Project Overview

The boat will be used to create depth (bathymetric) maps of freshwater ponds and lakes around Newfoundland. As Newfoundland’s lakes are unmapped, there exists a potential for these maps to be of use to recreational boaters and fishermen. Additionally, there’s something interesting about unlocking the secrets of lakes and ponds. For example, there is a strong possibility that Grand Lake is one of the deepest lakes in the world based on the surrounding topography and local lore, but no one has ever measured its depth.

The data collected by the autonomous boat will be used in tandem with the data collected by manned lake piloting using a boat equipped with sonar/GPS. The data collected will be imported into ReefMaster software to generate the maps. ReefMaster is capable of creating topographic-style contour (bathymetric) maps, 3-D models and more. The maps are easily exported to Google Earth, as well as to GPS units made by Lowrance, Raymarine, Humminbird and Garmin. This makes these maps easily accessible to anyone.

Key Features

In order to be a useful tool, the boat must have a number of key features without which it would not provide meaningful information. These features can initially be implemented in a simplistic setup and then upgraded to more advanced versions to improve performance and reliability. Additionally, extra features can be added once the key features have been implemented. The features listed here can be implemented in order and tested between each phase to ensure proper functionality at each phase and to provide incentive to continue with the project.

A Boat that Moves

Firstly, the boat must be able to navigate lakes and ponds under its own power. For the Key Feature implementation phase of this system, it is not required that this navigation be autonomous. Control can be established through the Low-Bandwidth Telemetry system once implemented.

GPS & Sonar Recording

Based on the goals, the vehicle must be able to record and store both GPS data and sonar (depth) data. These two pieces of information must be recorded simultaneously at regular intervals (based on either time elapsed or distance traveled) and will be concatenated together to be imported into ReefMaster for map creation. Using a Smart Transducer which communicates its depth directly with the onboard controller using NMEA sentences. These messages would need to be parsed by the microcontroller to extract the depth data.

Low-Bandwidth Telemetry

Low-bandwidth telemetry is possible using low-power radios such as an XBee. These can provide limited information over a relatively long range (10+ km). These radios act as serial devices and can transfer up to 57600 bits/second.

The type of information transmitted using this method of telemetry would be fairly simplistic including things such as coordinates, depth, heading, voltage, current, and temperatures. It can be received by a control unit onshore which could do real-time mapping and upload new paths for the boat to follow via the same serial link without interrupting the current mission.