Lake Travis News

Ocean mapping at scale is the target of a new unmanned systems player started by two ex-US Navy SEALS. They have big ambitions, from new building unmanned vehicles to creating the intelligence that will drive them to changing how accessible ocean data is. Elaine Maslin learned more. The pace of change in the ocean mapping space has been fast in recent years. New entrants have come into the scene offering “force multiplier” mapping using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and unmanned surface vessels (USVs).

Deep Marine Technology’s DeepWorker 2000 Direct Operated Vehicles (DOV) recently participated in, and successfully completed, oil spill recovery and dam inspection task simulations for Marine Pollution Control (MPC) and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) respectively. Conducting the works at Lake Travis in Austin, TX, DMT’s first task was to demonstrate the ability to effectively integrate DMT and MPC’s technologies by interfacing MPC’s Submersible Work Unit equipment with the DOV and perform a simulated oil spill recovery operation. This task was achieved through the use of clay balls placed on the bottom of the lake that were then retrieved with a suction hose attached to the DOV that carried the material to the surface and deposited it onto a vessel.