EASME/EMFF/2017/1.2.1.12 – Sustainable Blue Economy
Co-funded by the EMFF programme of the European Union
DiveSafe 3rd Newsletter – February 2022
DiveSafe 1st validation trial at Isola di Capo Rizzuto, Italy
DiveSafe field trials in the MPA “Capo Rizzuto” have been performed during the period from 12th to 16th of July 2021. The overall objective of this first open-sea mission was to validate the system integration and discover unforeseen problems related to the use of the DiveSafe integrated system in its real operational environment. Furthermore, the usability of the system, and in particular the graphical user interface of the tablet Apps, was evaluated by end-users.
The general impression of the DiveSafe system from the end-users has been positive. They considered the project idea and the integrated system as useful and valid, helping the divers to perform underwater scientific research in an efficient and safe manner. The main positive comments were related to the effectiveness of the system in helping divers and preventing them from fatigue, as well as the innovation introduced by the system for underwater scientific research & exploration, guaranteeing at the same time the safety of the operators. However, required improvements were identified, mainly with respect to the setting-up time of the system and the mean time between failures, the diver’s position accuracy, and the navigation capability.
DiveSafe awareness event @ Le Castella fortress
In the afternoon of the final day of validation activities at Isola di Capo Rizzuto, a local event was organized in Le Castella fortress. During this workshop, which was attended by the local community, regional institutions, and stakeholders, the DiveSafe system was described and demonstrated, while also the results of this first session in the open sea were presented.
DiveSafe 2nd validation trial @ Fournoi, Greece
From 11th to 15th of September 2021, validation fieldworks were conducted at Fournoi island in Greece. The goal of this 2nd open-sea mission was to demonstrate and validate the improved DiveSafe infrastructure by the end-users and gather and analyze safety and technical feedback. Field-work activities were preceded during the 1st day, by a training session, where the system was presented to the divers, aiming at increasing their understanding and becoming familiar with the offered functionalities and the patterns of use. The main conclusion from the Fournoi trials was that the system improvements (i.e. applied as a response to identified shortcomings in 1st trial) worked smoothly; and the system offers a credible and safe approach to help divers in archaeological missions, where it can be useful during surveying in order to record the path taken and the coordinates of a point of interest along with some preliminary pictures. Further improvements should be applied, such as easiness of wearing the “health” package, the system’s size, and the accuracy of the photographs needed in the archaeological detailed documentation.
DiveSafe Fournoi awareness-raising event
On the 11th of September, a local awareness-raising event was held in Fournoi, where the DiveSafe project was presented to the local private and public sector stakeholders. During the event, the Project Coordinator (ATLANTIS – Polyvios Raxis) presented an overall description of the project consortium, the main challenges behind the project idea, the DiveSafe solution to be offered to the market, and the DiveSafe system architecture and its main components.
DiveSafe test trials @ the MPA of Porto Cesareo, Italy
Due to the difficulties encountered from the COVID-19 pandemic, the 3rd field trial originally scheduled to take place in Israel was replaced by trials at the MPA of Porto Cesareo, in southern Italy. The trials were conducted from the 7th to the 12th of November 2021. The aim of these tests was to validate the documentation system for the underwater survey, the communication system, and the sensors. The overall impression was that the final DiveSafe system offers something new in carrying out underwater missions and can become an important tool to facilitate the performance of underwater activities for archaeological and biological purposes, saving a lot of time, and increasing the safety of the diver.
More information about the pilot validation activities at the 3 sites are available here