Michigan Police Upgrades Deepwater Capability

The Michigan State Police Underwater Recovery Unit recently took delivery of an Iver3-580 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) from OceanServer Technology.

The AUV system operates at depths to 200 meters and includes EdgeTech’s 2205 high resolution side scan sonar. OceanServer has sold over a dozen systems to customers in the Great Lakes Region including four systems to the University of Michigan and one Iver3 system shipped to Michigan Tech University in 2013.

The Michigan State Police Underwater Recovery Unit has a lot of ground (water) to cover with thousands of inland lakes and shorelines on four of the Great Lakes. The Iver platform will allow the team to rapidly deploy the AUV not only in shallow water but in depths over 50 meters where towed sonar systems and diver operations are far more challenging. AUVs allow users to program fixed lawn mower style sweeps of wide areas with very little logistical support or cost.

The EdgeTech’s 2205 sonar system comes with two frequencies (1600kHz/600kHz) to give investigators the option for very fine resolution or wide area survey capability. AUVs are increasingly being called into service for support in underwater forensics and search and recovery operations. OceanServer President Bob Anderson stated “It is a real milestone to see this critical technology adopted by the State Police, building on years of collaboration with universities in the state. Michigan’s investment in this technology will greatly expand the Underwater Recovery Unit’s deep water search capability as evidence during the two recent deployments on two open cases.”

All Iver AUV models come standard with OceanServer’s VectorMap Mission Planning and Data Presentation tool, which provides geo-registered data files that can be easily exported to other software analysis tools. The VectorMap program can input NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) or any geo-referenced charts, maps or photo images, allowing the operator to intuitively develop AUV missions using simple point-and-click navigation.
 

The Iver AUV gives university, government and commercial users an affordable base-platform for sensor development or survey applications in water quality, sub-surface security and general research.