Consequently, operational costs are higher than they need, necessitating the need for better decision-making. Eutrophication of natural water bodies, coupled with contamination by potentially toxic levels of metals, metalliferous sediments and organic wastes, is a major problem facing modern society. A substantial proportion of the cost of remediation is in the sampling required to measure and monitor change in chemical and biochemical parameters in the waste streams and contaminated sediments. Traditional measurement of natural water chemistry involves expensive field sampling programs, with transfer of collected samples to regional analytical facilities for detailed chemical analysis. The cost involved frequently prevents obtaining of the diurnal or temporal data needed for the effective treatment and management of discharge flows for all except the simplest of chemical parameters.
Similar constraints apply to sediment sampling.
In its latest phase, the focus of the HEI will continue to be activities in oil, gas and mining, with an eye to develop a presence in resource sectors such as forestry and pulp and paper. The Canadian Space Agency is at the forefront of the development and application of space knowledge for the benefit of Canadians and humanity. The European Space Agency is an international organisation established in 1975 to provide for and promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European states in space research and technology and their space applications. Canada takes part in some projects under a cooperation agreement. ESA has its headquarters in Paris, France, and establishments in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, a launch base in Kourou, French Guiana, and offices in Washington, Moscow and Brussels.