Application: River Survey
Vehicle: C-Cat 3
Payload: Norbit – iWBMS Turnkey Multibeam Sonar System
Customer: The Port of London Authority
Summary: ASV Global trialed C-Cat 3 for coastal survey in the River Thames with a Norbit multibeam and LIDAR integrated.
Benefit: Further data gathering opportunities for inshore survey / cost-saving / minimize health and safety risks
Before mobilization, the Norbit – iWBMS Turnkey Multibeam Sonar System was integrated onto the C-Cat 3 autonomous surface vehicle at ASV Global’s UK headquarters in Portsmouth.
C-Cat 3 has been developed to complement the existing ocean-going ASV Global vehicles for survey and support tasks where a smaller vehicle is better suited to missions. The design incorporates a large payload bay to enable flexibility of payloads used and the fitting of a range of scientific above and below water payloads.
The shallow draft and small size of the vehicle enables deployment in shallow and confined waters.
The C-Cat 3 was then transported to Gravesend in Kent for launch from an A-frame aboard SV Maplin, the Port of London Authority’s survey vessel. This was the first time the vessel had been launched from a support boat for operations.
C-Cat 3 is designed for easy launch and recovery. The vehicle’s modular design allows it to be assembled and disassembled with ease for simple transportation and rebuild. C-Cat 3 is also road transportable via a small trailer which also facilitates slipway launch.
C-Cat 3 was operated in autonomous mode in order to follow a set plan of survey lines in different areas of the River Thames. In this mode the vessel was kept within visual range at all times while running survey lines. C-Cat 3 was also operated via direct remote control to complete close quarters inspection of bridges and piers.
ASV’s proprietary ‘ASView’ software served as the command and control interface with C-Cat 3. ASView was used to send commands to the vessel and monitor and control on-board systems. A real-time on-board camera feed was also monitored for obstacle avoidance during the survey.
This was the third public testing of this particular multibeam survey system with the C-Cat 3 and the first with the LIDAR integrated. C-Cat 3 has shown itself across trials to be the perfect option for inshore surveys in locations such as harbors, river, lakes, ports and reservoirs.
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