St Hubert, March 7, 2000 – Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for
the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Honourable John Manley, today announced
that, since February 11, Canada’s RADARSAT-1 Earth-observation satellite has
been taking images that show the extent of flooding in Mozambique. The CSA,
together with RADARSAT International Inc (RSI), the Canada Centre for Remote
Sensing (CCRS) and the Department of National Defence (DND), is making the
data gathered by RADARSAT-1 available to the Mozambican authorities to
facilitate the management of humanitarian aid efforts and the evacuation of
flood victims.

“By distributing RADARSAT-1 imagery to help with the humanitarian aid effort
in Mozambique, the Canadian Space Agency, together with its partners, is
fulfilling a key component of its mission, which is to promote the
well-being of humanity,” said Minister Manley.

A satellite image acquired on March 1st by RADARSAT-1, which orbits the
Earth at an altitude of about 800 km, clearly shows the flooding along the
Limpopo River to Xia Xia in southern Mozambique. The image was acquired
using RADARSAT’s Standard 7 beam, which nominally covers an area of 100 km
by 100 km with a resolution of 25 metres. This image is available in digital
form (TIF) at the following address: http://www.space.gc.ca

RADARSAT-1’s frequent revisit period and beam flexibility allow users to
monitor an area reliably under emergency conditions. Services associated
with the RADARSAT Program, such as emergency programming, near-real-time
data processing and electronic delivery allow response agencies to quickly
receive data and assess flooded regions during periods of crisis.

DND has assisted in the production of maps using the imagery received from
RADARSAT-1. The maps, which have been requested by the World Food Programme
and the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs,
will be updated twice per week for the next two weeks at least.

“Mapping specialists are processing RADARSAT’s images and sending updated
maps of the flood plain, electronically, to the aid organizations that need
them. We will continue providing this service for the next couple of weeks,”
said the Honourable Art Eggleton, Minister of National Defense.

“Since its launch, in 1995, RADARSAT-1 has proven to be an extremely
valuable tool on the human, environmental, scientific and technological
levels. Because of its versatile applications, this Earth observation
satellite proudly paves the way for its successor, RADARSAT-2, which is
scheduled to be launched at the end of 2002,” concluded Minister Manley.

RADARSAT International, a subsidiary of MacDonald Dettwiler,
British-Columbia, provides satellite imagery, derived products, services and
training for decision-making on global issues ranging from agriculture and
ice reconnaissance to coastal mapping and disaster management. RADARSAT data
is received in Canada at the ground stations operated by the Canada Centre
for Remote Sensing, Natural Resources Canada.

Established in 1989 and located in St Hubert, Quebec, the Canadian Space
Agency is committed to leading the development and application of
space-related knowledge for the well-being of Canadians and humanity. It
manages and co-ordinates Canada’s space activities, including satellite
RADARSAT-1.

For more information:

Yanik Deschenes

Media and Public Relations

Canadian Space
Agency

Tel.: (450) 926-4350

Cell : (5l4) 945-4522

E-mail : yanik.deschenes@space.gc.ca