The SHOALS-1000 system will have the ability to acquire both hydrographic, and high-posting-density topographic, information. Optech Airborne Laser Hydrography systems are fast, accurate and cost effective in precisely those survey applications where conventional systems are most limited - shallow water, hazardous areas, and areas requiring rapid environmental assessment.

In addition, we will be offering a special one-hour presentation on Coastal Zone Monitoring and Mapping. Jennifer Wozencraft of the US Army Corps of Engineers and Nick Holden of the UK Environmental Agency, users of Optech's current SHOALS and ALTM systems, will be presenting data and survey results, highlighting the capabilities of lidar (laser radar) in hydrographic and topographic applications. The session will last approximately 1 hour and will be repeated at 9a.m., 11a.m., 1p.m., and 3p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, in room W19 and 9a.m. and 11a.m.on Thursday, March 7, in room W18.

SHOALS is used for continuous surveying of shallow water and shoreline areas. With the new 9 kHz high posting density topography (ground elevation) feature, hydrographic and topographic data can be captured during the same mission, resulting in detailed integrated land and water measurements in the same data set.

ALTM provides fast and accurate terrain elevation data, day or night, through clear or forested areas. The ALTM 3033 delivers 33,000 postings per second at operational altitudes of up to 3,000m, making it the most cost effective survey tool available anywhere.

Please join us at booth 12/47 for more information on all of our laser surveying products, including our latest product, the ILRIS-3D Intelligent Laser Imaging system. ILRIS-3D is a complete system with digital image capture and sophisticated software tools. ILRIS-3D captures point cloud data at 2,000 points/second, and typical scenes produce a remarkable 1.2-1.8 million points.

Optech is a world leader in advanced laser-based survey instruments, offering client-driven solutions in Airborne Laser Hydrography, Airborne Laser Terrain Mapping, Laser Imaging, space-based atmospheric monitors and spaceborne landing/docking systems. For more information, visit our Web site at http://www.optech.on.ca.

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Planning for the Australasian Hydrographic Society 'HYDRO 2003' conference has started. It will be held in the garden city of Christchurch, New Zealand on the 24-26th November 2003. That is the start of our summer downunder..

The Australasian Hydrographic Society consists of both New Zealand and Australian regions and previous conferences have all been held in Australia. The theme for this Conference will be Surveying Extremes - The Southern Frontier - Extending the Geographic and Technological Boundaries.

The New Zealand Region has also re launched its website with news and details of hydrographic interest in New Zealand so please check it out. http://www.hydrographicsociety.org.nz

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The acquisition, display and recording system boasts the largest display of any portable system on the market. Its solid state electronics ensure user's the most rugged architecture available. EPC pioneered the way with Network Interfaces for its printer line (1086NT, 9206, MP-1086) and the Model 1280 follows suit. EPC's experience with hard copy means seamless printer integration is a given. Add rich annotation features, Navigation inputs, slant range correction, and this paperless recorder offers user's a robust, portable and very flexible survey tool.

The booth for EPC will be crowded, besides the new Model 1280, EPC will be demonstrating the MP-1086, Model 9206 and HSP-100. The 1086NT will be on demonstration in the EPC UK agent's booth, MacArtney Booth # 6/27. For more details visit our booth at Oceanology International 2002 5-8 March London Booth # 7/21.

In addition to co-hosting an MOTN Reception, EPC will also be presenting its Sales Agent of the Year and Sales Achievement Awards during the Conference. EPC already has 40 sales agents confirmed for the event.

Visit them at OI 2002 in Booth #7/21 or e-mail them at: tedc@epclabs.com or visit their website at http://www.epclabs.com

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At next week's Oceanology International Exhibition, Sonardyne will be launching the Fusion hardware and software platforms that are the foundations of an evolutionary acoustic architecture. Fusion offers adaptable and flexible solutions for underwater navigation, integrating acoustic techniques with sensor technology.

Show visitors are invited to discover how Fusion can benefit them by attending the official launch, on Tuesday 5th March at 11am. A short presentation followed by light refreshments will be given aboard the Sonardyne vessel, the M/V Golden Salamander which will be moored alongside Excel.

Admittance onto the vessel is by ticket only. These are available on the day from the Sonardyne stand, No. 7/43. Alternatively, it is possible to pre-register attendance by sending an email to; dpb@sonardyne.co.uk.

