2G Robotics' ULS-500 Underwater Laser Scanner now interfaced with QINSy

2G Robotics is pleased to announce that the ULS-500 underwater laser scanner is now compatible with the QPS hydrographic data acquisition, navigation, and processing software, QINSy. The QINSy suite can be used for various types of surveys, ranging from simple single beam surveys up to complex offshore construction works.

QINSy has an established reputation for producing fully corrected and geo-referenced multibeam point clouds in real-time. With underwater laser scanning becoming the new standard for pipeline survey and inspection, QPS recognized the demand for QINSy to be able to generate similarly corrected and geo-referenced point clouds on-the-fly for laser systems when interfaced with GNSS and INS sensors.



Underwater laser scanning enables detailed inspections to be easily conducted and highly accurate measurements to be instantaneously and repeatably captured from the 3D point cloud visualizations generated by the scanners. The laser scanners can be deployed by ROV or AUV and provide millimeter-level resolution point cloud data that far exceeds the resolution of sonar. This millimeter-level resolution provides engineers with the detail needed for developing effective design and repair solutions.



Recently, 2G Robotics performed a structure inspection demonstration with a customer to validate the ease of operation and demonstrate the capabilities of the ULS-500 system. The ROV cage was scanned to simulate structure inspection and two flanges were attached to the cage as a mock-up to simulate spool metrology. Both stationary (scan mode – with the rotary actuator) and on-the-fly (profile mode – without the rotary actuator) scans were conducted with the 2G Robotics ULS-500. To collect the data in profile mode, the ULS-500 published data in LAS format into QINSy. QINSy was interfaced directly to the ROV sensors (high-end INS, Doppler) and the ULS-500 to correct for ROV altitude in real-time and geo-reference using INS position updates aided by Doppler in order to position the ULS-500 data and build a complete 3D model.

Richard Hill, Sales and Marketing Director at QPS, explains that QINSy enables you to “simultaneously survey with MBES, camera, and laser scanner. A key objective for QINSy is to save time in processing. By providing tools for real-time QA/QC and on-the-fly correction for sensor offsets, altitude, sound velocity refraction, data flagging and tide/height, DTM points are derived as the survey proceeds. The multi-layered sounding grid data shown in the Navigation display is populated with corrected DTM points on-the-fly, giving the operator a complete view of what has been surveyed.”

2G Robotics is excited that customers can now benefit from the capabilities of QINSy's hydrographic data acquisition, navigation, and processing suite to facilitate with subsea surveying and engineering operations.

Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada