CS Seminar - Dr. Mark McIntyre

Jodrey School of Computer Science

SEMINAR PRESENTATION


Friday, October 2, 2015

2:30 PM

Carnegie Hall 113


“Tracking Things Under, On and Over the Ocean: Lessons Learned From 35 years of Trying” 

 

Dr. Mark McIntyre

Principal Scientist (Retired)

Defence R&D Canada - Atlantic Research Centre

 

Abstract

Humans have always had the ability to track things. We use our senses to make sure we know what we need to be aware of as we move through our environment. We use this information to make sure we don’t run into things (navigation), to learn about things we would like to capture or study (surveillance) and to help us know who or what we would like to socialize with (communication). Over the past 100 years, Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) technologies have improved radically with exponentially growing geospatial coverage. This is especially true over the past 35 years, the span of the author’s career at Defence R&D Canada. The purpose of this talk is to provide a retrospective look at the evolution of CNS technologies as they have been used in underwater surveillance, surface vessel navigation and aircraft monitoring (with a quick foray into cyberspace.) A goal of the talk is to help identify CNS technologies and concepts that might be of interest to those who want to observe and monitor other types of activity in the ocean environment beyond military tracking applications. In particular, there appears to be growing interest in tracking fish and marine mammals in oceans, lakes and rivers around the world as well as monitoring activity around marine infrastructure such as oil drilling rigs, tidal and wind turbines and underwater communication and power cables. 

 

About the Presenter

Dr. McIntyre received his BSc in Engineering from Dalhousie in 1977 followed by a BEng in Electrical Engineering from Nova Scotia Technical College in 1979. After working for 2 years, he returned to University of Waterloo and completed his MASc in 1983 and PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1986 working on control and estimation theory for hybrid-state systems. For the first 20 years of his career at Defence R&D Canada and at DSTO in Australia, his work was focused on the data and information management aspects of undersea surveillance. Today this would be known as a big- data problem for sonar decision makers. In 1999 he switched research fields and moved to DRDC Ottawa where he helped establish the newly-formed Information Operations Section dealing with information and network security for the Department of National Defence. There he was both a science manager and a programme leader for R&D in information operations. He returned to DRDC Atlantic in 2005 and was working on above-water aspects of maritime security and situational awareness until he retired as a Principal Scientist in January 2014. He currently keeps himself busy with various unpaid and paid projects and is now an Adjunct Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Dalhousie.

Everyone is welcome to attend

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