OceanServer Technology, Inc. has recently received AUV orders from NOAA and the University of Wisconsin for use in scientific research and mapping applications.
The new order from NOAA represents the federal agency’s second Iver2 vehicle purchase. NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office is developing an operational capability to observe and monitor habitat restoration and quantify environmental conditions in restoration areas. The Iver AUV will play an important role in pre- and post-restoration assessments and ongoing surveys of benthic characteristics and three-dimensional characterization of water properties and water quality. The versatile Iver EP35 will dramatically expand NOAA’s survey capability in shallow water and enable AUV configurations including a variety of instrument packages. The University of Wisconsin will focus on expanding research work in local waterways. The vehicle will be initially outfitted with a DVL for navigation and current profiling along with various water quality sensors. The university expects to add additional sensors over time and continue to expand work into different AUV behaviors and survey techniques.
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 behavioral 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 USD, 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.