to a graduate student at Simon Fraser University. One project (PhD research of Mr. Nick Roberts) involves the identification, quantification, and diagnosis of landslide hazards in La Paz, Bolivia. A second project (MSc; student to be recruited) is a study of slope instability in British Columbia's Fraser Canyon, one of the most important, but highly vulnerable transportation and communication corridors in Canada. A third project (MSc; student to be recruited) is a study of ground subsidence on the Squamish River delta, a populated delta plain in British Columbia. The fourth project (MSc research of Ms. Fernanda Ledo is a study of the crustal response to changes in water loading by Amazon River at Manaus, Brazil, over a hydrological cycle. MDA and CCRS will assist with the training of graduate students and provision of datasets.