By reducing the cost of manufacture, Integrated Spectronics can gain market share and improve profitability. Improvements in performance will ensure that the airborne technology remains well ahead of competitors. Dr Wilson hopes to achieve ground resolution of less than 2 m, and spectral resolution of less than 10 nanometres. Next year, he hopes to demonstrate the feasibility of improvement in this area. Probe 1 will establish Integrated Spectronics as a supplier of 'world class' instrumentation beyond just PIMA spectrometers.
Most commercial activity involves data processing, and the hardware side is very specialised.
One generic product cannot cover all aspects of remote sensing, so Integrated Spectronics customises each unit to each customer's specific needs. However, the growth in PIMA sales over the last couple of years and the success of the Probe 1 projects has provided both opportunities and challenges for Integrated Spectronics. Whatever else may come, we do intend to continue producing world-class remote sensing hardware and portable spectrometers. SpIN asked Dr Cocks how Australia benefits. I think we are paying our way.