For visitors unable to attend the launch, Fusion demonstrations will be running throughout the show. Further information will be available from Sonardyne exhibition personnel.

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LK.C. Tran has joined RD Instruments Inc, USA, as Chief Operating Officer. He has over 20 years experience in the measurement and control industry with assignments in leadership and individual contribution positions in operations, sales and general management at Westinghouse Electric and Thermo Electron.

He has managed functional and project organizations with corporate officer and profit and loss responsibilities. He has led development teams including software, hardware and physics and holds patents in instrument and reactor equipment designs. He has directed business development activities, including the establishment of strategic alliances with OEMs, marketing and technology partners and setting up manufacturing representatives in China, India, Europe, and South America in the basic and energy industries.

He obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees in science and management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively. RDI pioneered the development of acoustic Doppler current profiling (ADCP) systems 20 years ago. The company's instruments are now at work in 50 nations worldwide to support offshore oil and gas exploration and development, hydrographic surveys, environmental studies and marine civil engineering activities.

More information from: Peter Spain, RD Instruments, email: news@rdinstruments.com or visit their website at: http://www.rdinstruments.com.

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Fugro GEOS Inc, USA, has gained the contract to provide essential metocean design criteria for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal on the coast of Peru. The gas is being produced by the Camisea Fields in the southern Peruvian interior. It will be piped to a coastal location that will be selected after an initial survey by Fugro GEOS. The work is being carried out for Hunt Oil on behalf of the Camisea LNG (Holding) Company.

A prime focus for this major study is the wave climate. Local currents and waves may effect the accretion and erosion of sediments, while long-period swells arriving on the Peruvian coast may affect LNG vessel operations, especially as the narrow continental shelf does little to reduce the energy of waves coming in from the Pacific. The Fugro GEOS study will enable the terminal to be designed to minimize these effects.

To gain a greater understanding of the local wave climate Fugro GEOS will analyze existing and hindcast data, data from numerical modelling of the nearshore wave climate and observations made as part of the study.

The data collection programme begins with an onshore meteorological station. Then, nearshore, Fugro GEOS are deploying tide, wave, temperature, salinity and current recorders. Further offshore in the deep water at the edge of the narrow continental shelf is a Waverider buoy, data from which contributes to the "tuning" of a shoaling/refraction model of the area.

Previous Fugro GEOS projects that have produced design and operating criteria for coastal LNG facilities have been in India, Oman, Yemen, Sakhalin, India, Indonesia and Mexico. More information from: Rob Smith, Fugro GEOS Inc, Houston. email: usa@geos.com web: http://www.geos.com.

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These camera systems are used in underwater applications worldwide. They have been used over the last 30 years to photograph marine life, aid in geological studies and exploration, support offshore oil and gas activities and to document notable shipwrecks. Benthos cameras were the first film cameras to photograph the Titanic, Bismarck and other famous ships as they lie at extreme depths.

Commenting on today's announcement, Ronald L. Marsiglio, Benthos President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "The sale of our imaging product line is part of our strategic plan to streamline our business segments and to focus on those areas with the greatest potential for profitable growth, primarily the Geophysical and TapTone product lines. Although Benthos has been producing imaging systems for 30 years, sales of these products were a small percentage of our total business. The imaging line has the potential to be a significant part of Marine Systems Technology's business since they will be able to give it the attention required for success. We wish them the best in continuing the tradition of excellence that we have worked to establish."

Marine Systems Technology, Inc. was founded by former Benthos engineer, William D. McElroy, in 1985 and specializes in the design and manufacture of sophisticated oceanographic products. In addition to promoting the acquired Benthos imaging line, Marine Systems will also develop imaging systems for custom applications.

Benthos, Inc., through its Undersea Systems Division, designs, manufactures, sells and services a variety of oceanographic products for underwater tasks; and through its TapTone Package Inspection Systems Division makes systems for testing consumer packages made of glass, metal or plastic. The common stock of the Company is traded on the Nasdaq SmallCap market under the symbol BTHS. For more information, Benthos can be found on the Internet at http://www.benthos.com.

