Underwater Precision & Exploration: Partnering With UWIS’ New and Powerful Technology

AccuPixel, at the forefront of underwater precision and exploration, collaborates with Finnish trailblazer UWIS for an ambitious marine survey along the Dorset Coast’s Chesil with Deeper Dorset. This partnership aims to locate and document hidden shipwrecks beneath the seabed, employing cutting-edge UWIS technology for precise underwater navigation. 
Limited visibility characterises the English Channel, and abrupt tidal changes render diving challenging. A successful survey of an environmentally challenging site requires additional technology to ensure precision, accuracy, and safety.

Theoretical image of UWIS technology at work in the field

The Maritime Mysteries of The Chesil

The Chesil, an 18-mile shingle bank graveyard for ships, harbours centuries of maritime history.  With a strong maritime presence dating back to the mid-19th Century, the Chesil is a challenging site with numerous environmental obstacles.  During World War II, the RAF utilised the beach and the Fleet as an experimental bombing range. The low population density of nearby areas and proximity to the naval base in Portland made them strategic choices. Additionally, the beach served for machine gun training and testing Highball bouncing bombs.

Underwater Precision Exploration with UWIS triangulation equipment

AccuPixel, under Director Simon Brown’s guidance, embarks on a mission to elucidate the tales of shipwrecks. From the frequently dived Royal Adelaide, lost in a storm in 1872, the focus extends beyond visible remnants to anchors and isolated artifacts lying offshore, providing a unique perspective on the underwater cultural heritage.

UWIS: Navigating with Cable Buoys for Underwater Precision and Exploration

For this project, AccuPixel utilizes UWIS technology, including the UWIS Tracker and Valtamer Alltab tablet, for precise navigation in challenging conditions. With limited visibility and few geo-referencing points, the team relies on UWIS to locate targets 80m apart. The tablet, preloaded with GPS positions, becomes a vital tool, enabling the survey of clusters of anchors and mast sections. UWIS’ technology enables a diver to easily find specific locations even if the visibility does not extend past your fingertips. Additionally, this technology proves instrumental in capturing accurate data for subsequent photogrammetric analysis, reading the UWIS log file straight into the AccuPixel app for camera position tagging.

Underwater Precision Exploration with UWIS Tablet
Diver tracker and tablet for navigation, recording and two-way communication to the surface

Photogrammetry Unveils Subaquatic Stories via Underwater Precision and Exploration

The photogrammetric survey, collecting 800 images, provides a detailed model of the Chesil Beach anchors. Moreover, the orthomosaic and digital elevation model offers insights into the underwater landscape, showing the dynamic nature and history of the Chesil. Unexpectedly, the seabed composition changed, burying the target anchor under a sand bank. Despite this challenge, UWIS technology ensures efficient surveying, saving time and resources.

Recent work at Chesil processed in Zephyr

Challenges and Discoveries at the Chesil

Taking on the underwater precision exploration of the Chesil reveals unforeseen challenges and intriguing discoveries. As the seabed composition shifts unexpectedly, impacting target visibility, the vector layout analysis, guided by UWIS Tracker and tablet data, unveils the intricacies of this historical site. Furthermore, In the ongoing investigation, the team is poised to enhance their approach, employing side-scan sonar along the beach and, crucially, comparing results with historical data to unveil hidden or exposed artifacts. This meticulous process not only underscores the significance of UWIS technology but also sheds light on the dynamic nature of underwater surveying.

UWIS Cable Buoys: Precision Above and Below

In short, AccuPixel leverages UWIS Cable Buoys, an innovative surface unit, to enhance underwater exploration and precision. These buoys, connected wirelessly to the UWIS Tracker software, provide a triangulation system for tracking divers and ROVs. Also, UWIS Cable Buoys boast a 20-hour battery life and feature a cable length to the water of 7m. They can connect to the vessel’s 12V power supply, ensuring unlimited physical mobility in dynamic underwater environments. Furthermore, the method of connectivity permits continuous and uninterrupted operations.

UWIS Cable Buoys Specifications: Precision in Dimension

Hence, the buoys offer two GNSS accuracy options. HGNSS integrated for +-0.5m (SBAS), +-8cm (Atlas), and GNSS (standard UWIS module) for +-2.5m (SBAS). The case, equipped with handles and wheels, is designed to hold one UWIS Diver Unit. It enables wireless connection to the vessel’s location and tracking systems. Moreover, this technology for underwater precision exploration leverages AccuPixel’s and UWIS’ state-of-the-art technology and innovative solutions for success.

The Benefits of UWIS for Inshore ROVs

Diving into the unique challenges of inshore ROV operations, UWIS emerges as a game-changing ally for divers and operators. Its wireless, lightweight, and portable system ensures efficiency, allowing divers to navigate and communicate seamlessly. Meanwhile, for inshore ROV operators, the robust UWIS system operates effectively in challenging acoustic conditions, providing a reliable solution for underwater exploration and asset inspection. With UWIS inshore ROV operators gain enhanced safety, efficiency, and precision in their underwater endeavors.

Underwater Precision and Exploration with UWIS
Divers using UWIS technology

The Future of Underwater Exploration Precision Exploration and Marine Surveying Methodologies

Conclusively, AccuPixel’s collaboration with UWIS Oy not only unravels the secrets of the Chesil but also shows the potential of advanced underwater technology. As the team plans future surveys, including side-scan sonar exploration, the blog provides a glimpse into the possibilities of preserving and exploring underwater heritage with precision and efficiency.

2 thoughts on “Underwater Precision & Exploration: Partnering With UWIS’ New and Powerful Technology”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *