OceanServer has received a fourth contract from the University of Michigan for an Iver2 EP42 equipped with side scan sonar, ten-beam DVL and ADCP.
Early this year, OceanServer delivered the university’s third vehicle for service in the Great Lakes. The new vehicle will be used as part of the Great Lakes Observing System Tributary Monitoring Project, with funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The project looks at monitoring five separate Areas of Concern across all five Great Lakes, using different monitoring methods.
The University of Michigan’s part of the project will be using the Iver2 AUV for surveying Saginaw Bay, an Area of Concern in Lake Huron. Researchers will use bottom classification software with sonar to support an ongoing study of Cladophora growth, something which leads to unsightly and foul-smelling muck on the beaches. The new Iver vehicle will also be used for mapping fish habitats and reefs.
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 autonomous underwater vehicles, 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.