Fed: Laser depth sounder turning into money maker

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Fed: Laser depth sounder turning into money maker

CANBERRA, Aug 22 AAP - Australian Defence Force-developed ocean charting technologyis proving a major money maker with Tenix LADS Corporation (TLC) tripling its revenuelast financial year.

TLC export revenues have now risen to $10 million and total revenues to $17 millionwith $1.8 million in royalties returned to the commonwealth.

Corporation general manager Tom Spurling said a subsidiary had been established inthe United States to service the growing American market.

Mr Spurling said LADS (laser airborne depth sounder) was now a world leader becauseit could survey shallow complex coastal waters from an aircraft up to 20 times fasterand at 20 per cent of the cost of ship systems.

He said the growth in export contracts had generated at least 30 new jobs for surveyors,engineers, pilots and aircraft technicians.

"In its eight years of operation, Tenix LADS Corporation has surveyed more than 75,000square kilometres," he said.

"Over the last four years of international operations, about $4 million has been spentwith local subcontractors mainly on aircraft operations and maintenance.

"We expect export sales and opportunities for local business will continue to growin the 2003 fiscal year on the back of the US Government's plan to expand the amount ofairborne laser surveying it requires."

The LADS system was originally developed by Australian defence scientists.

It uses a pulsed laser mounted in an aircraft to scan the sea bed to depths of 70 metres.

The reflected beam is recorded by computer, producing a digital sea bed map.

It has been used for nautical charting, coastal zone management and sea bed hazardidentification by government hydrographic offices and the offshore oil and gas industryas far afield as Qatar, United States, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, France and Ireland.

"Tenix LADS Corporation is a pioneer in airborne laser surveying and continues to playa leading role in developing the market," Mr Spurling said.

AAP mb/daw/mg/sb

KEYWORD: LADS