A new course in September 2014

Dr Jeanine Engelbrecht, Senior Researcher in the field of Synthetic Aperture Radar at the CSIR Meraka Institute in Rosebank, Cape Town, will be presenting in the University of Cape Town a course on Applications of Imaging Radar from 1 to 4 September 2014.

Dr Engelbrecht has over 10 years of remote sensing and spatial analysis experience. Her research and development focus has been on exploiting SAR technologies for a variety of applications including geological applications, hydrological applications and engineering geological aspects.

Her course will introduce participants to the principles of imaging radar with a particular focus on end-user applications, looking, for instance, at how signal processing of data collected from satellite-borne sensors can aid in the extraction of biophysical and geophysical parameters.

The backscattering characteristics of SAR signals will be identified, and students will learn how the information can be applied for 1) food security, 2) environmental applications, 3) disaster monitoring and relief, 4) defence peace safety and security and 6) human environments.

The course will consist of theory lectures as well as practical hands-on sessions in SAR image processing for a variety of applications.

More information can be found in this PDF: EEE 5012Z (2014) – Applications of Imaging Radar.

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South Africa developing passive radar

South Africa is one of the a few countries in the world to have successfully developed a passive radar system, capable of detecting both large and small aircraft using only a signal receiver.

At last week’s Aardvark Roost Electronic Warfare Conference held outside Pretoria, Francois Maasdorp, an engineer at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), told delegates that with passive radar one only needs a receiver to detect signals emitted by other sources, such as FM radio towers, TV transmitters, WiFi and weather radar.

This makes passive radar (also known as passive coherent location, passive bistatic radar, piggyback radar and covert radar) cost effective, highly mobile and covert. By using several antennas one can use triangulation to identify the location of an aircraft, or by using a single receiver one can use the angle of arrival of the signal to determine a target’s location.

Reutech Radar Systems launches intrusion detection and reporting system

Industrial, civil and residential security solution providers are experiencing an increase in the demand for additional security techniques outside of the field of conventional technologies used for perimeter protection and wide area surveillance.

In recent weeks, Reutech Radar Systems (RRS), a Stellenbosch-based developer of radar and radar-based solutions, has launched a perimeter and wide area intrusion detection system. This system is designed to cater to increasing needs for persistent monitoring of perimeters or strategic areas for industrial and residential asset protection.

Concept of Reutech Radar Systems interlinked radar sensors

Traditional security installations often make use of a combination of physical barriers such as fences, CCTV cameras, fibre-optic sensors and microwave barriers, among others, to detect intrusion.