Canadian 'Eye That Can Fly' From Wescam Inc. Gives The
Boot To Soccer Hooliganism At Euro2000
FLAMBOROUGH, ONTARIO--A sophisticated eye in the sky, designed and
manufactured by a Canadian company north of Hamilton, Ontario, is
helping Dutch and Belgian police on the ground keep the peace at
the Euro2000 football championships.
The "eye that can fly" is an advanced camera stabilization and
wireless transmission system from Wescam Inc. of Flamborough,
Ontario, a firm of 440 employees that markets its wireless visual
communications systems around the world. Wescam also has
operations in the United States.
Dutch police have installed the Wescam 16DS-M camera and SkypodLC
transmission systems on a 65-meter airship that hovers above the
stadiums and cities where championship matches are played. Images
from the Wescam camera system are transmitted in real time to
police at receiving sites on the ground.
"The response by Dutch police to the system's capabilities has
been tremendous. They simply cannot believe the high quality
images being received," said Mark Chamberlain, Wescam's president
and CEO.
The Dutch first learned of the system from Belgian police forces,
which already operate four airborne Wescam systems, used for
safety purposes. So pleased are the Belgians with the system,
that they volunteered to demonstrate it to the Dutch police.
"Euro2000 represents a great win for Canadian technology," notes
Mr. Chamberlain. "It is our hope that this demonstration of Wescam
equipment will lead to additional procurement opportunities."
In addition to the Wescam units being used for public safety
purposes, another two Wescam visual systems are helping European
television networks cover the soccer championships.
Wescam has gained an international reputation for technology
excellence. Its camera and communications systems are used on a
variety of moving platforms, including propeller and jet
aircraft, helicopters, in racing cars, ships, on the ground, and
elsewhere.
Wescam's visual systems, for example, provide millions of
television viewers with a unique view of such major international
sporting events as the 2000 Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the
America's Cup yachting competition, and NASCAR and Indy car
racing.
Each year, Wescam equipment is used in the production of over 60
Hollywood movies. This has included such blockbuster hits as
Titanic, and such current films as U-571, Road Trip, and The
Perfect Storm. Its equipment also helps television networks from
Canada to Japan gather the news.
Wescam equipment is also employed by NASA on both the space
shuttle and during construction of the international space
station, as well as by such organizations as the U.S. Coast Guard
for safety and surveillance and by different NATO countries in
peace keeping operations.
"We live in a world that has an insatiable appetite for visual
information, especially images in real-time," said Mr.
Chamberlain. "Wescam is helping to meet that demand with
first-class technology and growing rapidly as a company in the
process. The Euro2000 championships is one more opportunity for
Canadians to truly show the world what we can do."
Wescam is a world leader in the design and manufacture of wireless
visual information systems, providing real time images as
information for a variety of government and commercial customers
around the globe. Wescam captures images from moving platforms
that range from aircraft, helicopters, airships and the Space
Shuttle to racing cars, tracks, boats and cranes, and transmits
those images via wireless communication link to the end user.
Wescam is traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol
"WSC".
-30- |
