OceanServer has been awarded a contract from CIDCO (Centre Interdisciplinaire de Développement en Cartographie des Océans /Interdisciplinary Centre for the Development of Ocean Mapping) for an Iver2 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
CIDCO has a long history of facilitating new mapping technologies to further develop the maritime industry in Quebec, Canada. The new autonomous vehicle, equipped with Marine Sonic’s HDS sonar, will be used in coastal waters including ports, harbours, lakes, and rivers for bathymetric surveys and modelling. The centre will also take advantage of the Iver vehicle’s unique open system platform as a test bench to develop new applications and technologies. The multi-purpose vehicle will help CIDCO explore these new methods and tools to facilitate the logistics of data acquisition in shallow water.
All Iver2 AUV models come standard with OceanServer’s VectorMap mission planning and data presentation tool, which provides geo-registered data files that can be easily exported to other software analysis tools. This unique AUV design has enabled OceanServer to carve out a very strong position in the research space for AUVs, sensors and behavioural studies. The VectorMap program can input NOAA ENCs or any geo-referenced charts, maps or photo images, allowing the operator to intuitively develop AUV missions using simple point-and-click navigation.
The base vehicle, with a starting price at just over $50,000, gives university, government and commercial users an affordable base-platform for sensor development or survey applications in water quality, sub-surface security and general research.