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For immediate release: February 12, 2003 MDA To Implement $4.45 Million Environmental Monitoring Program in BangladeshRichmond, B.C. – MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA) announced today that the $4.45 million (CDN) second phase of the Environmental Monitoring Information Network (EMIN 2) in Bangladesh has been approved for implementation.EMIN 1 was a Design Study initiated in July 2001 to develop the environmental monitoring concept in Asia. EMIN will be used at both the local and national levels to help village councils predict environmental incidents such as flood or drought, and allow Bangladeshi authorities to address multiple water use issues. The heart of EMIN is an Internet-based network that integrates and distributes information from a number of sources, including satellites, river gauges, and weather sensors. The implementation phase announced today will build on the successful results of EMIN 1, which confirmed the demand and built consensus for better access to water information in Bangladesh. Dr. Riaz Khan, the Executive Director of Bangladesh’s Centre for Environment and Geographical Information Services, said: “Water management problems can be tackled if people have sufficient information. But in the past, information sources were fragmented, which made data sharing difficult. The EMIN Project will allow us to both enhance existing water-related information, and most importantly, to share that information.” The EMIN project is undertaken with financial support from the Government of Canada, provided through the Canadian International Development Agency.
Related Websites: For more information, please contact: Ted Schellenberg Media Relations MacDonald Dettwiler Telephone: (604) 231-2215 E-mail: teds@mda.ca |