Many of us have learned to take map programs for granted, without necessarily knowing the work that has gone into creating them. The highs and lows shown in underwater topography have been largely mapped by satellite and radar. However, a more detailed mapping of the dark places in the world is now being done with unmanned surface vehicles.
It is absolutely amazing how much of this type of work can now be done by remote control with little to know oversight. There are prototypes available to universities or governments which will perform mapping duties on their own. The parameters of the area they wish to cover are programmed, and the progress is monitored by a vehicle control station, or VCS.
Maintaining this VCS is done through an application which can be loaded onto a cell phone or any other device. The person or people conducting the study track the progress of their project in real time, day and night, and can continue to do so as long as the batteries last. Not only can they keep tabs of the progress as well as battery life, but they know if the vehicle runs into any snags as well.
The process of mapping oceans or lake bottoms is known as bathymetry. Traditionally this task has been performed by manned boats using sonar equipment. It is a laborious process which requires them to comb the sea or lake bed in a vacuum-sweeper fashion, and their work is inhibited by nightfall as well as weather.
Robotic vessels have no need for gasoline, and they can perform their job without utilizing very many humans in the process. They can perform their duty much longer than human-controlled boats, and are able to perform studies that would have been impossible before. Should weather change abruptly, no people are put at risk.
These boats can be equipped for measuring temperature and rainfall, as well as wave patterns and temperature during severe storms. The study of hurricanes has been taken to a whole new level with this technology. With the data collected remotely, even if the vessel is completely lost, the data collected during the period of observation has already been delivered.
Private individuals have many uses for such technological advances as well. There are many farmers and land owners who have water features on their properties, and having these closely mapped is a vital part of ensuring safety on their property. It is necessary to know not only the depth of the water, but whether or not there are structures or trees shallow enough to pose a threat to boaters or swimmers.
Law enforcement is now able to utilize such technology in search and rescue missions. Humans will become tired long before the batteries of a small USV will wear out. The very hit-or-miss nature of such search and rescue can now be done in a manner much more efficient and therefore more likely to preserve human life in the event of a disaster.
It is absolutely amazing how much of this type of work can now be done by remote control with little to know oversight. There are prototypes available to universities or governments which will perform mapping duties on their own. The parameters of the area they wish to cover are programmed, and the progress is monitored by a vehicle control station, or VCS.
Maintaining this VCS is done through an application which can be loaded onto a cell phone or any other device. The person or people conducting the study track the progress of their project in real time, day and night, and can continue to do so as long as the batteries last. Not only can they keep tabs of the progress as well as battery life, but they know if the vehicle runs into any snags as well.
The process of mapping oceans or lake bottoms is known as bathymetry. Traditionally this task has been performed by manned boats using sonar equipment. It is a laborious process which requires them to comb the sea or lake bed in a vacuum-sweeper fashion, and their work is inhibited by nightfall as well as weather.
Robotic vessels have no need for gasoline, and they can perform their job without utilizing very many humans in the process. They can perform their duty much longer than human-controlled boats, and are able to perform studies that would have been impossible before. Should weather change abruptly, no people are put at risk.
These boats can be equipped for measuring temperature and rainfall, as well as wave patterns and temperature during severe storms. The study of hurricanes has been taken to a whole new level with this technology. With the data collected remotely, even if the vessel is completely lost, the data collected during the period of observation has already been delivered.
Private individuals have many uses for such technological advances as well. There are many farmers and land owners who have water features on their properties, and having these closely mapped is a vital part of ensuring safety on their property. It is necessary to know not only the depth of the water, but whether or not there are structures or trees shallow enough to pose a threat to boaters or swimmers.
Law enforcement is now able to utilize such technology in search and rescue missions. Humans will become tired long before the batteries of a small USV will wear out. The very hit-or-miss nature of such search and rescue can now be done in a manner much more efficient and therefore more likely to preserve human life in the event of a disaster.
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