WHY BATHYMETRY WITH UAV
- Bathymetric drone maps water depths and sediments much faster and cost-efficient.
- It is easy to transport deploy and has the ability to operate at hard to reach locations, unsafe or hazardous environment.
- The drone makes bathymetric surveys 10 times faster and 2 times more cost-efficient compared with a standard approach using a ship, a boat or an unmanned surface vehicle.
MAIN BENEFITS
Deploy anywhere
Ideal for hard to reach locations (steep coasts, mining pits, shallow waters, terrain obstacles), as well as waters of ponds, lakes, and canals. No need for a wide point of entry to the water for deployment/recovery. Locations not reachable by foot can be reached by drone.
Save time
Acquire data 10 times faster compared to the traditional methods due to easy transportation and fast deployment.
Operate in harsh conditions
The system works in an unsafe and hazardous environment, which a human should not approach freely. A drone operates without water contact, therefore lakes and rivers with strong currents, as well as contaminated waters become measurable.
Precise measurements
Drone's precise positioning while following the survey routes and ability to fly at a constant speed and specified low altitudes result in high accuracy measurements.
Supported Sensors
Echo Sounder
- 450Khz single-frequency or 30-50 / 200Khz dual-frequency transducers
- Maximum depth of 100-200m
- Acquired data-sets: Echo Sounder datasets >>>
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
- 52-124Mhz antennas
- Maximum depth of 6-15 meters
- Acquired data-sets: Airborne GPR datasets >>>
Applications
| Echo Sounder | Low frequency GPR | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum depth | up to 200m | up to 15m |
| Bathymetric survey of tailings dams and ponds | ✔ | |
| Bathymetric survey of ponds in open pits | ✔ | |
| Mapping the sediments of oxidation and tailing ponds | ✔ | |
| Bathymetry of ice-covered waters | ✔ only method for waters covered with ice |
|
| Strong current | Not possible, Echosounder has to be in the water |
✔ contact with water is not required |
| Mapping water depths and sediments before dredging and cleaning of ponds, lakes, rivers, and canals |
✔ | ✔ |
| River and lake bottom profiling for scientific investigations and environmental monitoring |
✔ | ✔ |
| Underwater inspections for engineering works (bridge or pipeline crossings) |
✔ | ✔ |
| Sludge volume measurements at waste stabilization ponds | ✔ |
How it works
The integrated drone system for bathymetry consists of a drone (UAV) integrated with Echo Sounder or Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). The full integration is ensured by adding the onboard computer UgCS SkyHub to the system. Adding a laser/radar Altimeter to the system enables the drone to precisely follow the terrain, based on the data received from the altimeter. The drone's flight is planned and managed using the full functionality of UgCS.
You can choose between a ready-to-use system or components like the UgCS SkyHub integration kit for self-assembling.
DJI M300, M210, M600 series of-the-shelf drones as well as UAV's based on DJI A3 or Pixhawk autopilots with ArduCopter/PX4 firmware
Sensor is selected based on the water depth, required sensitivity, and water properties
Sensor's data logging is started automatically and geotagged with GPS coordinates from the autopilot
Data-sheet
User Manual
Applications Bathymetry
Mapping water depths and sediments before dredging and cleaning in shallow or seaweed ponds, lakes, rivers, and canals
River and lake bottom profiling for scientific investigations and environmental monitoring
Flood inundation mapping
Underwater inspections for engineering works (bridge or pipeline crossings)
Mapping the sediments of oxidation and tailing ponds
Sludge volume measurements at waste stabilization ponds
Supported drones and autopilots
UgCS SkyHub integrated drone-based systems can be built with DJI: M300 RTK, M600/M600 Pro (incl. RTK), M210/M210v2 (incl.RTK), and custom built drones based on DJI A3 or Pixhawk with ArduCopter firmware.
DJI M300
DJI M600/M600 PRO (incl.RTK)
DJI M210/210v2 (incl.RTK)
DJI A3 (custom built)
Pixhawk with ArduCopter firmware
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