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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2001
Eos Systems Inc. Awarded Custom Software Development Contract with Texas A&M Research Foundation
Vancouver, BC - Eos Systems has been awarded a contract by the Texas A&M Research Foundation to develop a custom software application to be used in a major biological research project. Eos Systems, the developers of PhotoModeler and leading photogrammetric technology, will enhance the PhotoModeler product line to improve its ability to count and measure complex biological shapes.
The Texas A&M research project involves the census-taking and volume measurement of Steller sea lions in Ugamak Island - Aleutians, Alaska. The project, under a grant from the National Science Foundation, is called the "Development of a Satellite-Linked Remote Data Collection and Photogrammetric Imaging System" or SLiDAP. The research project is being carried out by the Laboratory for Applied Biotelemetry & Biotechnology at the Department of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University, Galveston, Texas. Dr. Markus Horning is the principal investigator.
The total grant award, including research and development, hardware, software, installation and testing, is $806,393 US. Eos Systems' subcontract, valued at $62,000 US, is for the development of a software module that, together with Eos' PhotoModeler product, will perform semi-automated counts and measurements of sealions from remotely acquired digital imagery.
Dr. Markus Horning of Texas A&M University at Galveston and Principal Investigator for SLiDAP says, "I am very pleased to be working with Eos Systems on this project. The NSF grant is an important program for our lab and the development to be carried out by Eos Systems is a key ingredient for this novel biological application of 3D photogrammetry. We have used Eos' PhotoModeler product in our lab for a while now and we are very impressed with its abilities. This together with Eos' excellent support and competitive product pricing lead us to award this subcontract to them."
"We are very pleased to be awarded this contract to assist in the development of the SLiDAP system", says Alan Walford, President of Eos Systems. "This custom work will contribute towards the success of this project and will also help further enhance the capabilities of our commercial PhotoModeler product line."
The SLiDAP system will be composed of a number of remotely operated digital cameras focused on one or more well-known rookeries or haulouts. Once the images are downloaded via satellite to the laboratories in Texas, the software developed by Eos Systems as part of this subcontract, will be used to determine the positions of key animals, to take census counts, and to perform volume and length measurements of selected animals.
The rationale for developing SLiDAP is a critical knowledge deficit of vital life-history data on polar pinnipeds and seabirds. In northern regions, significant marine life management decisions are being made in the absence of adequate data. In the Bering Sea ecosystem in particular, apex predators such as Steller sea lions have declined to about ten percent of peak population levels. Despite years of intense research, hypothesized competition between marine apex predators and fisheries industry remains untested, predominantly for lack of viable research approaches for obtaining crucial life history data. Such data include frequent accurate census and age structure information in rookeries, as well as body mass and condition estimates of individual animals prior to, during and after fishing seasons. In this novel approach, 3D-photogrammetry is used to significantly increase temporal resolution and numerical accuracy of remote census operations, to determine the age structure of rookeries through measurements of animals' lengths, and to use photogrammetric volume determinations as estimators of body mass.
About Eos Systems
Eos Systems, a private company based in Vancouver, Canada, is a world leader in the development of photogrammetry and 3D modeling technology. In addition, Eos Systems has licensed its technology for use in custom applications. Eos Systems plans to pursue other market opportunities for the licensing of its core technologies along with the continued improvement and support of the company's PhotoModeler product line. website: www.eossystems.com
About Texas A&M Research Foundation
The Texas A&M Research Foundation (TAMRF) is an independent non-profit service organization. TAMRF's focus is to facilitate research and development within The Texas A&M University System and selected other entities by providing highly valued administrative services and resource support at the most reasonable cost. web site: rf-web.tamu.edu
About Laboratory for Applied Biotelemetry & Biotechnology
LABB is located at the Department of Marine Biology at Texas A&M University in Galveston Texas. The Laboratory for Applied Biotelemetry & Biotechnology is focused on the development and application of the next generation of modern research tools and technology to pursue specific questions and hypotheses related to basic science, conservation and management of marine living resources. website: www.tamug.tamu.edu/labb
Alan Walford, CEO
Tel: 604.732.6658
Fax: 604.732.6642
E-mail: sales@eossystems.com
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