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The ALOHA reported that it had lost power and was taking on water on Thursday, February 7. Also responding were a German container vessel, MV Libra Houston, and a Norwegian cruise ship, Rhapsody At Sea. The ALOHA crewmembers, including four U.S. citizens and five Philipinos, were taken aboard the Peregrine III from an ALOHA life raft. No medical problems were reported among the rescued crewmembers.

The ALOHA, a dynamically positioned ROV survey ship, belongs to Deepsea International (DSI). "As the managing director of DSI, I am sorry to see the loss of our ALOHA, grateful for the spared lives of its crew, and proud to be a stockholder of Transocean Sedco Forex, a company we owe a great deal of gratitude in responding to our situation," said Eric Galerne, who was onboard the ALOHA and is now aboard the Peregrine III.

Captain Mike Moore, Chief of Search and Rescue for the Seventh U.S. Coast Guard District in Miami, wrote in an email to Peregrine III Captain Ron MacDonald: "You and your crew are commended for the humanitarian assistance displayed during your rescue of nine crewmembers from the research vessel ALOHA ... Your quick recovery of the survivors and timely notification to Coast Guard rescue coordinators resulted in saving nine lives. The professional actions demonstrated by you and your crew are appreciated. Well done."

Added Tim Juran, North America Region Manager for Transocean Sedco Forex: "We are, indeed, proud of Captain MacDonald and the well-trained Peregrine III crew for helping avert the loss of life at sea." For the complete press release, visit http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=2590

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A gigantic bridge project that will eventually connect mainland Italy with Sicily is an example of why the coastal monitoring system will be installed. Driving across the bridge you will find yourself at an impressive 200 meters above the water. This airy experience is reached after having covered a distance of 15km uphill on a 6-lane ramp. In all its grandeur, there is little doubt that the bridge will impose changes on the environment; the question is just what changes. It is believed that the coastal monitoring system will answer these questions.

Before anything is built the existing currents in the area will be studied in detail. Numerical models will then be used with various ramp and bridge designs to study the impact on the environment. Finally, when the impressive project is completed, new current measurements will seek to confirm the changes predicted by the models.

The initial plan was to deploy 20 single point current meters on 10 fixed mooring positions but when the project consortium discovered that the combined low cost and high performance of Nortek's Aquadopp Profiler made it possible to spend less money while still getting significantly more information, they decided instead to invest in 10 Nortek Aquadopp Profilers. Their choice was easy; why spend excessive money on a solution that results in less information?

The monitoring system, being one of the main tools for coastal management in the area, will be installed and operated during the first three years by a joint venture including Italian companies TEI and Nautilus, and UK-based HR Wallingford. Nautilus will have the operational responsibility.

The Aquadopp Profiler is the most advanced, and yet most inexpensive Doppler current profiler available. It is highly flexible, consumes a minimum of power, and can even be used for wave measurements. For more information about the Aquadopp Profiler visit Nortek's web site at http://www.nortek-as.com.

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GIS DataPRO is an office software suite designed to support Leica's GS50 GIS/GPS data acquisition system. The software provides for two-way data flow of position and attribute data between the field and the office. It uses the industry-standard ESRI Shapefile as its native format, permitting field data to be read directly by the software without translating.

Among the new features in Version 2.0 are support of point and line offsets including post-processing and editing, unlimited importing of field jobs in a project, interpolation of RINEX data on standard imports, display of properties for each node of line and area measurements and easy one-step undo functions. Version 2.0 also provides for easier export of 3-D data to CAD and ASCII, enhanced coordinate systems management, automatic reference file search, automatic downloads of reference data and improved map settings.

Leica's GS50, coupled with the GIS DataPRO software, is a powerful and flexible tool for collecting, processing and utilizing GIS/GPS data from the field. The scalable system can be configured to support a wide range of accuracy requirements, from centimeter-level RTK survey-quality data to sub-meter position data for GIS applications. The system's ClearTrak(tm) and MaxTrak(tm) functions provide for robust data collection in areas where the satellite signals are attenuated by dense foliage or other blockage.

Leica's GPS/GIS business group, based in Torrance, California, develops, manufactures and markets a full range of GIS data collection products using the GPS satellite network. Products include the 0.5-meter GS50 system for primary data collection applications and the 1-2 meter GS5+ system for the secondary data collection market.

