INTRODUCING APACHE 4

HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY USV

May 2021
INTRODUCING THE APACHE 4
YOUR TURNKEY USV SOLUTION FOR HYDROGRAPHY AND BATHYMETRY

❖ INTRODUCTION
❖ APACHE4 OVERVIEW
❖ MAIN FEATURES
❖ APPLICATION CASE

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APACHE4 USV
AUTONOMOUS STREAMFLOW MEASUREMENT USV SOLUTION
INTRODUCING APACHE 4 USV
TURNKEY ADCP + SINGLE BEAM MARINE DRONE SOLUTION

EFFICIENT
AND
PORTABLE
APACHE 4
The APACHE 4 is an USV that supports a wide variety of Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
(ADCP) systems. Built around the operator's habits, it offers an unmanned operation solution
with a shallow draft, high navigational accuracy and autonomous navigation control for
hydrologists when measuring water flow velocity and discharge of a current section.
WHICH APPLICATIONS ARE COVERED?
ADDRESSING SHALLOW WATER HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYING

The APACHE 4 USV is the perfect solution

for hydrographers searching for:

▪ USV Solution for water channel, inland river or

riffle streamflow measurement projects
especially in shallow water applications.

▪ High integrated and autonomous USV solution

for streamflow measurement to ensure
accuracy and efficiency.

▪ River section flow velocity measurement and

flood emergency monitoring.

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APACHE4 IS A COMPLETE SURVEY SOLUTION
COMPATIBLE WITH MAINSTREAM ADCPs AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET

APACHE 4 USV CONFIGURATION

EASY-TO-USE
EXTENDED COMPATIBILITY

TRDI RiverRay

TRDI River Pro

SONTEK M9

RTI RTDP1200
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APACHE4 USV
MAIN FEATURES OVERVIEW
VERSATILE FOR HYDROLOGY APPLICATIONS
THE APACHE 4 ADAPTS TO COMMON WATER FLOW MEASUREMENTS

AUTOMATIC ADAPTIVE WATER FLOW

STRAIGHT LINE AND HOVERING
TECHNOLOGY
—

▪ Automatic control system enables

APACHE 4 to navigate straight along
the cross-section according to the
profile view whenever the flow rate or
turbulence are changing.
▪ Hovering technology makes APACHE 4
hovering stably in the turbulent flow
throughout the ADCP observation
survey and therefore improve the
accuracy of flow estimation.
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INTEGRATED SINGLE-BEAM ECHO SOUNDER
ALL IN ONE SOLUTIONS TO EXPAND YOUR UNMANNED SURVEY CAPABILITY

SINGLE BEAM SOUNDING DATA CAN

BE USED TO VERIFY THE ACCURACY
OF ADCP BOTTOM TRACKING DATA.
—

▪ Single beam sounding data can be fed

directly into the ADCP flow measurement
software to compensate for the unavailability
of ADCP data, and at the same time provide
water depth profile data associated with the
flow velocity profile measurement.

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SMART POSITIONING AND NAVIGATION
INTERRUPTED POSITIONING WITH GNSS+IMU IN OBSTRUCTED ENVIRONMENTS

MAINTAIN HIGH ACCURACY IN

OBSTRUCTED ENVIRONMENTS
—

▪ APACHE 4 provides stable position and heading to

the ADCP and autopilot. Its IMU sensor ensures
the availability of position data even in case of
momentary GNSS signal outage.
▪ The obstacle avoidance radar system and live
video feed ensure safe operations in case of loss
of visibility or difficult environmental conditions.
Fully autonomous, the APACHE 4 is operated
safely from shore.
▪ The AutoPlanner and HydroSurvey software suite
allows the operator to define the entire mission,
from survey area to export of results.

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APACHE 4 USV
INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES FOR HIGH PRODUCTIVITY

KEY FEATURES
—

▪ 4G modem to expand field operations and improve

transmission efficiency.
▪ Integrated D230 single beam echosounder to
enhance bottom tracking accuracy.
▪ Integrated GNSS RTK + dual antennas to ensure
accurate heading and navigation.
▪ Integrated data storage, low power return and
return path planning.
▪ 360°PTZ camera to easily identify the distance to
shore.

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APACHE 4 USV IN ACTION!
WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

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APACHE4 USV
SOME APPLICATION CASES
 CASE #1 | STREAMFLOW MEASUREMENT
HYDROLOGIC SURVEY FOR YELLOW RIVER (CHINA)

Yellow River – HENAN, CHINA

—

❑ Streamflow measurement for Yellow River

❑ Flow speed: 3m/s
❑ The Apache4 removes the constraints
associated with the use of the traditional
manned vessel equipped with an ADCP, i.e.
the round trip error in flow measurement can
be significant and its use unsafe for surveyors.
Actual outfall

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CASE #1 | STREAMFLOW MEASUREMENT
HYDROLOGIC SURVEY FOR YELLOW RIVER (CHINA)
行业三
排污监测
Highlighted outfall in side
scanner image

Actual outfall
Compatible with the RiverPro ADCP The round-trip route is planned within the ground
control software used to collect the cross-section flow.

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 CASE #1 | STREAMFLOW MEASUREMENT
HYDROLOGIC SURVEY FOR YELLOW RIVER (CHINA)

The APACHE 4 fitted with the RiverPro ADCP TheActual

performed two rounds of cross-sectional flow outfall
comparative error in total flow between the two
round trips is only 0.39%, which is far better than the
measurements in 20 minutes. 5% required by the hydrological survey for this project.

A single round trip was shortened by 2 hours and

manpower was reduced by 2 people.
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 CASE #2 | STREAMFLOW MEASUREMENT
FLOW MEASUREMENT FOR HYDROLOGICAL STATION (CHINA)

HYDROLOGICAL STATION
ZHAOYUAN, NORTHEAST CHINA
—

❑ River width: 1 km. Unlike the Apache4, the

traditional ADCP station data transmission
mode could not meet the operational
requirements
❑ Current flow: stable
❑ Temperature: -10°C: conventional use of a
manned boat with ADCP would have been a Actual outfall
tough challenge to deal with for the
surveyors

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CASE #2 | STREAMFLOW MEASUREMENT
FLOW MEASUREMENT FOR HYDROLOGICAL STATION (CHINA)

APACHE 4
—

Use of the navigation

route planning software
-
Thanks to 4G
transmission, the
hydrographers were able
to operate from their cars
and monitor the
APACHE4 operation in
real time via the high-
definition camera.
-
Flow measurement
error: 0.4%.
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