Northern Watch Options analysis to select a southern test site for above water sensors D. Brookes DRDC Ottawa J.L. Forand DRDC Valcartier . Defence R&D Canada – Ottawa Technical Memorandum DRDC Ottawa TM 2013-141 December 2013 Northern Watch Options analysis to select a southern test site for above water sensors D. Brookes DRDC Ottawa J.L. Forand DRDC Valcartier Defence Research and Development Canada – Ottawa Technical Memorandum DRDC Ottawa TM 2013-141 December 2013 Principal Author Original signed by Dan Brookes Dan Brookes Defence Scientist Approved by Original signed by Rahim Jassemi Rahim Jassemi Acting Head, Space and ISR Applications Section Approved for release by Original signed by Chris McMillan Chris McMillan Chair, Document Review Panel © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of National Defence, 2013 © Sa Majesté la Reine (en droit du Canada), telle que représentée par le ministre de la Défense nationale, 2013 Abstract .. This document describes an evaluation process to determine the most suitable southern location, amongst several East Coast candidates, for testing a suite of above water sensors (AWS) for the Northern Watch Technology Demonstration Program (TDP) project. The chosen site could be used for testing the AWS, as stand-alone sensors or as part of an integrated suite, before deploying them to the Arctic. It could also be used for testing the AWS between arctic deployments. The evaluation was performed with the assistance of the Canadian Forces (CF), using their own Geographic Information System (GIS) tools, as well as by Defence R&D Canada (DRDC) using a combination of their own GIS tools, radar propagation prediction software (developed in-house, at DRDC), on-site inspections, and a literature search. It was decided that a ski resort named Le Massif, about 70km NE of Quebec City, along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, would be the best choice. This decision was based on the available information and applying such metrics as site accessibility, availability and timeliness for emergency medical response, availability of accommodation for personnel during trials, density of surface vessel traffic, potential environmental assessment issues and suitability of terrain. Résumé ..... Le présent document décrit un processus dévaluation visant à déterminer lemplacement le mieux adapté au sud, parmi plusieurs candidats de la côte Est, pour mettre à lessai un ensemble de capteurs de surface (CS) dans le cadre du projet du Programme de démonstration de technologies (PDT) de surveillance du Nord. Lemplacement choisi pourrait servir à mettre à lessai les CS, en tant que capteurs autonomes ou quéléments dun ensemble intégré, avant leur déploiement dans lArctique. Il pourrait aussi servir à mettre à lessai les CS entre les déploiements dans lArctique. De plus, lévaluation a été réalisée avec laide des Forces canadiennes (FC), au moyen de leurs outils du système dinformation géographique (SIG), et de R & D pour la défense Canada (RDDC), au moyen dune combinaison de leurs outils de SIG, dun logiciel de prédiction de la propagation radar (conçu à linterne, à RDDC), dinspections sur place et dune recherche documentaire. On a décidé que le meilleur choix serait la station de ski du Massif, située à environ 70 km au nord-est de la ville de Québec, le long de la rive nord du fleuve Saint-Laurent. Cette décision repose sur les renseignements disponibles et lapplication de paramètres, comme laccessibilité du site, la disponibilité et lobtention en temps voulu des secours médicaux durgence, la disponibilité de lhébergement pour le personnel pendant les essais, la densité de la circulation des navires de surface, les problèmes possibles associés à lévaluation environnementale et la convenance du terrain. DRDC Ottawa TM 2013-141 i This page intentionally left blank. ii DRDC Ottawa TM 2013-141 Executive summary Northern Watch: Options Analysis to Select a Southern Test Site for Above Water Sensors D. Brookes; J.L. Forand; DRDC Ottawa TM 2013-141; Defence R&D Canada Ottawa; December 2013. Introduction or background: In August 2008, the Northern Watch Technology Demonstration Program (TDP) project embarked upon its first attempt at Arctic Field Trials as part of a spiral development plan to build an integrated suite of Above Water (AW) and Underwater (UW) sensors. The primary objective of the sensor suite was to demonstrate an ability to monitor marine surface, and sub-surface vessel traffic at an acknowledged choke point overlooking Barrow Strait. The original plan called for a number of field trials alternating between the arctic site and southern sites during which the capabilities of each individual sensor would be characterized as fully as possible, then integrated and field tested in an iterative fashion. The sensors and self- reporting systems in the suite (radar, radar warning receivers, electro-optic/infrared imaging system, UW arrays of acoustic, electric and magnetic sensors plus an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver) were originally chosen on the basis that they were