Tourists and locals with an interest in icebergs can now track them with ease, thanks to a new website launched May 17.

IcebergFinder.com is a new iceberg detection project utilizing satellite data, provided by the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency, and technology to locate icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. The data provided via satellite images enables tourists and residents alike to consult an iceberg locator map to determine where they can go to see an iceberg.

C-CORE, a separately-incorporated entity at Memorial that provides innovative engineering solutions to clients, is a leading partner in the website, along with Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL), the provincial Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and ACOA.

“C-CORE has been involved with detecting icebergs using satellite imagery since 1997,” said Kelley Dodge, project engineer and earth observation specialist at C-CORE. “This website has provided an excellent opportunity to merge leading edge technology with the tourism industry and through this benefit the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

HNL President Nick McGrath said his group was excited about the tourism benefits of the website. “Icebergs are one of the icons that attract visitors to our province and this website will help enhance their iceberg viewing experiences in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

“Ten thousand year-old icebergs are marvels of nature and represent an integral part of the array of natural wonders tourists and visitors can find in Newfoundland and Labrador," said Loyola Hearn, minister of Fisheries and Oceans. The federal government, though ACOA, invested $200,000 in the IcebergFinder.com project.

IcebergFinder.com also provides intriguing facts about icebergs, visitor information, driving itineraries, scientific information regarding iceberg detection and an array of spectacular iceberg photos. “This website will be a great complement to our season extension strategy,” said Tom Hedderson, provincial tourism minister. “No doubt, it will attract even more iceberg-seeking tourists to Newfoundland and Labrador earlier in the spring and now they won't have to worry about where to find them exactly. As well, visitors always want to know more about icebergs and they will be able to find the information they want very easily on this well-designed site.”