Automatic USV WQMS

Presenter: Samuel Hobbs

Co-Presenter(s):
John Ohmer, Gabriel Nicholson

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 21-22

Semester: Fall

Faculty Mentor: Nansong Wu

Department: Engineering

Funding Source/Sponsor: Other

Other Funding Source/Program: California Space Grant Consortium, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Sonoma State

President's Strategic Plan Goal: Sustainability and Environmental Inquiry

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1CxVCwSptPqTMN3xovY1_LQ2fLojMiCiX

Abstract:
Water quality testing in reservoirs usually involves taking grab samples from a boat or by the shore. These samples are then taken to labs for extensive testing. It is, however, unrealistic for someone to go around a large area of the reservoir and take multiple samples, and if they do, it is time-consuming and inefficient. This sporadic field sampling is not conducive to the long-term assessment of the water quality of a large body of water. The Automatic Unmanned Surface Vehicle-Based Long Range Water Quality Management System (Automatic USV WQMS) aims to fix this problem. The Automatic USV WQMS will follow a preplanned path given to it by an operator. Along this path, the system will use sensors to measure four major properties of water quality, those being temperature, acidity (pH), turbidity, and dissolved oxygen, at specific points along the path. This will allow for continued long-term assessment of water quality in a large area, efficiently.