relatively inexpensive and complimentary, capable of providing detection and tracking ability with the potential for target classification and identification. The arctic site that was chosen for these field trials was the Gascoyne Inlet (GI)/Cape Liddon area at the western end of Lancaster Sound. This site was chosen because of its maritime choke-point location, terrain characteristics (e.g. high altitude for AW sensors) and pre-existing infrastructure. Although Cape Liddon would have been useful for arctic in-situ testing of the AW sensors, significant weather challenges were encountered in 2008 that precluded their deployment at that time and indicated that future trials might be just as difficult. Given the considerable cost of doing arctic trials, with the possibility of minimal payback, a decision was made by the authors to investigate alternative testing sites in the South. In the South the logistics would be much less challenging (leading to a significant cost savings), there could be a much greater density of shipping traffic to use as targets of opportunity, and personnel safety concerns could be minimized. Results: A number of East Coast locations overlooking Cabot Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence were investigated for suitability as southern AWS test sites using a combination of Geographic Information System (GIS) tools, radar propagation prediction software, on-site inspection, and literature searches. The metrics used to assess the merits of each site included: site accessibility, availability and timeliness of emergency medical response, availability of accommodation for personnel during trials, density of surface vessel traffic, potential environmental assessment issues and suitability of terrain. Of the many sites that were examined in the areas of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Port aux Basque, Newfoundland, and Quebec City, Quebec (i.e. Le Massif Ski Resort), the latter seemed to be the best choice, based on accessibility, availability of local resources, and the fact that there was a pre-existing and amicable relationship between the ski resort and DND. DRDC Ottawa TM 2013-141 iii Significance: Since the Quebec site is relatively close to DRDC Valcartier, and less than a seven hour drive from DRDC Ottawa, one or two weeks of trials could probably be performed for less than $25k. Similar trials performed at the Naval Electronic System Test Range Atlantic (NESTRA) outside Halifax in December 2008 cost approximately $23k for travel, accommodation, and equipment rental for six days of effort. Sensor testing at this site might be more representative of the arctic test site than any testing performed at NESTRA because of the much greater altitudes that would be available, as well as the possible presence of marine ice. Future plans: The next logical step would be to actually organize and perform sensor system trials at the Le Massif ski resort site. This would preferably be done during late spring at the beginning of the St. Lawrence shipping season when there may still be some ice in the channel. iv DRDC Ottawa TM 2013-141 Sommaire ..... Northern Watch: Options Analysis to Select a Southern Test Site for Above Water Sensors D. Brookes; J.L. Forand; DRDC Ottawa TM 2013-141; R & D pour la défense Canada Ottawa; Décembre 2013. Introduction ou contexte: En août 2008, le projet du Programme de démonstration de technologies (PDT) de surveillance du Nord a entrepris une première série dessais sur le terrain dans lArctique dans le cadre dun plan de développement en spirale visant à construire un ensemble intégré de capteurs de surface (CS) et de capteurs sous-marin (CSM). Lensemble de capteurs vise avant tout à démontrer une capacité de surveillance de la circulation maritime des navires de surface et des sous-marins à un point de passage obligé connu surplombant le détroit de Barrows. Le plan initial prévoyait un certain nombre dessais sur le terrain réalisés en alternance entre le site dans lArctique et les sites au sud, essais pendant lesquels les capacités de chaque capteur individuel seraient caractérisées le plus possible, puis intégrées et testées sur le terrain de manière itérative. Les capteurs et les systèmes de signalement automatiques dans lensemble (radar, récepteurs dalerte radar, système dimagerie électro-optique ou infrarouge, réseaux sous-marins de capteurs acoustiques, électriques et magnétiques, en plus dun récepteur du Système didentification automatique [SIA]) ont été sélectionnés au départ en raison de leur prix relativement bas et de leur complémentarité, ainsi que de leur capacité de détection et de poursuite qui permet la classification et lidentification des cibles. Lemplacement sélectionné dans lArctique pour réaliser les essais sur le terrain est la région de Gascoyne Inlet (GI) et de cap Liddon, située à lextrémité ouest du détroit de Lancaster. Ce site a été choisi en raison de lemplacement de son point de passage obligé maritime, des caractéristiques du terrain (comme haute altitude pour les capteurs de surface) et de linfrastructure déjà en place.