MARINEWhiteTECHNOLOGY Papers

July 2016

REPORTER

A special content edition of MTR

Hydrographicedition

Navigation Systems
Hélène Leplomb, Marketing and Communication Manager, SBG SYSTEMSTechnology is moving fast with always the “moreaccurate, cheaper, smaller” dictate. Three years
ago, SBG Systems has been able to integrate all
those wishes into a single unit: the Ekinox InertialNavigation System (INS). In 2015, SBG Systems took anotherstep forward with the release of the Apogee, the most accurate
inertial navigation system based on the robust and cost-effective MEMS technology. Without export restriction, the Apogee
stands as a game changer on the hydrographic market. It provides an unmatched Performance-Price-Size ratio and sets up
new standard in the industry.
Let’s see how MEMS-based inertial sensors can be usedin some of the latest technical solutions dedicated to hydrographic surveyors.

UNMANNED SURFACE VEHICLES FOR
SHALLOW WATER SURVEYS
USVs allow cost-effective surveys in area where ships could
not have been able to collect data, without interrupting traffic
for example, or keeping people safe from hazardous areas.
Like most of unmanned systems, USVs have space andpower constraints. Ekinox-D is the best INS to be integrated
into this type of vehicle. Weighting less than 600 grams andlow power (<7W), the Ekinox-D INS integrates an RTK dual
antenna GNSS receiver for a centimeter-level position. It provides a 0.05° attitude while delivering a 5 cm real-time heavethat automatically adjusts to the wave period.

SPYBOAT® Swan, equipped with a swath bathymetry sonar aided by the Ekinox-D INS

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Let’s see two examples of integration:®

- SPYBOAT Swan, a USV equipped with a swathbathymetry sonar aided by the Ekinox-D INSSPYBOAT® Swan is an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV)
fully equipped for hydrographic operations in shallow waters.
It is remotely controlled by an operator staying on shore, up to
one kilometer away from the USV. Swan conducts bathymetric surveys in areas where vessels cannot navigate such as riverbed, lake, reservoir, dam or harbor. Swan is equipped with aswath bathymetry sonar; requiring motion compensation, true
heading, and accurate position data. “We were looking for acompact, precise and cost-effective inertial navigation system.
The Ekinox-D was the perfect match”, states David Maillotte,
CEO of ITER Systems, in charge of the Swan instrumentation. Equipped with a Bathyswath 2, a swath bathymetry sonar; and aided by an Ekinox-D dual antenna GNSS inertialnavigation system, the USV provides bathymetric and navigation information in real-time to the operator’s tablet PC. Swanis compatible with all hydrographic software.

- Z-boat, a USV equipped with a multibeam sonar
aided by the Ekinox-D INS

The Oceanscience Z-Boat is designed with the surveyor inmind. The hull shape, propulsion, radio communication, andon demand sonar instrumentation combine to offer an easy touse and powerful option for the hydrographic surveyor or land
surveyor wishing to complete inshore hydrographic work.
The custom integration for the University of Washington
Tacoma delivered in May, 2016 included the Rugged Z-Boat
1800RP, SBG Systems’ Ekinox-D Inertial Navigation System,
Teledyne Odom Hydrographic MB2 Multibeam, Teledyne RD
Instruments RiverPro ADCP, a camera and onboard computer.
This integration is another proof of the Ekinox-D perfect fit to
Survey-based USV operating in shallow waters.
Ekinox-D is the best partner to USV for autonomous navigation, motion compensation and data georeferencing.With
an embedded data logger, raw inertial measurements can be
stored in the unit and post processed after acquisition to increase the accuracy.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR BATHYMETRICDATA COLLECTION
Technology is also moving fast on the bathymetric, let’s see
two examples of innovative bathymetric systems integrating
SBG INS:

Oceanscience Z-Boat integrates Ekinox-D INS for the University of Washington Tacoma

