Transport CanadaMandate Transport Canada's mission is to develop and administer policies, regulations and services for the best possible transportation system for Canada and Canadians. Its role is to develop up-to-date, relevant transportation policies and legislation, and to maintain the highest level of safety and security possible. How does Transport Canada use S&T to deliver on its mandate? Transport Canada, like the transportation sector in general, depends heavily on technology. Transport policy initiatives, regulatory responsibilities and services are all affected by technological developments. To ensure the department is able to assess, advance and embrace technological change, continuing science and technology activities are essential. The mandate for S&T in Transport Canada is to develop the scientific knowledge and technology required for effective delivery of the department's policy, safety and security and program objectives, and to help accomplish the department's mission by fostering innovation in the Canadian transportation sector. In 1997, Transport Canada established an R&D Management Board chaired by the Assistant Deputy Minister, Safety and Security, to oversee the department's R&D activities. The Board sets priorities and approves an annual R&D plan funded by departmental and partner contributions. The R&D Serviceline in the Safety and Security Group is responsible for centralized planning and delivery of the department's technology R&D program. The Transportation Development Centre located in Montreal, Quebec is the department's centre of excellence for delivery of R&D projects in cooperation with partners in government and private industry. Major S&T achievements in 1997-98 Transport Canada cooperates with the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transport of the United Mexican States, on S&T in the field of transportation through a Memorandum of Understanding. In January 1998, under this memorandum a set of guiding principles was adopted to harmonize the future development of standards for dedicated short range communications (Dsrc) in the three countries. Dsrc uses radio frequency transponders for vehicle-to-roadside communications. Currently, the main applications are preclearing commercial vehicles at border crossings and roadside inspection sites, and collecting electronic road tolls. Harmonized standards would help to expedite the movement of goods and travellers across North America. A flight data monitoring program for aviation took two important steps forward in 1997-98. Following an international review and subsequent revision, a flight recorder configuration standard (FRCS) became available for trial use by selected aircraft manufacturers and safety investigation authorities. An FRCS Editor, a software tool that can produce and maintain flight data in a format that complies with the standard, was also developed. Adoption of the FRCS would ensure that documentation from all aircraft is consistent, complete and available in a standard electronic format. Standardized data would greatly assist accident and incident investigations, as well as facilitating flight data monitoring. The flight data monitoring program is supported by Transport Canada's Safety Programs, Strategy and Coordination Directorate, and Civil Aviation Directorate; the Transportation Safety Board of Canada; the National Research Council Canada; the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration; and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. An aviation project to study the effects of work schedules and jet lag on pilots indicated that fatigue can affect multi-tasking performance and electrophysiological gamma activity. This means that normally easy tasks require additional effort. The findings are based on data collected in laboratory simulations and on board Department of National Defence aircraft during normal operations. In the next phase of the project, monitoring procedures will be tested on commercial airline pilots flying very long-haul flights. The ultimate aim of the work is to enable pilots to monitor their own fatigue level in flight and to provide them with effective coping strategies. The airport security program, a long-term cooperative effort with U.S. security authorities, continued to expand. Work in 1997-98 included field trials of X-ray pattern-matching software at Pearson International Airport and enhancement of a prototype laser-based explosives detection system. A double-duty hand wand that integrates explosives detection with standard metal detection was another promising new technology under development. In Fall 1997, an innovative marine radar detection system was put to the test off the coast of Newfoundland. The system is an innovative combination of two technologies developed in earlier R&D projects: a modular radar interface — a PC-based radar interface that can digitize and process images in real time — and an artificial intelligence-assisted tracker that greatly increases the accuracy of tracking. In three-metre seas with medium to high clutter, the system detected targets the size of a human head from two nautical miles away. Slightly larger targets were detected at a range of four nautical miles. These preliminary results indicate the system's potential for dramatically improving search and rescue operations, as well as for many other applications. A transport of dangerous goods project culminated in a proposed draft standard for impact testing of tank containers, now under review by an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Working Group. The project included a review of impact requirements, analyses of test approaches, and consultations with testing laboratories, manufacturers and users. ISO acceptance of a single, repeatable test would remove a current impediment to international trade by ensuring uniform safety standards. Future strategic directions in S&T Transport Canada will continue to address departmental and sector needs related to:
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