Photo Credit: CEE HydroSystems
Alaskan Surveyors Utilize Trimble BD970 for Centimeter-Level Accuracy in Unmanned Surface Vessel
The 800 mile (1,287 km) Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is the longest pipeline in the USA and carries over 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day through a 48 inch pipe from the oilfield at Prudhoe Bay to the tanker terminal at Valdez. The pipeline, owned and operated by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, crosses varied terrain and includes buried and raised sections, depending on the soil structure below the pipe.
There are 34 major river crossings and nearly 500 small stream crossings along the route, so the pipeline needs to be periodically surveyed and inspected to ensure asset integrity, safety, and spill mitigation.
Aleyska required a robust, easy to mobilise solution equipped with high-precision GNSS capabilities. They selected the CEE-USV unmanned surface vehicle from CEE HydroSystems with CEESCOPE-LITE single beam survey system which incorporates a fully integrated Trimble BD970 RTK GNSS receiver.
The CEE-USV provides efficient high-accuracy data, benefiting from RTK corrections delivered to the OEM
Trimble BD970 RTK receiver inside. This data is used to create a precise map of the pipeline, including burial depths.
Watch the CEE-USV™ from CEE HydroSystems surveying on the Trans-Alaska.
Trimble BD970 GNSS Receiver Module
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The Trimble BD970 GNSS board is a compact multi-constellation receiver designed to deliver centimeter accuracy for applications that require high levels of precision.
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The Trimble BD970 supports a wide range of satellite signals, including GPS L2C and L5, GLONASS L1/L2 and BeiDou, B1 and B2 signals as well as Galileo.
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Like all Trimble products, the Trimble BD970 was designed for easy integration and exceptional reliability.
Click the button below to learn more about the Trimble BD970 and how it can help you achieve centimeter-level positioning for your application.
This case study was originally posted by Trimble. Click here to see the full case study.
