USVs for Hydrographic Survey of Inland Waterways

John Tamplin | President | Seafloor Systems, Inc.

MAY 9, 2017

USVs for Hydrographic Survey of Inland Waters

Tools, Preparation, and Implementation of Unmanned Surface Vehicles for Hydrographic Survey

USV’s (Unmanned Surface Vehicles)

RCV vs. USV vs. ASV Seafloor HyDrone Class Vehicles Teledyne Z-Boat Class Vehicles ASV Global C-Worker Class Vehicle Hydrographic Sensors Mission Planning Launch and Recovery Survey Monitoring and Data Collection Post Processing

Remotely Controlled (RC) Vehicles

Fully controlled by the User

Limited range (<1km)

Line of Sight

Pros: – Direct control over vehicle

– Fast mobilization

Cons: – Tedious, tiresome

– Limited visual range

Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV)

User Controlled and Monitored Vehicles

Both RC and Basic Auto-Pilot functions

Majority of vehicles

Autonomous Surface Vehicles

What is a True “Autonomous Vehicle”? Monitored Has Full Autonomy Able to Navigate and avoid obstacles

above Auxiliary sensors

– LiDAR – Camera – Sonar – Infra-red

HyDroneTM Class Vehicles

Catamaran ~ 1.2m Small payload

– Singlebeam echosounder – GPS – Data Collector – Small ADCP

RC and Auto Pilot Lakes, Rivers, Ponds, etc. Medium Endurance (4-8 hours)

Z-BoatTM Class Vehicles

Monohull

~ 1.8m

Large payloads – ADCP

– Multibeam

– Sidescan sonar

– PC

Medium Endurance (4-8 hours)

Protected Waterways

C-WorkerTM Class Vehicles

>3.0m

Long Endurance (12-24 hours)

Multi-mission

Nearly Autonomous

All Open-ocean and Inland waterways

Hydrographic Sensors

Echosounders – Singlebeam – Multibeam

Imaging Sonar – Sidescan Sonar – Scanning Sonar

Hydrid Sonar – Swathe/Interferometric Sonar

Current Profilers – ADCP

Mission Planning

Open Source Software – Mission Planner

Hydrographic Software Packages – Hypack

Launch and Recovery

Often overlooked detail Launch from Shore

– Trailer – Davit – Crane

Launch from Craft – A-Frame – Davit /Crane

Environmental Conditions Vehicle vulnerable points

Survey Monitoring and Data Collection

Autonomous Data Collection – In-situ data collection via

onboard PC

– Onboard data collector

Real-Time Monitoring – Remote Desktop to onboard

PC

– LR Telemetry

– Both

Autonomous Data Collection

Hydrolite-TM type systems – Battery Powered

– Bluetooth interface

– Limited controls

– No line keeping function

Real-time Monitoring and Collection

Real-time RF Data Telemetry

– Bluetooth

– FreeWave

– WiFi

– Cellular

Remote Desktop

– Windows Remote Desktop

– Teamviewer

Real-time Data Telemetry

Bluetooth

FreeWave

WiFi

Cellular

Bluetooth Telemetry

Pros: – Low Power

– Universal

– Plug and Play

Cons: – Range limited to <100m

– Easily interrupted

– Low bandwidth

– Limited devices

FreeWave Radio

Pros: – No License

– Long-range

Cons: – Line of sight

– Single com port

– Expensive

– Low bandwidth

Cellular

Pros: – Over-the-horizon

– Long range

– High Bandwidth

Cons: – Expensive

– Must be in Cell Range

– Complex

WiFi

Pros: – Low cost

– Multi-port

– Long-range

– High Bandwidth

– Universal

Cons: – Line of sight

– Complex

Remote Desktop

Real-time monitoring of onboard PC

Full control of all onboard systems

Data logged locally

QA/QC

Realtime Coverage

Mission Endurance Factors

Power Supply – Battery Powered

– Internal Combustion

– Hybrid

Speed

Sensors

Environment

Post-Processing

Direct Data Export to XYZ

Post-Processing / Office – USB drive

– Ethernet

Real-Time Processing – Caris Onboard

– Qinsy Qimera

Direct Data Export

Cloud file from Data Collector

Batch File export

Spreadsheet format – X,Y,Z,Depth

– X,Y,Z+Depth Added

Post Processing / Office

Hysweep

Caris HIPS

QINSY

PDS2000

Real-Time Processing

Batch Data Processing Automated

Pros: – Automated processing

– Near real-time products

Cons: – No Patch Test

– No QA/QC of Data