The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) has ordered a MERLIN XS2530e Avian Radar System to conduct a multi-year study of a proposed wind farm project in Norway.
MERLIN is a self-contained, fully mobile, automated, advanced ornithological radar system that includes specialised bird and bat radar detection and tracking software, an on-board operator/equipment cabin, the MERLIN GPS/Compass geo-referencing system, on-board power, and a data/communications uplink for unattended 24-7 operation. The NINA unit will be remotely controlled and monitored for this project via the internet with recorded bird activity and weather data downloaded daily by NINA and DeTect for processing and analysis over the study period. The technology, originally developed for the US Air Force and NASA, is being increasingly used to support wind energy, mining and landfill projects worldwide for risk assessment and mitigation.