About Keo Scientific
About Us
KEO SCIENTIFIC LTD designs and builds highly sensitive scientific instrumentation capable of wavelength-resolved imaging of sub-visual emissions from the upper atmosphere. Imaging systems can be designed to satisfy unique customer requirements, or one may choose from a wide range of highly flexible existing configurations that meet a wide range of strategic and tactical scientific objectives. Keo offers high-quality professional consulting services. In addition to CCD/EMCCD/sCMOS imagers, spectrographs, Fabry-Pérot Interferometers and photometers, Keo has expertise with scientific software engineering, and design of SDR-based riometers, radio receivers and radars.
Our Location
Keo Scientific is based in Calgary, Alberta Canada. It has a modern optical laboratory facility that supports the design, assembly, testing, and calibration of a wide variety of imaging instrumentation. Equipped with two darkrooms, an ISO Class 7 Clean Room with laminar flow hood, multiple NIST traceable integrating spheres, and with priority access to a CNC machine shop and a custom lens-grinding facility, Keo can design and manufacture optical instrumentation of unmatched quality for space weather, auroral, and airglow (nightglow) research.
When asked about his choice of the word ‘Keo’ in the company name, Dr. Eather responded: “On Page 3 of his book ‘Keoeeit – the story of the Aurora Borealis’ (1963), W. Petrie states, There is an interesting Eskimo story about the great light of ‘keoeeit’, the aurora shining during the period before there was any daylight. That is where I first saw the reference, and from which I came up with ‘Keo Consultants’ and, later, the word ‘keogram’.”
Our History
Keo Scientific was founded in the autumn of 2003 by a group of Science and Engineering personnel from the University of Calgary’s Institute for Space Imaging Science. Collectively, this group has hands-on, practical experience with the design and use of specialized scientific optical instrumentation going back to the mid 1970s. Keo Scientific’s founders have expertise ranging from space & atmospheric research to mechanical, electrical, optical and software engineering, to the deployment and maintenance of distributed imaging arrays in hostile environments.
Keo Scientific was started by acquiring Keo Consultants of Brookline, MA from the then retiring Dr. Robert Eather. Keo Consultants has in the past designed and built camera systems for customers such as the US Air Force, NASA, UC Berkeley, and Japanese, Korean, Italian, Brazilian, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish research groups. Dr. Eather’s expertise remains available through his current role as Keo Scientific’s Senior Consultant.
