S-Series User Stories - WASSP at Camborne School of Mines - UK

Camborne School of Mines (CSM) is part of the University of Exeter which is at the forefront of research into wave energy.

CSM has a 27 foot catamaran used for a variety of research and have equipped with a WASSP WMB-160 to the vessel.

The basic equipment was later supplemented with a WASSP Navigator system that enables the WASSP data to be studied offline back at the office, and also a bespoke piece of software that captures the raw data from the WASSP for export into third party processing software such as GIS.

The principle function of the WASSP at CSM is as a surveying tool, locating suitable sites for various testing and assessing their characteristics. The WASSP has been highly effective at compiling images of substantial areas of seabed (typically 1km2) in just a few hours of survey time, the precise time needed varying with depth.

“By using the WASSP we have been able to place equipment on the seabed exactly where we want it relative to features on the seabed. The level of detail obtained has been impressive given the price of the equipment, with the geological features of bedrock being quite evident,” says Neill Wood, Programme Director: Surveying, Land and Environmental Management, Camborne School of Mines.

The latest version of the WASSP with greater data density and improved data export will be on the shopping list when we next buy our next survey vessel.