ASV sent to Bahamas for post-Dorian survey

SeaRobotics’ SR-Surveyor M1.8 ASV has closely coupled multiple sensors on board and has the ability to collect side-scan sonar, multibeam sonar, and lidar data simultaneously. Morgan & Eklund (M&E), a Florida based land and hydrographic survey firm, chose the SR-Surveyor M1.8 because of its shallow draft and multiple sensors onboard.

“We designed the SR-Surveyor M1.8 to excel at working in hurricane and storm-damaged areas, without putting manned vessels in harm’s way. The SR-Surveyor M1.8 is portable, which is key in difficult to reach areas due to downed trees, submerged vessels and debris limiting access to launch areas,” said Don Darling, president of SeaRobotics. “High-quality data is also critical to recovery efforts — they need an accurate picture of the underwater environment to do their jobs safely and effectively.”

The optimised sensor suite (EdgeTech 2205, Velodyne PUCK, SonTek M9, and AML MicroSV) provided accurate data and detailed images of the condition of the waterways, which are crucial to the success of the ongoing recovery effort.

By Rebecca Jeffrey