Project team

The MARS project is funded for 3.5 years (15/10/2020 – 31/03/2024) and is carried out by a team from ISMER, IMAR, OpDAQ, and MTE:

  • ISMER is responsible for the research related to the underwater radiated noise signatures of ships and the measurement of signatures according to the ANSI/ASA S12/64-2009 standard.
  • IMAR is responsible for the research related to the vibratory state of ships and the production of diagnostics for partner shipowners.
  • OpDAQ and MTE are in charge of the design and operation of the measurement platform.
  • ISMER and IMAR work jointly to analyze links between vibratory and acoustic signatures to identify the causes of radiated noise and propose methods for its reduction.

Directors

Guillaume St-Onge
ISMER

Sylvain Lafrance
IMAR

Scientific coordination

Cédric Gervaise
CHORUS - ISMER

Activity 01
URNS Platform

OpDAQ | MTE
  • Charles Massicotte

Activity 02
URN signatures

ISMER
  • Pierre Cauchy
  • Cédric Gervaise
  • Yvan Simard
  • Pierre Mercure-Boissonnault
  • Jeanne Mérindol
  • Cécile Perrier de la Bathie
  • Faniry Fitiavana Rabetoandro
  • Hugo Catineau
  • Christian Boutot

Activity 03 & 04
Onboard measurements

IMAR
  • Jean-Christophe Gauthier-Marquis
  • Kamal Kesour
  • Marie-Laurence Bazinet
  • Paul Camerin
  • Olivier Robin

Activity 05
Methods to reduce ship noise

ISMER | IMAR
  • Jean-Christophe Gauthier-Marquis
  • Kamal Kesour
  • Olivier Robin
  • Pierre Cauchy
  • Cédric Gervaise
  • Yvan Simard

ISMER

As the largest francophone academic research institute of marine sciences in Canada, the Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski (ISMER) brings together a large number of researchers and students from a variety of disciplines dedicated to the discovery and advancement of knowledge on marine and coastal environments in the context of climate change and sustainable development. ISMER was officially established in March 1999 with the primary mission of discovering and advancing fundamental and applied knowledge of coastal and marine environments in order to assess the impacts of human activity on resources and to develop the scientific and technical tools essential for the management of coastal and marine environments. Today, ISMER has 23 professors and 45 associate professors. Research is carried out by more than 100 graduate students in oceanography with the support of more than 25 research professionals and administrative staff (https://ismer.ca/a-propos-de-l-ismer/l-institut).

IMAR

Active since 2001, IMAR is an applied research centre within the Maritime Institute of Quebec (IMQ). IMAR provides services related to research and development, technical assistance, and information dissemination to multiple companies and organizations in the maritime field. IMAR is a not-for-profit organization led by a board of directors comprising representatives from the marine and research industries. IMAR's overall mission is to support development of the maritime industry through innovation. Its strategic plan is reviewed every five years. The 2020–2025 strategic plan focuses on environmental technologies aimed at reducing the impact of ships operating on the St. Lawrence. IMAR relies on a team of about 30 people to carry out its projects. Its five areas of intervention are marine engineering, environmental technologies, marine intelligence, ship/transportation, and professional diving.

MTE

Founded in Rimouski in 1982, MTE is an electronics company. While the company's initial activities were primarily focused on repairing and maintaining electronic equipment, the company stood out by also offering custom equipment design and manufacturing services. Over the years, the company's geographical location has meant that projects have been primarily focused on oceanographic research projects from ISMER and the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute (IML). Although other clients such as Telus and Hydro-Québec have also benefited from the company's services, MTE has gradually shifted its scope of expertise by increasingly specializing in the field of oceanography. The creation of the AURAL underwater acoustic recorder provides the company with a product for which there is a wider demand. The product, now mature but still constantly perfected, generates a keen interest in the scientific community for which it is intended. It is the first underwater acoustics recorder to be assembled in series and marketed internationally.

OpDAQ

OpDAQ's mission is to develop quality products and services to measure the energy performance of ships and industrial machinery using state-of-the-art tools and innovative and rigorous methods to enable customers to optimize their practices while meeting established standards.

Guillaume St-Onge

Guillaume St-Onge

Profile

Director of the Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski (ISMER).

Tier I Canada Research Chair in Marine Geology.

President of Reformar, the organization that manages the research vessels Coriolis II, Lampsilis, and Louis-Edmond-Hamelin for the Canadian scientific community.

Member of the board of directors of several Quebec and Canadian organizations involved in marine sciences or research.

