Proposal

Narrative

Students enrolled in the Geosciences department at FAU are afforded the opportunity to employ a variety of tools to explore their physical environment including centimeter level accurate GPS receivers, drones to collect remotely sensed data, and Ground Penetrating Radar for examining the subsurface. However, our students are unable to explore and map in detail the bathymetry of coastal and fluvial environments. To remedy this, we are seeking to acquire a HyDrone remote control vehicle. This package leverages the department’s existing investments in GPS technology and software to ensure that the cost is as affordable as possible. The result is a product that will offer students a cutting-edge education, as well as numerous research opportunities, in hydrographic survey applications. The HyDrone is well suited to any aquatic environment that is relatively calm (calm seas, estuaries, mines, reservoirs, lakes, harbors and rivers). However, in those instances in which rougher waters are anticipated, the onboard echosounder can easily be moved to another platform such as a boat or kayak. This specifically supports the University’s QEP by increasing exposure of students to research inquiry and the scientific methods in the Geosciences' curriculum. Classes in which the HyDrone would be utilized include the following: GIS 4035C Remote Sensing (~40 students), GIS 4037C Digital Image Analysis (~40 students), GIS 4138C Geovisualization (~20 students), GIS 4048 Applications in GIS (~30 students), GEO 4905 Direct Independent Studies (~5 students), GLY 3730 Coastal & Marine Science, (~40 students), GLY 6578 Beach Morphodynamics of Southeast Florida (~15 students) GLY 6737 Coastal Environments (~15 students), and any number of GLY 4905 Directed Independent Study (DIS) projects (~6-10 per academic year). This project aligns perfectly with the Strategic Plan: Goal 1: Enrich the Educational Experience. The educational opportunity offered by this cutting edge technology will continue to enhance the Geosciences Department’s suite of scientific equipment. As such, students graduating with a degree in Geosciences from Florida Atlantic University will have been exposed to a wide spectrum of field based data acquisition, analyses, and application. As such, they will be granted a significant advantage over their competition in the job marketplace. Goal 2: Inspire Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. The HyDrone affords numerous research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as for faculty. Furthermore, there also exists numerous opportunities for interdisciplinary research. For these reasons, this proposal embodies the principles laid forth by Goal 2 of the Strategic Plan: Increase scholarship and creativity; Increase funded research; Enhance the regard and visibility of our research, scholarship and creativity; Strengthen and support interdisciplinary research and its visibility in the University; Involve students at all levels in research, scholarship and creative activity; Foster new types of research funding. Goal 3: Increase FAU’s Community Engagement. Just as the proposed system is apt for inter-disciplinary research, it is also similarly well suited to collaboration with organizations outside of academia. Each of the following industries would have need for the type of data derived from this system: Engineering & Surveying; Mining; Civil & Heavy Earthworks Construction; Environmental; Geotechnical; Public Agencies; Agriculture & Forestry. Faculty will seek to continue to leverage their contacts in numerous private and public sector agencies in order to foster collaboration. This will provide our students invaluable workplace experience prior to graduation, and will strengthen existing, and the development of new, employment pipelines. Therefore, this proposal meets the following stated objectives of Goal 3 of the Strategic Plan: Enrich the educational and cultural experiences for students, faculty and the surrounding communities; Increase the number of community partnerships.

Facilities

Hardware Requirements

This project will not require any updates to existing computer hardware or the purchase of new computer hardware. The following hardware shall be acquired: Sonarmite Echosounder Kit Single frequency $5,760.00 Sonarmite Hydrone RCV $6,750.00

Software Requirements

HYPACK Software $6,000.00

Personnel Costs

None

Other Costs

Shipping approximately $50.

Timeline

Instantaneous/Continuing

Sustainability

The anticipated life expectancy of the HyDrone is ten years, extendable with spare parts/maintenance. The product also includes a 1-year warranty.

Resource Matching

We secured a 10% educational discount from the manufacturer of HyDrone representing a savings of $1,390. The Department of Geosciences/Charles E. Schmidt College of Science contributes approximately $7,000 annually towards the ESRI/FAU annual GIS site license agreement supplying most of the additional software to operate the GIS component of this system. The Department of Geosciences maintains teaching and research computer labs with approximately 100 computers that support current desktop GIS for educational and research activities.

Implementing Organization

Department of Geosciences, Charles E Schmidt College of Science. Faculty: James Gammack-Clark and Tiffany Briggs.