CHC Navigation Introduces the APACHE 4 Hydrographic USV

Apache 4 : a compact unmanned surface vehicle with integrated ADCP and echo sounder.

Shanghai, China – May 6, 2021 - CHC Navigation (CHCNAV) releases the APACHE 4 marine drone featuring a combination of an ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) for cross-section flow measurements and a single-beam echo sounder. The APACHE 4 is a cutting-edge hydrographic USV that can carry all major ADCP sensors. It offers an unattended operation solution with shallow drafts, high navigational accuracy, and stable hovering to hydrologists when conducting water flow velocity and discharge measurements of a current section.

"We designed the APACHE 4 to provide a reliable solution that can eliminate the construction and maintenance costs associated with traditional ADCP's ropeway towing systems, overcome irregular navigational conditions that lead to poor data results, compensate for the resulting loss of ADCP measurement data and maintain compass accuracy in challenging environments," said Felix Ye, Product Manager of CHC Navigation’s Marine Division. "The outcome is the APACHE 4, which solves these challenges and entails conducting the high accuracy hydrological and hydrographic surveys."

The CHCNAV APACHE 4 enables marine surveyors and engineers to modernize ADCP operations in a way that is proven to increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve safety.

• Integrated adaptive water flow straight-line and hovering technology – As the water flow and turbulence change, the autonomous control system allows the APACHE 4 to navigate in a straight course along the cross section according to the defined profile view. The hovering technology improves the flow estimation accuracy and ensures that the APACHE 4 hovers stably in the turbulent flow at the start and endpoint of the ADCP observation.

• Interrupted positioning with GNSS + IMU – The IMU sensor maintains the availability of position data even during transient GNSS signal loss. The obstacle avoidance radar system and live video feed guarantee safe operations in case of loss of visibility or difficult environmental conditions.

• Built-in Single-beam Echo sounder – Single beam sounding data expands your unmanned survey capability. It allows you to verify and compensate for the ADCP bottom tracking data accuracy, as well as provide water depth profile data associated with the flow velocity profile measurement.

• Compatible with most common ADCPs – The APACHE 4 can embed different types of ADCP sensors, such as the M9, RTDP 1200, RiverPro or RiverRay while providing them with positioning, orientation, power, waterproofing, local network and 4G transmission.

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About CHCNAV

CHC Navigation (CHCNAV) creates innovative GNSS navigation and positioning solutions to make customers' work more efficient. CHCNAV products and solutions cover multiple industries such as geospatial, construction, agriculture, and marine. With a presence across the globe, distributors in more than 120 countries and more than 1,500 employees, today CHC Navigation is recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in geomatics technologies.