Remo-SV, Aquatic Drone Tackles Water Pollution and Aquaculture in Bangladesh

From the floor of the Smart Geo Expo in Korea this week: UCON Systems Remo-SV and mapping services provider Hojung Solutions are working to tackle water quality in Bangladesh, in a project for the Bangladesh Ministry of Water (CEGIS) Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services.

Flood Management, Pollution Monitoring

Known for its lush greenery and numerous lakes and rivers, Bangladesh’s waterways are a precious resource.  Bangladesh relies on its rivers for transportation, potable water, and food. The rivers and lakes that give Bangladesh its unique topography also pose a periodic risk.  Between June and October, rivers commonly overflow their banks and inundate the countryside.  As Bangladesh becomes more industrialized, pollution – both generated from domestic factories and from those of its neighbors upstream – threatens the water quality.

The team at Hojung Solutions, working with their partners at UCON Systems, have are using the Remo-SV aquatic drone to tackle water pollution and flood planning of the rivers.  The sensors on the Remo-SV measure temperature, salinity, oxygen levels, and more in the water.  As the drone travels a predefined mission path, it can sample regularly, and in places not usually reachable by boat, explains Sunho Shin, Assistant Manager at Hojung Solutions.

“Temperature is really important, because you want the maximal conditions for fish: and salinity and oxygenation determine if the water is drinkable, or can be used for agriculture,” Shin explains.  “We monitor electrical current, Ph, and other chemicals like ammonia in the water.”

“Water quality is something that engineers in Bangladesh have done for years: but traditionally, it is done by manually measurements point by point.  With the aquatic drone, engineers can take more samples, more quickly.” Hojung trains local staff so that the project can continue after skills transfer.  As the Remo-SV travels, it’s taking depth measurements.  The depth measurements will be used to model the floor of the waterways for better flood prediction and simulation, protecting the soil and potentially saving lives.

Making Aquaculture More Efficient

In addition to traveling rivers and lakes, Hojung works with the Bangladesh Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Water Resources to help make aquaculture farms safer and more efficient.

“For fisheries, the Remo-SV can be be used to measure water quality and prevent overfeeding,” Shin explains.  “You can monitor the water quality and estimate how much feed you need for the fish.  Overfeeding causes unnecessary pollution in the water, affecting local agriculture – and also costs a lot of money.”  With effective water sampling, the fisheries can work more efficiently, securing the food supply for one of the world’s most populous countries.

Contact Smart Geo Expo to learn more about next year’s show, taking place in September of 2023.  Read more about Hojung Solutions, UCon Systems and the Smart Geo Expo:

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry.  Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

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