The Leica Geosystems GIS and Mapping Division, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a leading provider of integrated end-to-end solutions for the acquisition, processing and 3-D visualization of spatial data. The division encompasses the operations of ERDAS, Inc., and LH Systems, which were acquired by Leica in April 2001, along with Leica's GPS/GIS and LIS business groups.

Leica Geosystems, with worldwide headquarters in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, develops, manufactures and markets systems for surveying, mapping and position determination. The company, with 2,750 employees, has a turnover of over 600 million Swiss francs and is listed on the Swiss Exchange. It is structured in six divisions: GIS and Mapping, Surveying and Engineering, Industrial Measurement, Special Products, Consumer Products and New Businesses. Contact Susan Bradley, Leica Geosystems +1 310 791 5359 email: susan.bradley@leica-gps.com web: http://www.leica-geosystems.com

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Stephen Auld, Sales Manager at CODA reports that the iSys V8.5e plotter can now be used with full CODAsys line, including the basic and uniSense single plot applications, which feature operator selectable options for real-time continuous tone/gray scale side scan or high contrast seismic data output. With the dualSense system, both real-time side scan and seismic data can be printed simultaneously. "We have developed a robust productivity tool with our CODAsys dualSense capability. The iSys V8.5e, with its compact design, rugged construction, superior image quality and bimodal print feature is a great option for all our systems. Its low cost makes the simultaneous plot option with dualSense more affordable" according to Stephen. The drivers are available for download from http://www.coda-technologies.com.

The Imaging Systems Group Inc. has a 10 year history of designing, developing, manufacturing and selling high quality, rugged, reliable printers and plotters for the oil & gas exploration, seismic data recording, geophysical, engineering, CADD and graphic arts markets. It has earned an international reputation for quality, value and performance in its products, customer support and service.

The iSys V8.5e features high speed, "near-photographic" image output at up to 64 levels of gray. In its high contrast mode, it produces sharp data output at up to four inches per second. Using 9-inch wide fan-fold or roll media, it is available in ruggedized rack mount or desktop configurations.

iSys will be exhibiting its line of plotters at Oceanology International 2002, booth 8/19. CODA will demonstrate its systems at Oceanology International 2002, booth 4/10.

For additional information on iSys products, contact Mike Carey, Vice President, Business Development, at (+1) 585-924-7230 or Mark Hopkins, President, at (+1) 403-204-5202. The Imaging Systems Group Inc. has its headquarters, research and manufacturing operations at 911 28th Street NE, Calgary, Alberta T2A 7X1, Canada. Sales Offices are located in New York, Orlando, Houston, The UK and Calgary. http://www.isys-group.com

RESON South Africa opened in April 2001 and has already successfully completed several sales within the diamond mining and defense markets. The main product focus thus far has been RESON's SeaBat 8125 ultra high-resolution system, but the need for deep water systems such as the SeaBat 8101 is foreseen within the Southern African marketplace. A full range of transducers, single-beam echosounders, and software solutions are also being sold.

Ephan Potgieter has been appointed Managing Director of RESON South Africa. Mr. Potgieter has more than 20 years of experience in the Survey, Metocean and marine industries in executive, operational, and technical capacities – the last five of which were spent with Thales Geosolutions in a senior role in their Metocean division. When asked to comment about the opening of RESON South Africa, Mr. Potgieter states that "the opening of RESON's regional office will enable us to better serve our customers in Sub Saharan Africa by providing solutions, identifying requirements, and ensuring timely delivery of customized information, products, and services."

Contact Ephan Potgieter Managing Director, RESON South Africa Martello Road. Simon's Town South Africa, Tel: +27-21-786-3420 Fax: +27-21-786-3462 Mobile: +27-8355-68166 E-mail: Ep@reson.co.za

About RESON
RESON is a leading provider of sonar equipment and software that meet the most stringent requirements of today's advanced hydrographic, offshore exploration, marine surveillance, and military applications. RESON provides compelling value to its global customer base by offering complete sonar solutions that span the entire spectrum of data collection, compilation, and presentation. With corporate offices in Denmark and a presence in 25 countries worldwide. RESON has been advancing state-of-the-art underwater acoustic technology for more than 25 years. For further information, please visit http://www. reson. com.

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