Dyllan Furness, College of Marine Science
On a scorching day in late September, a small watercraft motored around Bayboro Harbor, carrying a host of high-tech instruments on top of two yellow pontoons. For many in attendance at the demonstration day organized by , it was their first time seeing in action the newest vehicle in the fleet of the USF College of Marine Science.
Known as EMMET (Enhanced Mobile Mapping with Emerging Technologies), the Otter-class uncrewed surface vehicle built by is part of a collaboration between the college鈥檚 (COMIT) and the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation (Flood Hub). Researchers hope the new tool will allow them to unlock new capabilities and efficiencies in ocean mapping, inform storm-surge modeling, and help communities better prepare for flooding.
EMMET measures just over six feet long and three feet wide, and its small size is one of its strengths. Outfitted with technologies such as a multibeam echosounder, it can navigate in less than a foot of water and complement larger vessels that are operationally confined to deeper waters.
Four on-board cameras give operators a 360-degree view from the vehicle. Photo by Dyllan Furness.
鈥淥ne of the many advantages of a vehicle like this is it can go into shallow regions that many other vessels can鈥檛 access,鈥� said Chad Lembke, research assistant professor at the College of Marine Science. 鈥淪hallow water mapping is important for ensuring safe navigation, especially after storms with high winds, tides, and currents that may alter the bottom.鈥�
The vehicle was acquired in May and the COMIT team spent several months outfitting and testing new technologies, including a multibeam swath mapping sonar (as opposed to single beam sonars typical of depth finders in boats) and multiple GPS systems. Four on-board cameras give operators a 360-degree view from the vehicle, while lidar helps it detect and avoid nearby objects. EMMET operates as a largely autonomous system that can be manually controlled via Wi-Fi or cellular connections.
鈥淓MMET allows us to conduct multi-vehicle operations or 鈥榮warms,鈥欌�� said Matthew Hommeyer, technical operations manager at COMIT. 鈥淲e could have a larger vessel act like a mother duck followed by several smaller vehicles for near-shore mapping.鈥�
Beyond mapping the depth of seafloor, the vehicle can also help researchers study habitats for marine life. Recent studies conducted by researchers at the college have shown that acoustic sensors such as those carried by EMMET can be used to assess the sediment makeup of the seafloor and whether there are flora or fauna such as seagrass or oyster beds present. This information allows scientists to infer what types of habitats are available for wildlife in the mapped area.
Standing on the seawall at the college, Steve Murawski, endowed chair of biological oceanography and director of COMIT, used one finger and a tablet to steer EMMET around the harbor.
鈥淲e call vehicles like this force multipliers because they allow us to increase our surveying capacity while on the water,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his sort of technology can allow us to do things like storm surge modeling and visualize how flooding might impact critical infrastructure. We know that these models are dependent on the topography of the seafloor to determine where and how it will surge, and how it will impact low-lying areas. By studying shallow waters with vehicles like EMMET, we can help gather the best possible data to inform models and visualizations.鈥�
Matthew Hommeyer and Steve Murawski navigate EMMET from the seawall at the College of Marine Science. Photo by Dyllan Furness.
This visualization effort is a part of COMIT鈥檚 partnership with the Florida Flood Hub. Launched by the state and housed at the College of Marine Science, the Flood Hub is focused on improving flood forecasting as it relates to hazards such as sea level rise, rainfall, and storm surge in Florida.
鈥淔looding caused by storm surge is a poignant concern for coastal communities across Florida,鈥� said Tom Frazer, dean of the college and director of the Flood Hub. 鈥淥ur goal with this new vehicle is to improve seafloor maps in even the shallowest waters along the coast, which will in turn improve the models we use at the College of Marine Science to forecast water levels associated with storm surge. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to leverage various strengths at the college and help share these data in visually compelling ways.鈥