LR Tech is pleased to announce that is has received a contract through the Build in Canada Innovation Program. Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate of Environment and Climate Change Canada will test the FIRR (Far Infra-Red Radiometer) over the Environment Canada super station site in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
FIRR is an innovative atmospheric sounder using a dedicated micro-bolometer developed at the National Optics Institute (INO). This new technology which is compact, low-cost, can operate remotely 7/24 without any human intervention.
Additionally to the temperature and moisture profiles, FIRR is also giving information of arctic Thin Ice Cloud (TIC) from which ice crystal size distribution can be measure leading to predict potential icing condition.
FIRR unique operational advantage is it simplified configuration compare to other technology while covering the far IR region down to 27.5µ. It size and 100% autonomous mode of operation allows it deployment to any remote area with a minimum infrastructure requirements.
This inherent benefit of FIRR meets the defined and growing need for low cost, compact atmospheric sounding systems which can be deployed easily to existing arctic weather station.
The interest of ECC to participate in testing the FIRR, are multiples. As mentioned by Dr. Charles A. Lin (Director General of the Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate of ECCC):
“Given the importance of radiation measurements in the far IR, the lack of current radiation observations in Canada’s Arctic, and the relatively low cost of the FIRR, ECCC is interested in operating a FIRR instrument at one of its Canadians Arctic Weather Science (CAWS) sites in Iqaluit. CAWS sites will be an integral part of the Canadian contribution to the world Meteorological Organization’s Year of Polar Prediction Project aimed at enhancing numerical weather predictability in the Arctic. This opportunity will accelerate the synergy between model and measurements. Furthermore, CAWS sites are designed to support satellite validation and provide ground truth over Arctic regions: GPM, ADM-Aeolus, and EarthCARE missions are chosen as priorities due to their relevance to the NWP system. ECC’s goal is to integrate the FIRR observations into operational meteorological observing system and support integration of data from a potential future satellite mission.”
About LR Tech
LR Tech, located in Lévis (Québec, Canada), designs and manufactures infrared spectrometer for remote sensing applications. Its products, including fast scanning spectroradiometer and high resolution atmospheric sounding system, are mainly build for research applications. This company also offers custom instrument design and processing software. The intended market for the LR Tech’s products are:
- Civil and first responder applications;
- Atmospheric research;
- Infrared remote sensing applications (defence applications).
For more information, please contact Luc Rochette:
About the Build in Canada Innovation Program
The Build in Canada Innovation Program helps Canadian innovators land their first sale and get their innovations tested by the Government of Canada. If you have an innovation that hasn’t hit the market yet, BCIP wants to be the first to buy it and test it.