Company Profile

Sander Geophysics Limited (SGL) specializes in high resolution airborne surveys for petroleum and mineral exploration, and environmental mapping.  The company carries out airborne gravity, magnetic, electromagnetic and radiometric surveys worldwide using fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.


History

SGL was founded in 1956 by Dr. George W. Sander (1924-2008).  The first airborne surveys were performed as early as 1958, and by 1967 airborne geophysical surveying had become the mainstay of the company.  Operations have expanded steadily for over 50 years.


Worldwide Operations

The company's head office and aircraft maintenance hangar are located at the International Airport in Ottawa, Canada.  SGL also has operational bases strategically located around the world.



Sander Geophysics' head office and hangar

Sander Geophysics maintains a fully-equipped electronics workshop for research, development and production of geophysical instruments.  SGL has a state-of-the-art data processing department and a fully digital cartographic department.  Sander Geophysics is also an Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO), which allows us to perform all required aircraft maintenance and modifications.


Personnel

Sander Geophysics has over 160 experienced full-time employees, including geophysicists, software and hardware engineers, aircraft maintenance engineers and pilots.  Our management staff is listed below:

Co-Presidents Stephan Sander, M.Sc.
Luise Sander, M.Sc.
Marketing/Project Manager Malcolm Argyle, B.Sc., P.Geo.
Data Processing Manager Martin Bates, Ph.D.
Human Resources/Administration Manager Michael Taylor
Accounting Manager Deborah Hine, B.A.
Engineering and Development Stephen Ferguson, M.Sc.
François Belanger, M.Eng.
Flight Operations Manager Dave Vipond, Pilot
Director of Aircraft Maintenance Gerry McGrath, A.M.E.
Field Operations Manager Reed Archer, B.Sc., P.Geo.

Services

The company specializes in airborne surveys using one or more of the following methods:   gravity; magnetic total field; magnetic gradient; electromagnetic; and radiometric.  Surveys are performed using SGL’s specially modified fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.  A standard product on all our surveys is a digital elevation model (DEM) derived from SGL's scanning LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system or a combination of radar and laser profiler data.

Sander Geophysics offers gravimetric surveying with the company's AIRGrav (Airborne Inertially Referenced Gravimeter) system.   AIRGrav was designed specifically for the unique characteristics of the airborne environment, and is the highest resolution airborne gravimeter available.  In addition, AIRGrav can be flown in an efficient survey aircraft during normal daytime conditions.   AIRGrav is routinely flown in combination with magnetometer and/or gamma-ray spectrometer systems in the company's airplanes and helicopters.

SGL also provides environmental monitoring services using gamma-ray spectrometers and specialized processing to detect and quantify natural and anthropogenic radiation.



First Vertical Derivative (FVD) of the Terrain Corrected Bouguer Gravity with Shadow of the FVD of the Total Magnetic Intensity

Immediate data processing is part of our standard quality control procedure, and provides our clients with rapid results for evaluation while the survey is in progress.  SGL offers a full range of data enhancement programs and provides complete interpretational services by experienced geoscientists.  Available products include:

  • Vertical gradient contour and colour maps
  • Shaded relief maps of any parameter
  • NASVD processed gamma-ray spectrometer data
  • Frequency slices - high/low-pass or band-pass filtered
  • Calculated digital terrain models
  • Amplitude of the analytic signal
  • Reduction-to-the-pole
  • Upward or downward continuation
  • Three-dimensional modeling

Safety

Sander Geophysics is a founding member of the International Airborne Geophysics Safety Association (IAGSA) which promotes the safe operation of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft on airborne geophysical surveys.

SGL is proud of its excellent safety record, and attributes its safe operations to the quality and experience of its field crews and flight operations crew, and management’s ongoing commitment to safety.


Aircraft

SGL owns and operates 15 geophysical aircraft, including 8 Cessna 208B Grand Caravans, and a helicopter all equipped for geophysical surveys.  Several of the Grand Caravans have been modified to allow the installation of a tri-axial magnetic gradiometer system consisting of two wingtip magnetometers to measure the horizontal gradient, and two vertically separated, tail boom mounted magnetometers to measure the vertical gradient.  SGL has three new Diamond DA42 Twin Stars that are modified for gravity and horizontal magnetic gradient surveys.  SGL also has an AS 350 B3 helicopter equipped for gravity, magnetic and radiometric surveys. The B3 is a a modern, high powered helicopter suitable for operating in areas of high altitude and steep terrain.  Extensive modifications have been made to all of SGL’s survey aircraft to reduce their magnetic effect.  Typical figures of merit for SGL’s fixed-wing aircraft are less than 1 nT in most regions of the world.  All of SGL’s aircraft are flown and maintained by permanent employees of Sander Geophysics.



One of SGL’s eight Cessna Grand Caravan 208Bs


Research & Development

SGL is dedicated to research and development.  Nearly one-third of the company’s resources are devoted to developing new and more efficient instrumentation for airborne geophysical surveying.  In addition, the company has an ongoing program of designing, developing and refining a full suite of software for geophysical data processing.

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