Eureka! Vanco Arctic Survey delivers first live Arctic video

by Stuart Corner

Saturday, 03 November 2007

Page 1 of 2 ! The team from the Vanco Artic Survey has transmitted live video from the most northerly location ever during trials in preparation for the survey next year. The Vanco Arctic survey , sponsored by UK based global virtual network operator Vanco, aims the gather the most detailed and accurate data ever on the thickness of the North Pole ice cap. Its primary tool for this will be a custom-developed ground-penetrating radar that will take millions of readings as the team treks across the polar ice cap. The expedition also plans to transmit live video, but faces a significant technical challenge because the only satellite system with coverage of the polar regions is Iridium and this provides only 2.4kbps data channels. To transmit large quantities of expedition data, the expedition will be using six satellite modems operating in parallel, which will run for many hours per day. These will also be used for live video using very high data compression combined with low-frame rates. Members of the team are presently testing the ground radar and other items of equipment at Eureka in Northern Canada , which at 80 degrees latitude is well above the Arctic Circle and only 800kms from the North Pole. The first live video from the trials has been posted on various news sites, including The Times ,  showing members of the team taking ice samples, and, being surrounded by a pack of Arctic wolves. The Times reported: "[Expedition leader] Pen Hadow, Anne Daniels and Martin Hartley were testing equipment in the Arctic at night when the 17-strong pack encircled them. As a huge, yellow-eyed male crept within 10 metres of the team the rest of the pack split up to surround the three vulnerable humans. 'There were so many of them," said Hadow, the veteran explorer. 'They were watching us intently. We felt like mice being watched by cat's.We’d been told they wouldn’t attack but to have a pack of 17 wolves is worrying however much you may try to rationalise and tell yourself the number of wolf attacks on humans can be counted on one hand." << First page <   1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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