Find manufacturers of hydrographic survey equipment for unmanned and automated underwater vehicles (UUV, AUV, UAV) for underwater mapping and surveying.
Hydrographic surveying is the measurement and description of marine and maritime environmental features such as shorelines, seabeds and riverbeds, currents, and tides. In addition to manned vessels, it can also be carried out by USVs (unmanned surface vehicles) and UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles) equipped with acoustic technologies, or by UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) carrying specialised LiDAR payloads.
Using drones and other autonomous unmanned vehicles for hydrographic surveying saves time and manpower, and surveyors can easily plot pre-programmed routes and edit them during a mission as required. UAVs can be used at low tide to scan for obstructions, and this data can then be used to inform the paths of USVs and UUVs that complete the surveying works during high tide.
Seafloor Systems Hydrographic Survey USV
Equipment and Applications for Hydrographic Survey
Applications for hydrographic survey include maritime navigation, dredging, offshore drilling and marine construction.
Sonar and Echo Sounders
Used for acoustic hydrographic surveying, sonar technology measures the reflection of acoustic pulses in order to construct an image of the surveyed area.
Read more about Underwater Sonar and Echo Sounders >>
Depth Sensors and Underwater Altimeters
Often paired with temperature sensors, depth sensors and underwater altimeters utilize sonar pulses to measure the depth/distance of the seabed and information relating to the features of the seafloor.
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Profiling Floats
Profiling floats or drifters are preprogrammed underwater units used to autonomously relay information concerning currents, salinity and temperature from different points within a vertical water column.
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Tethered Boats
Unmanned tethered boats are remotely operated autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) used to monitor and exact information relating to a fixed point at sea / on the water.
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Bathymetric LiDAR
UAV LiDAR scanners are typically used for shallow-water bathymetry (underwater depth) measurements, whereas USVs and UUVs with acoustic equipment can be used for a wider range of surveying applications. Unmanned systems can also be used as a force multiplier in conjunction with manned survey vessels and aircraft.
Read more about Bathymetric LiDAR >>
Hydro-Tech has launched a fully integrated multibeam echosounder engineered for USVs, combining critical survey components into one compact, efficient, plug-and-play system
Teledyne Valeport has secured a significant investment from NOR Offshore Rental, enabling the delivery of advanced oceanographic instruments to subsidiary NOR LTD in Aberdeen
YellowScan’s Navigator bathymetric system has been integrated into Xer Technologies’ drones, creating a vital solution for coastal management, environmental monitoring, and more
Teledyne Marine’s ECHOTRAC E20 has achieved 250 sales across North and South America, providing the continents with a compact, portable, and reliable echosounder solution
OceanAlpha explores the advantages of using unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for subsea inspection, diving into a recent mission where its L25 USV effectively mapped the area around an undersea pipeline
Hydro-Tech have released a paper outlining the company’s bathymetric survey of the Yellow River, utilizing their MS400U multi beam echo sounder and an unmanned surface vessel
Valeport's product portfolio is ideal for environmental monitoring, water survey, offshore energy, construction and engineering, scientific research and more
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