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MDA

Type	Public (TSX: MDA)
Founded	1969
Headquarters	Richmond, BC, Canada
Key people	Daniel Friedmann (President and CEO)
Industry	Information technology services, Advanced engineering services
Revenue	▲$1.052 billion CAD (2006)[1]
Net income	▲$83.6 million CAD (2006)[1]
Employees	3,000+ (2006)[1]
Subsidiaries	MDA Space Missions
Website	www.mdacorporation.com

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA) is a Richmond based, Canadian aerospace, information services and products company, employing over 3000 people throughout Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, under the MDA brand name.^[1]

MDA provides commercial customers, industrial partners and governments (civil, defense, security, space, and R&D agencies) with such information systems and solutions as:

• Space robotics, satellite information and payload systems.
• Earth observation, airborne, surveillance, intelligence, and environmental monitoring.
• Radar and optical satellite imagery, and, remote sensing.
• Mapping products.
• Advanced Research and Development services for government, defense and commercial customers.
• Robotic surgery research via its NeuroArm development program.
• Real estate information products.

MDA is a member of the British Columbia Technology Industry Association.

History

• 2008 - In June MDA wins the British Columbia Technology Industry Association Impact Award^[2] for Best Application of Technology for their RADARSAT-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite.
• 2008 - Canadian government officially blocks sale of MDA to ATK on May 8, 2008^[3]
• 2008 - MDA announces sale of its Information Systems and Geospacial Services operations to Alliant Techsystems of Edina, Minnesota for $1.325 billion.^[4] However, amongst much media coverage, the sale was rejected by the federal government of Canada.^[5]
• 2007 - named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers, as published in Maclean's magazine.^[6]
• 2006 - acquires Lyttle & Co. (Belfast, Northern Ireland), property and related search information^[7]
• 2006 - acquires xit2 Ltd. (Nr Charlbury, Oxfordshire, UK), information exchange solutions for lenders and home surveyors and other outsourced service providers^[8]
• 2006 - acquires Rochford Brady Group (Dublin, Ireland), legal property and company information search
• 2006 - acquires PropertyFlow (Kent, United Kingdom), property insurance and conveyancing search
• 2006 - expands into financial services with acquisition of Mindbox, a supplier of advanced decision systems for mortgage lending, for $12.6 million USD, with up to $10.75 million contingent on performance^[9]
• 2005 - acquires business of EMS Technologies Canada (previously RCA Canada, which then became the Montreal division of SPAR Aerospace), a major supplier and subcontractor, for $8.9 million^[9]
• 2004 - acquires Marshall & Swift / Boechk for $337.8 million, with $104.9 million contingent on performance.^[9]
• 2003 - acquires Millar & Bryce, a commercial provider of land information in Scotland, for $21.32 million, with $1.76 million contingent on performance.^[10]
• 2002 - acquires Dynacs for $3.1 million, with an additional $6.8 million contingent on performance^[9]
• 2002 - acquires Automated Mining Systems of Aurora, Ontario for $225,000^[11]
• 2002 - acquires Earth Satellite; subsidiary becomes [MDA Federal]
• 2001 - MDA UK launches National Land Information Service (NLIS)
• 2000/01 - Orbital Sciences divests its MDA shares through an initial public offering; trades as TSX: MDA
• 2000 - enters joint venture with LandAmerica Financial Group to create LandMDA, a provider of property reports to lenders^[12]
• 2000 - acquires Atlantic Technologies of Huntsville, Alabama for $12.5 million on closing and $8.9 million in MDA shares (paid over 3 years); becomes MD Atlantic Technologies

• 2000 - acquires DataQuick Information Systems
• 1999 - completes buy-out of Radarsat International from SPAR Aerospace, Technology Horizons Ltd., and Lockheed Martin Astronautics
• 1999 - acquires FDI Forest Dimensions, a provider of forestry-related mapping and forest inventory management
• 1999 - acquires the Space and Advanced Robotics (Brampton, Ontario) Division of SPAR Aerospace; subsidiary becomes MD Robotics
• 1999 - acquires Terra Surveys (Ottawa)
• 1997 - MDA led consortium purchases BC Online from Province of British Columbia
• 1997 - acquires Triathlon Mapping
• 1997 - acquires Maritime Information Systems business of CANAC/Microtel
• 1996 - acquires Iotek, a supplier of signal processing and sonar technology for military customers, for undisclosed sum^[13]
• 1995 - MDA acquired by Orbital Sciences for $67 million in stock^[14]
• 1969 - founded by John S. MacDonald and Werner Dettwiler

See also

• MDA Space Missions
• NeuroArm
• Canadarm

External links

• MDA web site
• Robotic Surgery project neuroArm at University of Calgary
• "Feds delay ruling on sale of Canada's top space firm". http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080320/mda_sale_080320/20080320?hub=TopStories#commentSection.  

References