Remotely Operated Vehicle

Georgian Bay Forever has revolutionized water quality monitoring in Georgian Bay, by purchasing Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to help improve water quality and ecosystem science.

The ROV is a robust, compact piece of equipment that connects to the surface control unit through a tether, allowing the operator to see beneath the surface of the water and to get up close to features of interest identified by other detection equipment like our side scan sonar systems and AUV. Your investment in supporting the operating costs and ongoing maintenance of the ROV will help us to provide a science-based, visual understanding of the Georgian Bay waters to federal, provincial and local governments, leading to more informed and environmentally conscious policies, plans, and protective measures.

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Thanks to a charitable discount due to their interest in water research from the founders of the company at Deep Trekker, GBF now has the ability to visually survey the waters and depths of Georgian Bay. We have now directly observed and helped to ground-truth satellite models of climate change impacts, sediment and raw sewage discharges, increased urban development, and nuisance algae and submerged aquatic vegetation growth. We also classify in great detail numerous physical parameters underwater to help to bring attention to specific issues, and improve conservation measures.

Key Features of the ROV

Efficiency

The compact Deeptrekker DG3 is highly portable and quick to deploy, allowing GBF to get eyes on what’s going on beneath the surface. This ability allows GBF to complete underwater surveys from a surface vessel. It also gives us the confidence of retrieval when deploying expensive aquatic equipment should it experience an operating failure.

The ROV can be launched and operated by one person, run night or day underwater, and with the sampling claw it can scoop and retrieve physical samples for further inspection and analysis.

High-Tech Visuals

This technology is already being usedin the Great Lakes by
government agencies, the military,
universities, contractors, and
private organizations.

For the first time in Georgian Bay, we have a clear window into the aquatic ecosystem with the ability to create high-resolution images and video of the lakebed to enhance Digital Elevation Models (DEM), a 3D representation underwater areas.

Real-Time Data

We are now able to gather visual and physical samples at sites of interest throughout the entire bay, including fine details on lakebed substrates, invasive species, and plant

and algae growth.

Access to dramatically improved data sets uploaded to a GIS systems will allow us to monitor and address local hotspots where water quality has been compromised. The ROV has also made it possible for us to ground-truth satellite-based observations using detailed photographic and video records.

Knowledge Sharing for Real Results

The data we collect with the ROV is for the benefit of the entire Georgian Bay and Great Lakes ecosystems. With our ability to see features beneath the water up close, and collect samples of interest, we are able to provide decision-makers with the detailed information needed for better environmental outcomes.

• Federal, provincial and municipal governments will be able to make better-informed decisions about policies and regulations effecting Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes.
• Scientists will be better equipped to model and trend impacts on water quality, nuisance algae blooms, and invasive species impacts.
• Coastal managers will be better prepared to protect the watershed and understand the impacts of increasing storm intensities and development pressures.
• Federal, provincial, and academic partners will be better able to collect the data they need for their research.