First director (2016–2019) of the Réseau-Québec maritime (RQM), its flagship research program Odyssée Saint-Laurent, and the Institut France-Québec pour la coopération scientifique en appui au secteur maritime (IFQM).

Role in MARS

Co-director of the MARS project; support for implementing the ISMER component.

Sylvain Lafrance

Sylvain Lafrance

Profile

Executive Director of IMAR since 2013.

Researcher and manager of organizations involved in research and development in the maritime sector (30 years of experience).

Strong experience in managing multi-partner projects in partnership with private companies.

Role in MARS

Co-director of the project; support for implementing the IMAR component.

Cédric Gervaise

Cédric Gervaise

Profile

Underwater acoustic researcher with 20 years of experience (anthropic sources, marine fauna).

Director of the CHORUS Research Institute and President of SENSEAFR SAS.

Associate Professor at ISMER: 15 years of collaboration with ISMER including one sabbatical leave in 2009; 20 co-authored publications.

PIAQUO European Life Project: Goal 4 lead.

Role in MARS

Scientific coordinator.

Researcher on the ISMER team for "Measurements and Operations of URN Signatures."

Charles Massicotte

Charles Massicotte

Profile

Electrical engineer and physics technologist. Twenty years of experience in developing data acquisition systems, including 15 years in the maritime and oceanographic fields.

Co-founder of OpDAQ Systems in 2008; co-owner of MTE for three years.

Leads a team of seven engineers and nine technicians.

Role in MARS

Instrumentation project manager for the URNS platform.

Design and assembly of the station.

Deployment/recovery method.

Pierre Cauchy

Pierre Cauchy

Profile

Ten years of experience in scientific data processing (signal processing, acoustics, oceanography).

PhD in underwater soundscape analysis.

Role in MARS

Responsible for "Measurements and Operations of URN Signatures" for ISMER.

Jean-Christophe Marquis

Jean-Christophe G. Marquis

Profile

Physicist, MSc. Experience in physical oceanography (fragmentation and deformation of sea ice). Involvement in many scientific projects at Innovation maritime and college teacher.

Role in MARS

Manager of the MARS project at Innovation maritime. Research professional, measurements / analysis / writing.

Kamal Kesous

Kamal Kesour

Profile

PhD in acoustic radiation. More than 7 years of experience in prediction methodology development and vibroacoustic measurement.

Role in MARS

Specialist in acoustics and vibrations at Innovation maritime.

Marie-Laurence Bazinet

Marie-Laurence Bazinet

Profile

Candidate to the engineering profession (CEP) - Mechanical engineering, specialization in robotics and programming.

Role in MARS

Work on the development of on-board instrumentation at Innovation maritime.

Paul Camerin

Paul Camerin

Profile

Physicist, Msc. Experience in acoustic/vibration data processing and analysis.

Role in MARS

Specialist in acoustics and vibrations at Innovation maritime.

Olivier Robin

Olivier Robin

Profile

PhD, researcher in vibroacoustics (acoustic radiation, acoustic transport; 40 publications), 20 years of experience in acoustics/vibrations.

Role in MARS

Acoustics specialist attached to IMAR, development of methodologies.

Image

Pierre Mercure-Boissonnault

Profile

Physicist, MSc. Expertise in scientific programming and in high performance computing. 3 years of experience in underwater acoustic modelling.

Role in MARS

Research agent at ISMER to produce the URN signatures and to manage the databases.

Jeanne Merindol

Jeanne Mérindol

Profile

MSc. Student in Oceanography at UQAR.

Role in MARS

Research project: Variations of the underwater soundscape recorded at URNS station.

Cécile Perrier de la Bathie

Cécile Perrier de la Bathie

Profile

MSc. Student in Oceanography at UQAR.

Role in MARS

Research project: Analysis of the variability of measured signatures depending on hydrophone configuration.

Faniry Fitiavana Rabetoandro

Faniry Fitiavana Rabetoandro

Profile

MSc. Student in Oceanography at UQAR.

Role in MARS

Research project: Study of radiated noise in relation to the ship's caracteristics and operating conditions.

Hugo Catineau

Hugo Catineau

Profile

MSc. Student in Oceanography at UQAR.

Role in MARS

Research project: Analysis of the multisource aspects of ship underwater radiated noise.

Christian Boutot

Christian Boutot

Profile

Electrical engineering technician.

Role in MARS

Bring his expertise and experience for the planification, the preparation and the execution of the deployment operations and moorings recuperation at sea onboard the research vessel Coriolis II.