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Navigation Systems- Economic Swath Sonar aided by Ekinox-E
Bathyswath 2 is a swath bathymetry sonar; it measures thedepth of the bottom either side of a vessel, which adds up to a“swath” of depth measurements as the boat moves forwards. It
also records the strength of the echo, which is used to create amonochrome picture of the bottom, called “sidescan”.
Bathyswath measures depths over a very wide angle, whichmakes it ideal for use in shallow water, less than 30 meters; typical for rivers and coasts. That gives wider swaths, which meansthat a survey area is covered in a shorter time. The sidescan images allow small objects on the bottom to be located and identified,and help with assessing what the bottom is made of and what
is living there. ITER Systems provides systems that meet international survey specification requirements at a very competitive
price. That makes them affordable for smaller organizations andin developing countries, and is important for all in these timesof restricted budgets. All swath bathymetry sonars need attitudeand GNSS position information, to relate the measurements ofthe sonar to geographic locations. “SBG Systems INS products
are the perfect match; they do a great job at a price that the customer can afford, with a full set of features that make them easy

to interface to, set up and use. The algorithms and data timing are
better than many more expensive products. The Ekinox productrange gives the right mix of price and performance”states Matt
Geen, Technical Director at ITER Systems.
- Innovative Edgetech 6205 aided by the Apogee INS
The EdgeTech 6205 SwathBathymetric and Simultaneous
Dual Frequency Side Scan Sonar System (EdgeTech 6205) isa combined, fully integrated system that produces real-timehigh resolution 3D maps of the seafloor while providing coregistered simultaneous dual frequency side scan and bathymetric data. The high number of channels employed by thesystem enables enhanced rejection of multi-path effects aswell as reverberation and acoustic noise.
Traditionally, survey efforts involving the acquisition ofboth side scan imagery and seafloor bathymetry require thedeployment of two sensors. Using a combined system significantly reduces the time to complete surveys that require bothdata sets. Since the side scan is directly co-registered with thebathymetric point data, there is no down time trying to render
the two sets together.

Data set collected with an EdgeTech 6205 aided by an Apogee-E and SplitBox GNSS during the CHC demonstration

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Navigation Systems
In May 2016, Echo81 representing EdgeTech for North
America has used the Apogee-E Inertial Navigation System
during the Canadian Hydrographic Conference in Halifax,Canada. “I was really impressed by the quality of the data
and the ease-of-use of the Apogee solution”, declares Damon
Wolfe, CEO of ECHO81.
Apogee-E INS achieves 0.008° in roll and pitch in real-time,and reaches 0.005° in post-processing. Like the Ekinox, itcomes with a unique delayed heave feature with no additional
software or user action. This specific algorithm allows a more
extensive calculation, resulting in a heave accurate to 2 cm
displayed in real-time with a little delay.
For this demonstration, Apogee-E is coupled with the SplitBox GNSS. Especially designed for hydrographic applications, the SplitBox GNSS is a simplified interface for easy
connection and synchronization with external equipment suchas echo sounder, computers, etc. It integrates the latest generation of tri-frequency GNSS receiver to deliver navigation datawith a large choice of positioning services (Marinestar, TerraStar, RTK, etc.). Sharing the same protocol than the Ekinox,
Apogee is compatible with the main hydrographic software
such as QINSy, Hypack, Teledyne PDS2000, or SonarWiz(software used during this demonstration).

INNOVATIVE HUMAN TO MACHINEINTERFACE
On the field of hydrography, innovation can also be foundin the software design. By listening closely to hydrographic
surveyors, the SBG R&D team has been able to customize
the web interface. This interface facilitates configuration andmounting by giving a step-by-step process. The 3D visualization check is especially useful for sensor position, alignments,and lever arms. The fastest is the mount, the fastest the job canbegin; and accurate mounting and alignment settings provide
more accurate data.

Thank you to ITER Systems, CT2MC, ECHO81, andOcean Sciences for their kind participation.
More information:
SBG Systems www.sbg-systems.com
ITER Systems http://bathyswath.com
CT2MC
http://www.spyboat-technologies.com
ECHO81
https://www.echo81.com
Ocean Sciences http://oceanscience.com

Ekinox and Apogee shared web interface

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