Date: Mar 24, 2014 Author: press release Source: oceanscience.com (
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Seattle -- BioSonics, Inc. and The Oceanscience Group announced the release of a portable remotely-operated habitat-mapping survey boat, the Z-Boat 1800MX. A combination of Oceanscience's proven remote hydrographic survey boat and BioSonics' industry-leading MX echosounder, the Z-Boat 1800MX allows researchers to obtain quantitative measurements of aquatic vegetation and substrate distribution without the expense and effort of launching a manned boat.
With the Z-Boat's position displayed on navigation software on the shore acquisition computer in real time, guiding the boat along planned survey lines is aided by on-board GPS. Simultaneously, BioSonics Visual Acquisition 6 software provides the operator with instant bathymetry and vegetation data courtesy of a high definition full water column echogram. With real-time control of all echosounder settings through the Ethernet network radio connection, data quality is not compromised with the switch to the remote platform.
Building on the successful integration of their DT-X fisheries echosounder on the Liquid Robotics Wave Glider in 2013, BioSonics recognize the advantages and importance of utilizing unconventional platforms to deploy environmental monitoring equipment. "These remote platforms can provide our customers habitat data where previously it was costly or impossible to collect", according to BioSonics' spokesman Eric Munday of SUBSEA 20/20. "For hard-to-access shallow water surveys, the MX echosounder may be installed on the Z-Boat in just a few minutes, and then easily removed for use on a manned boat as required, so this is another tool to maximize the value of our instruments to our customers."
Eric contacted Oceanscience with the idea for a remotely-operated platform for the MX echosounder. Adrian McDonald of Oceanscience was immediately enthusiastic about the potential of the combination "Generally, we are looking for survey applications that are made challenging by accessibility restrictions. With many habitat surveys conducted in tidally influenced shallow water, having a very low draft boat that can be launched practically anywhere seems to be a valuable proposition." The timing was perfect for the collaboration, "We had just completed a new long range telemetry module designed for instruments just like the MX, and this new radio turned out to be ideal for the MX sonar". For BioSonics the integration was simple, "We were expecting to have to repackage the sonar for the Z-Boat but as it turned out the existing case fits in the boat's instrument compartment. So we did not have to change anything at all!"
With the MX integration complete, the two companies look forward to field demonstrations of the system in action, as well as more remote instrument projects.
About BioSonics
BioSonics is a manufacturing and consulting firm specialized in the application of hydroacoustic technology for monitoring and assessment of aquatic biological resources. For over thirty-five years, BioSonics scientific echosounders have been used in oceans, lakes, and rivers for accurate assessment of fish abundance, distribution and behavior. BioSonics offers a complete range of services to meet each client's goals and requirements. Survey design, installation, data collection, monitoring, data processing, analysis and reporting are our specialties (www.biosonicsinc.com).
About the Oceanscience Group
Oceanscience has supplied the oceanographic community with deployment platforms for environmental monitoring instrumentation for more than fifteen years. Previously focusing on acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) deployment, Oceanscience now offer a rapidly growing array of survey tools for hydrographers, hydrologists, and scientific researchers using instruments such as single beam echosounders, side scan sonars, ADCPs, CTD and sound velocity profilers (www.oceanscience.com).
