Woolpert has begun the first fully autonomous offshore hydrographic survey for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.
The mission, conducted using several unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) developed by Chance Maritime, aims to collect high-resolution data over an area exceeding 4,770 square kilometers.
The primary objectives of the survey are to identify underwater hazards, update nautical charts, and support the restoration of deep-sea coral and ecosystems damaged during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The unmanned vessels used in the project transmit data via Starlink satellite communications to cloud servers, where it is processed by Woolpert’s automated systems. Hydrographers, operating from different time zones, are able to remotely oversee and manage the survey continuously over the course of several months.
