Coastal Geoscience is pleased to announce the addition of towed underwater video to its suite of survey capabilities. This new system can be deployed from a small boat with the winch or hand held in shallower waters. It provides biologists, oceanographers, geoscientists, and others rapid bottom surveys in a powerful and cost effective manner.

Affectionately called "Toad II" ™ , the unit carries a 200kHz sounder on board for bottom following surveys. A unique suspension system assures the unit is always horizontal and can also be used as a drop camera. Special low light color camera and lights provide an excellent image.

The system is operated with 200 meters of cable mounted on an AGO Environmental CSW6 electric winch. View of the bottom when towing is maintained by control of the winch and boat speed.

DGPS on board navigation, GPS time, and user text is integrated with the video and captured on VHS tape.

Special lasers, designed by CGRC, are visible within the field of view of the camera. This allows the user to determine the size of objects in the picture. The lasers project a calibrated area plot when the camera is mounted vertically. This is useful for rapid "on the move" quadrat surveys for biological productivity calculations.

NEW!!  Questar Tangent QTC View bottom classification capability has been added to provide simultaneous bottom classification of the video images. See "Bottom Classification"   for more information.

A sea pen, sea whips and other debris are clearly visible during towing.  GPS Latitude, longitude, date and time can be superimposed automatically on the image. Lasers are visible in the upper center part of the image and are 6cm. apart.

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Biological population densities can be estimated with a triangluar configuration of the lasers.

©2002-2006 Coastal Geoscience Research Corporation. All rights reserved.

Coastal Geoscience Research Corporation