MRI: ACQUISITION OF A SHALLOW-WATER AUTONOMOUS MULTIBEAM HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYING SYSTEM

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1530560ShugarFunding from this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program grant will enable an early career investigator to acquire and deploy a novel remotely operated/autonomous shallow water bathymetric mapping system for hydrographic surveying in rivers, lakes and remote locations inaccessible to traditional survey vessels. The unmanned surface vessel (USV) is manufactured by Teledyne, is 1.8 m long, has twin props and will be outfitted with a multibeam sonar, a real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The operating system will include survey planning and data analysis software. The USV as equipped offers the capability to map bathymetry with cm-scale resolution especially in shallow water systems where traditional survey vessels cannot operate (e.g. proglacial lakes, shallow inlets, estuaries and proglacial rivers). By using repeat mapping over time the investigator will gain an advanced understanding of fluvial sediment transport, bedform and delta evolution in environments that impact human populations. Many of the investigators mapping targets have never before been surveyed so the knowledge gained has the potential to be transformative and therefore supports NSF mission of promoting the progress of science. Undergraduates at this predominantly undergraduate university will be engaged in experiential field mapping using the USV, increasing employability in fields that routinely engage in hydrographic surveying and thus promoting the national welfare.