Northrop Grumman Provides Critical Information to First Responders During Haiti Relief Effort
Written by Northrop Grumman
18 February 2010
RESTON, Va. - Feb. 18, 2010 - Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) was recently dispatched by the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) to acquire imagery and collect data of ports and harbors in the Republic of Haiti, providing critical information to first responders after the January 12, 2010 earthquake.
The Compact Hydrographic Airborne Rapid Total Survey (CHARTS) system was deployed to the disaster area over a five-day period. During this time, Northrop Grumman personnel collected bathymetric Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data and imagery over harbors and approaches in the Port au Prince area. These images provided responders with information about underwater obstructions that might affect safe passage of boats in the area.
The data collected is being used by NAVOCEANO to create mapping and charting products for ports and harbors of Haiti. Less than 24 hours after the information was collected, a full suite of geospatial products was created including soundings, contours, digital elevation models, large scale charts and orthorectified image mosaics. This information was immediately provided to GoogleEarth (TM)for use by first responders.
"This effort definitively showed the real-time practical applications of Northrop Grumman's LiDAR capabilities," said John Olesak, vice president of integrated intelligence for Northrop Grumman's Information Systems sector. "We are honored to be part of the team that was able to provide this vital information to assist in the relief effort."
The CHARTS system is designed for rapid coastal hydrographic surveys. It is a multi-sensor platform that includes laser systems able to map wide swaths of topography or shallow floor and is comprised of the SHOALS topography/bathymetric LiDAR, the CASI 1500 hyperspectral camera, the DSS medium format RGB camera, and the DuncanTech small format RGB camera.
NAVOCEANO and Northrop Grumman are part of the Joint Airborne LiDAR Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise, which is a unique arrangement of government agencies and private contractors working side-by-side in the field and processing data. Kenn Borek Air, a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman, is also part of this team.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.
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