Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials HomeInnovationCanadian satellite data company eyes more defence work as it scores $2.2-million RCMP border monitoring dealEarthDaily Analytics uses its earth-orbiting satellites to take pictures of the earth to monitor land and coastal areas You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.The company will explore how it can use artificial intelligence and geospatial technologies to enhance satellite data to improve border monitoring capabilities for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Photo by BRUNSWICK NEWS ARCHIVESVancouver-based EarthDaily Analytics Corp. says it’s eyeing additional federal government contracts, especially for work related to defence and security, after securing a $2.23-million contract with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC).Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe company uses its earth-orbiting satellites to take pictures of the earth to monitor land and coastal areas and to track subtle changes occurring on the planet’s surface. The resulting images, data and analytics can help companies in the natural resources, insurance and defence sectors model and manage risks and operations.“Defence is one of the big market sectors that we are very interested in,” Chris Rampersad, senior vice-president, AI and analytics, at EarthDaily, said. “While the United States has always had a strong defence focus, we’re seeing that same trend play out in different countries, especially Canada and Europe.”Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againCanada is accelerating its efforts to boost national security and build up the country’s defence industrial capacity through its defence industrial strategy announced in February, which opened up $180 billion in defence procurement opportunities and $290 billion in defence-related capital investment opportunities over the next 10 years.EarthDaily, which was founded in 2021 by U.S. private-equity firm Antarctica Capital LLC using key assets purchased from now-defunct Canadian satellite imaging and geoanalytics company Urthecast Corp., on Wednesday said it will lead research and development for DRDC’s space-based monitoring, alerts and tactical awareness project known as SMATAK, which is funded through the Canadian Safety and Security Program.Specifically, the company will explore how it can use artificial intelligence and geospatial technologies to enhance satellite data to improve border monitoring capabilities for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).Through the project, the company is aiming to build the first-ever global satellite constellation that can monitor Canada’s entire border on a daily basis, Rampersad said. Last month, it launched its eighth satellite via a Space Exploration Technologies Corp. rocket.“The old way of doing this would be to purchase satellite images and scour through them to find things with analysts,” Rampersad said.But he said the company’s newer satellites equipped with AI and cloud-based processing allow it to interpret millions or billions of pixels faster and more reliably and feed that analysis to RCMP officers at all levels.For example, the company will process images from the satellite, run its AI models and feed the resulting analysis into a system mimicking the RCMP’s own operational tools.“Rather than just relying on a tip line or drones, they could use this daily feed to see what’s happening across the entire border,” he said.The pilot is scheduled to complete at the end of 2027, when EarthDaily will demonstrate the final prototype to the RCMP and provide technical recommendations and a feasibility assessment. Post-pilot, the company aims to secure a follow-on contract to incorporate its technology into RCMP operations.The majority of the company’s revenue comes from clients in the United States and Canada, followed by Europe, and Rampersad said satellite imagery and analysis can be applied to a range of defence use cases.For example, EarthDaily’s satellite constellations, which capture images of land and coastal areas daily and include thermal sensors that enable night vision, can provide daytime and evening monitoring even in dark and remote areas.“We can do maritime monitoring to look at vessels near Canada’s border and also go off coast and do open ocean imaging,” he said. “We can also monitor Canada’s northern areas in the dark of winter.”The satellites can also support deployments of Canadian troops abroad.“Because we’re not localized only on Canada, we can monitor broad areas across other parts of the world,” Rampersad said.ylau@postmedia.com Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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