Design and development of a water observatory: An autonomous environmental sampling system for in-situ sensing of lakes and rivers

Abstract

This project focuses on the design, development, and implementation of an autonomous system, or unmanned surface vessel (USV), known as MANUEL (Mobile Autonomously Navigable USV for Evaluation of Lakes). MANUEL is an autonomous boat that can monitor water quality in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs to monitor modern-day pollution from industries and run o from agricultural farmlands into lakes and rivers. The USV can be coupled with an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to collect data and enhance the water quality sensing capabilities. The surface vehicle is a single meshed W-V-shaped hull for improved stability and operability in all weather and wave conditions including turbulent water and strong winds. MANUEL is powered by two electric driven thrusters providing enhanced maneuverability and it is controlled using an Orange Cube Pixhawk V.2.0. as the autopilot.

MANUEL measures water quality parameters using its embedded sensor probes that are in direct contact with the water. Critical water quality parameters include water temperature, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, pH, turbidity, conductivity, salinity, and depth as well as nutrients of the body of water. The data collected is stored on board. Using digital maps and GPS, MANUEL can autonomously map an entire lake with no human intervention, even in conditions unsuitable for humans such as high winds or storms. After the autonomous mission, the data is retrieved from MANUEL, analyzed using MATLAB to map the observed parameters, and builds prediction models for the water quality of the body of water and the corresponding water shed. Boomer Lake, Lake McMurtry, and Grand Lake in Oklahoma have been used as test sites. In Grand Lake MANUEL is currently monitoring and surveying the water quality to better understand and prevent Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs).