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www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 59Los Angeles Harbor Department, UAE Environmental Agency, North Carolina?s Department of Transportation, Tafton Fire Company in Pennsylvania, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are a few of the diverse group of government agencies engaged in underwater search and survey operations. They are using a variety of equipment including under- water metal detectors, video cameras, and side scansonar. The Port of Los Angeles is the number one container port, by volume, in the United States. The value of cargo passing through the port annually is approxi- mately $250b. To protect this, the port has is its own police force, assigned to the City of Los Angeles Harbor Department to patrol the waterfront by boat, bicycle, vehicle, and helicopter to ensure security of the port and the safety of all passenger and cargo vessels passing through it. This includes guarding both topside and underwater areas against possible terrorist threats, monitoring discharge pollution, and checking ship?s hulls for compartments carrying drugs or other contra- band. To assist in these efforts the department has acquired JW Fishers SeaOtter-2 ROV. This highly maneuverable underwater vehicle is equipped with four powerful thrusters and has high resolution color cam- eras in front and rear. Compact size and light weight, the vehicle is manipulated with a hand-held controller connected to a rugged topside console. The operator views video from the underwater cameras on a built-in, ultra bright flat screen monitor. Nestled between Saudi Arabia, the Arabian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman is the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It?s one of the smallest, but wealthiest countries in the Middle East. The UAE is a signatory to the Convention on Biodiversity and the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species. These two conventions require participating countries to establish protected areas, and to promote the conservation of ecosystems and habitats. At the end of 2008 the UAE had more than 5,000 sq. km. of protected marine area, which rep- resents about 5% of the Emirate. The country?s Environment Agency is one of the groups charged with the responsibility of managing this resource. To assist in the work, the agency is using Fishers TOV-1 towed underwater video system. Ashraf Al Cibahy, a manager with the agency?s Department of Biodiversity and Conservation reports, ?Our coral reef team is employ- ing the TOV-1 to establish a methodology for transect and analysis of video data. Upon completion of the ini- tial survey we will have a baseline to compare future results.? Tafton Fire Company and North Carolina Department of Transportation are both using side scan sonar in their operations, but for completely different tasks. Side scan produces high resolution images of the bottom of a river, lake, or ocean, and any objects lying there. The DOT is using their sonar to check support structures of bridges that cross over water. In addition to viewing the condition of the support?s base and the bottom around it, the DOT?s side scan towfish is equipped with adjustable transducers that allows the sonar to view vertical structures as well. This lets the inspector examine the entire submerged part of the bridge support. www.jwfishers.com Underwater Search ? Government Style Tafton Fire Company?s Jon Tandy (L) and JW Fishers technician Brian Awalt with side scan sonar, Inset photo ? side scan image of bridge debris.MTR#4 (50-64):MTR Layouts 5/7/2012 9:09 AM Page 59
