No Boats About It! Using GNSS to Streamline Aquatic Invasive Plant Control
Format
SOECS Senior Project Demonstration
Faculty Mentor Name
Michael Canniff
Faculty Mentor Department
Computer Science
Abstract/Artist Statement
Since 2006, the Tahoe Resource Conservation District has conducted operations to control aquatic invasive plants (AIP) in the region. Current methods, such as gas-permeable bottoms or diver-assisted suction, are costly, time-consuming, or ineffective. Inventive Resources Inc. (IRI) developed a new treatment method that uses an ultraviolet light (UVC) array mounted beneath a floating vessel. The method works by exposing regions of AIP to UVC, killing the plants at relatively low labor cost. Our project seeks to further streamline and improve the process by centralizing the vessel’s propulsion controls, as well as integrating Global Navigation Satellite Systems to automate and record the vessel’s treatment path. Since precise navigation is required to orient the vessel over specific treatment areas, we utilize real-time kinematic positioning to achieve centimeter-level location accuracy. This location data, alongside satellite or drone imagery of the treatment area, allows a user to select a treatment zone, generate a path for the vessel, and monitor the vessel’s movement along that path. With these improvements, IRI will be able to better utilize their vessel to keep Lake Tahoe’s water clear.
Location
Virtual
Start Date
25-4-2020 2:00 PM
End Date
25-4-2020 4:00 PM
No Boats About It! Using GNSS to Streamline Aquatic Invasive Plant Control
Virtual
Since 2006, the Tahoe Resource Conservation District has conducted operations to control aquatic invasive plants (AIP) in the region. Current methods, such as gas-permeable bottoms or diver-assisted suction, are costly, time-consuming, or ineffective. Inventive Resources Inc. (IRI) developed a new treatment method that uses an ultraviolet light (UVC) array mounted beneath a floating vessel. The method works by exposing regions of AIP to UVC, killing the plants at relatively low labor cost. Our project seeks to further streamline and improve the process by centralizing the vessel’s propulsion controls, as well as integrating Global Navigation Satellite Systems to automate and record the vessel’s treatment path. Since precise navigation is required to orient the vessel over specific treatment areas, we utilize real-time kinematic positioning to achieve centimeter-level location accuracy. This location data, alongside satellite or drone imagery of the treatment area, allows a user to select a treatment zone, generate a path for the vessel, and monitor the vessel’s movement along that path. With these improvements, IRI will be able to better utilize their vessel to keep Lake Tahoe’s water clear.