Autonomous Shallow Water Hydrographic Survey Using a Proto-Type USV

Abstract

Maritime unmanned systems (MUS) have gained widespread usage in a diverse range of hydrographic survey activities, including harbor/port surveys, beach and coastline monitoring, environmental assessment, and military operations. The present article explains a validated, rapid, and reliable technique for processing hydrographic data that was obtained via an autonomous hydrographic survey, and which was executed by a prototype unmanned surface vessel (USV) belonging to the Unmanned Survey Solutions (USS) corporation. The experimentation was part of the annual Multinational Exercise Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping that was augmented by Maritime Unmanned Systems 22 (REPMUS22), which was held in the national waters of Portugal. The main objective of this experimentation was to assess the underwater environment over an ocean beach for an amphibious landing exercise. Moreover, the integration of the multibeam system with the autonomous prototype vessel was assessed. A short comparison between the USV survey and a traditional vessel multibeam survey is presented, whereby the advantages of performing an autonomous survey operation near the coastline is emphasized. A correlation between a known multibeam processing technique and the dissemination of a rapid but consistent product for operational use is described, highlighting the applicability of the technique for the data collected from small experimental platforms. Moreover, this study outlines the relationship between the particular errors observed in autonomous small vehicles and in conventional data processing methods. The resultant cartographic outputs from the hydrographic survey are presented, emphasizing the specific inaccuracies within the raw data and the suitability of distinct hydrographic products for various user domains.

Innovative Maritime Uncrewed Systems and Satellite Solutions for Shallow Water Bathymetric Assessment

“…MUSs are increasingly being integrated into military operations, serving either as a supplementary addition to traditional vessel operations or as an autonomous solution for conducting environmental monitoring [13]. This trend reflects the growing reliance on technologically advanced methodologies in naval strategies [14,15]. The military objectives of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) extend to crisis response, peace support, humanitarian operations, and conventional warfighting, thereby fundamentally altering the demands of military environmental support [16].…”

Marine Renewable Energy and the Transition to a Low-Carbon Future

“…From this perspective, the goal of this Special Issue is to contribute to the renewable energy agenda by presenting high-quality scientific and multi-disciplinary works, aiming to improve knowledge and performance in extracting offshore renewable energy. This Special Issue entitled 'Marine Renewable Energy and the Transition to a Low-Carbon Future' includes nine contributions [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] published during 2022-2023.…”

“…Various alternatives for improving airflow are simulated using computational fluid dynamics and compared with experimental data. The possibility of refining wastes and petrochemical derivates for producing marine fuel oil is another important research direction, and is discussed in [8]. Such technology represents a viable solution to the problem of waste disposal and may also contribute to cost reduction for ship owners.…”

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