SUCCESS STORY© Crédits photos 2020 - ShomShallow andDeep-water Surveys

Renewing the Fleet of Inertial Navigation Systems with SBG INS
All Shom speedboats and survey vessels are now equipped with SBG Navsight Inertial Navigation Systems for shallow
and deep-water bathymetric surveys.

CLIENT

Shom, the French National
Hydrographic Institution
APPLICATION

Shallow and deep-water
bathymetric surveys
PRODUCT

Navsight Marine - Apogee Grade
PROJECT

Multibeam echo soundercompensation and data
georeferencing

SHOM, THE FRENCH NATIONAL
HYDROGRAPHIC AND OCEANOGRAPHIC OFFICERENEWING THE FLEET OFINERTIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEMSWITH SBG INS/GNSSShom, as a public institution, has 3 major
objectives: national hydrography andcartography, defense support in hydrooceanographic fields, and support inmaritime geospatial products and services
for public policies on the sea and the coast.
The fleet used by Shom is based in Brest
and is composed of eleven boats, including
seven speedboats, and three 59-meter long
BH2 survey vessels. They operate on shallow
and deep water in France, Africa, the IndianOcean and in the Caribbean Sea. Shomalso uses a fleet based in New Caledonia
composed of two boats, one speedboat anda buoy-laying Vessel used part of the time
for hydrographic surveys.

When it came to renewing the fleet ofinertial navigation systems (INS), theShom looked at INS complying with IHO
standards for bathymetric surveys, witha focus on roll and heave that have thebiggest impact on the multibeam echosounder data compensation.
After having conducted several tests in theirofficial test zone where each element’s
location is strictly and precisely known, Shomselected SBG Systems for the replacement ofinertial navigation systems. If at first, theyacquired a Navsight Ekinox grade (0.02° roll)for shallow water survey in New Caledonia,
they then decided to move the fleet in Brest
with Apogee grade INS solutions (0.008° roll).

“The Apogee is highly versatile; it fits both deep and shallow waterrequirements. Having a homogenized fleet of sensors is easier tomaintain, like the number of spare equipment, for example”
Rémi Labonde, in charge of Positioning and Hydrographic Equipment at Shom“The Apogee is highly versatile; it fits both deep and shallow
water requirements. Having a homogenized fleet of sensors forspeedboats and BH2 is easier to maintain, like the number ofspare equipment, for example,” explains Rémi Labonde, in chargeof Positioning and Hydrographic Equipment at Shom. Designed
for hydrographers, Navsight Apogee grade is composed of a GNSS
receiver and a processing unit enabling the real-time fusion ofinertial and navigation data. Navsight provides connections toseveral external equipment such as echo sounders, computers, etc.
With its titanium enclosure, the Apogee sensor could be installedin the floodable engine compartment, close to the multibeam echosounder.

NAVSIGHT APOGEE INS: CHOOSING SIMPLICITY AND
BEST PRICE/PERFORMANCE RATIO
Navsight Apogee solution is a high performance cost-effective
inertial navigation system based on state-of-the-art MEMS
technology; it, therefore, requires no annual maintenance. The SBG
solution includes free unlimited firmware updates and technicalsupport. “We have selected SBG for the good performance/priceratio and the high level of service. The SBG technical support teamis available, reactive, and committed,” adds the Shom professional.
Another key factor when choosing the INS solution was the easeof use. Once connected through Ethernet, the Navsight inner web
interface guides the user during the installation phase. For example,
a 3D view of the boat shows the entered parameters so that the user
can check the installation in real-time. The embedded filter also
controls and validates lever arms and antenna alignment during
this procedure, which can be a plus if the Shom needs to calibratea new system abroad. “We are big fans of SBG’s web interface. It is
modern, extremely clear, and easy to use; it really makes a differencein our team’s work,” to conclude Rémi Labonde.

SAVING THE DAY WITH
PROCESSING SOFTWAREQINERTIA

POST-Navsight Apogee INS accepts real-time corrections from Real Time
Kinematic (RTK) or Precise Point Positioning (PPP). In their daily
surveys, the Shom uses PPP positioning for its big advantage of
not requiring any installation compared to RTK. It also allows
surveying offshore, or even near shore when no RTK correction isavailable.
If most of their data is collected in real-time, Shom hydrographers
employ SBG Systems’ in-house post-processing software called
Qinertia to understand and fix data issues due to communication
cuts. At the end of the day, the onboard team checks the data andcorrects them with Qinertia if needed. The PPK software is known
to be intuitive and Rémi Labonde confirms this: “It’s nice to have asoftware that is clear and easy-to-handle.”

Hélène LEPLOMB, SBG Systems, March 2020

“We are big fans of SBG’s web interface. It isextremely clear and easy to use; it really makesa difference in our team’s work.”

About the SBG INS/GNSS and PPK Software
NAVSIGHT APOGEE KEY FEATURES» 0.008° Roll and Pitch» 0.025° Heading (Dual Antenna RTKGNSS)» 1 cm RTK GNSS Position» Post-processing with Qinertia PPKSoftware
QINERTIA POST-PROCESSING SOFTWARE
After the survey, this full-featured software gives access to offline RTK
corrections and processes inertial and GNSS raw data to further enhanceaccuracy and secure the survey. Trajectory and orientation are greatly
improved by processing inertial data and raw GNSS observables in forward
and backward directions. This advanced software also computes your basestation position to quickly get your project to the centimeter accuracy.

SBG Systems EMEA (Headquarters)
Phone: +33 1 80 88 45 00
E-mail: sales@sbg-systems.com

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Phone: +1 (657) 845-1771
E-mail: sales.usa@sbg-systems.com

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Phone: +65 98 64 37 76
E-mail: sales.asia@sbg-systems.com

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