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Photo (© Offshore Sensing):For 35 days in August and September the Sailbuoy SB Echo transited over 1700km as part of the GLIDER project. Deployed out of Sandnesjøen, the Sailbuoy navigated out 250km offshore onto the shelf and then back to Bodø for recovery, completing navigation mission objectives enroute. 

The GLIDER Project forms part of the Norwegian Research Council DEMO2000 and is being managed by Akvaplan-niva. The GLIDER project will launch three types of ocean-going, self-propelled and dynamic platforms (also called drones). Unmanned ocean vehicles collect field data and send it via satellite on shore.

Different platforms
The 3 platforms are the Sea-Glider, the Sailbuoyand a Wave Glider. These platforms is equipped with selected sensors for collecting chemical, physical and biological data from the ocean. This observation program will collect marine environmental data to an increased extent and with improved accuracy compared to traditional collection method.

By using platforms that will be moving in time and space, data collection will become more flexible, and this will in turn result in both long time series and opportunity for continuous environmental monitoring, as well as cost-saving compared to traditional data collection methods.

August 2017

The GLIDER project has demonstrated this concept by launching one of each type of these platforms in Lofoten-Vesterålen in august 2017.

Now next step is coming up: A ride into the north-eastern part of the Barents Sea, and the platforms will operate long term (several months) and over large geographic areas. The purpose of this concept is to provide basic data for operating concessions, professional solutions for industries operating in marine areas, and generally to increase the knowledge level of the ecosystem structure and function. Last but not least, data collected through the GLIDER project will act as background data in existing ecological models and ocean flow models.

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Teknisk Ukeblad, TU.no

NORD University