The latest versions of Ekinox, Apogee, and Navsight from SBG Systems are now fully compatible with the Fugro Marinestar G4+ precise point positioning (PPP) solution.
Fugro Marinestar G4+ is a solution that uses satellite-based augmentation to deliver centimetric positioning accuracy without depending on a local base station. This product is suitable for maritime operations where precise positioning is important.
With this compatibility, users can now use Marinestar correction with SBG products both via L-Band or NTRIP distribution.
The combination of high-performance correction with inertial measurements from SBG Systems enables users to achieve accuracy in attitude and position for maritime applications. This is suitable for applications such as marine construction, dredging, hydrography and more.
Teledyne Marine has released the Z-Boat 1800-T unmanned survey vessel, equipped with Trimble’s high-precision GNSS heading receiver and compatible with Trimble Marine Construction (TMC) software.
The Z-Boat 1800-T enables marine construction and dredging projects to run efficiently and be monitored in real time anywhere in the world.
The Z-Boat 1800-T, designed and manufactured by Teledyne Oceanscience, is a high-resolution shallow water hydrographic unmanned survey vehicle with the newly released Odom Hydrographic Echotrac E20 Singlebeam Echosounder and dual antenna Trimble BX992 GNSS heading receiver. Each sensor is integrated into a compact, portable and cost-effective package.
The combination of Trimble’s high-precision heading and positioning/guidance paired with Teledyne’s accurate/precise sonars allow for data collection under harsh conditions. Both sensors can be removed and mounted on other watercraft and barges to maximize data-collection capabilities.
The data is remotely viewable in real time, giving the operator full control and confidence. The boat’s small footprint allows access to areas that are too small, confined or unsafe for larger vessels.
Photo: Teledyne Marine
“Teledyne Marine and Trimble continue to create a paradigm shift for marine construction by providing real-time vision, guidance and survey across a project’s complete construction lifecycle — improving safety, eliminating or reducing work redoes, and helping to complete projects faster and under budget. This system provides as-building updates or what we call ‘eyes below the water,’” said Ted Germann, Teledyne Marine’s vice president of Emerging Markets.
“Trimble’s experience in GNSS guidance systems, and Teledyne’s leadership in shallow-water hydrographic surveying provides an ideal solution for marine construction contractors and surveyors,” said Kevin Garcia, general manager of Trimble Civil Specialty Solutions. “The Teledyne Z-Boat 1800T release means that near-shore construction workflows now have a quick mobilization tool to identify sub-surface obstructions, provide ad hoc inspections and increase site safety. This feature-loaded solution makes the unmanned surveying vessel affordable for all sizes of customers.”
Hemisphere GNSS has introduced the Vector V1000 GNSS receiver for precision marine applications. The V1000 provides high-accuracy heading, position, pitch, roll and heave data.
The company made the announcement at the Oceanology International conference being held this week in London, U.K.
The V1000 supports multi-frequency GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS and IRNSS (with future firmware upgrade and activation) for simultaneous satellite tracking. The receiver is powered by Hemisphere’s Athena real-time kinematic (RTK) engine and is Atlas L-band capable.
The new V1000 is designed for professional marine applications, such as hydrographic and bathymetric surveys, dredging, oil platform positioning, buoys and other applications that demand the highest level 3D positioning accuracies. Based on Hemisphere’s Eclipse Vector technology, the V1000 uses the most accurate differential corrections including RTK and Atlas L-band.
The V1000 is Hemisphere’s flagship receiver, with an integrated display, that can be conveniently installed near the operator. The two antennas can be installed at user-specified separation, providing valuable flexibility in terms of install locations and desired heading accuracy.
The V1000 has heading accuracy of better than 0.01 degree when using a 10-meter antenna separation. With CAN, serial, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Ethernet support and flexible installation, the all-new rugged enclosure gives the V1000 the advantage of working reliably in harsh environments, the company said.
Shifting sands in Australia’s Port Phillip Bay left a popular beach without enough sand this past holiday season. As summer approached, the Mornington Peninsula Shire and Australian Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) decided to replenish Sorrento beach by dredging a nearby sandbank.
DEPI awarded the contract to Sandpiper Dredging because of its history of minimizing environmental impact. Sandpiper has a decade of dredging experience and builds its own precision dredgers in Tweed Heads, New South Wales.
Erosion of Sorrento Beach required high-tech repairs. (Photo: Trimble)
The contract specified the dredge ground extent and the minimum Australian Height Datum (AHD) height Sandpiper could dredge. To obtain precise 3D positions from the GPS receiver, GPS corrections were streamed in via cellular Internet from the Victorian government’s Continually Operating Reference System (CORS). Position and heading from the SPS461 receiver were interfaced into construction software to display dredge position. The inclinometer mounted on the dredge frame also interfaced with the software and allowed the AHD height of the cutter head to be displayed.
The dredge position displayed in the software allowed operators to stay within the dredge grounds and ensure no over-dredging occurred. The software was the central hub in the wheelhouse displaying and logging dredge positions and the AHD height of the dredge head.
Machine-control positioning enabled Sandpiper to precisely place in 3D the cutter suction head on the dredge frame in real time. (Photo: Trimble)
The software also allowed the dredge operator to focus on controlling the dredge rather than trying to determine where to dredge. Using GPS and AUSGeoid09 removed the need for considering tide data because the software displayed the AHD height. The logged data could be delivered to the client as an as-built drawing.
The beach was replenished within budget and on time for the holiday season, and the community is now enjoying the restored beach.
Hydrographic Tech
To achieve the job specifications and efficient operation of their dredge, Sandpiper needed hydrographic survey technology on board. SITECH Construction Systems, a Trimble distributor, provided the company with:
Trimble SPS461 GPS heading and positioning receiver
Inclinometer to measure the angle of the cutter head frame
Trimble HYDROpro dredge software to display and log seabed levels. The software can be configured for a wide range of dredgers.
“After speaking about the challenges we had been facing, SITECH came back with the solution of the Trimble HYDROpro system, which meant we could dredge in exactly the right place and maintain coverage, all the while protecting the environment of the beach,” said Daniel Fristch, owner of Sandpiper.
HYDROPro at work on the Sorrento Beach project. (Photo Trimble)
