Remote Access

We recently released our Jargon Buster for all things scanning – the link is here if you missed it.

Now that we've outlined the basics, it's time to focus on things that can genuinely provide a tangible improvement to the marine industry.

So, what is a Remote Access Survey? It is a survey conducted on board your asset, during which the Ataris Engineer will scan everywhere from the monkey island, down to the engine room tank top. There are two options for this survey:

1. The engineer uses a 3D laser scanner. This is a highly accurate machine capable of providing a high level of precision. The scanner is capable of producing a 3D walkthrough which is not only suitable for surveys, but also as a retrofit-usable point cloud. The work will be slightly extended as this is a slower machine, however the result is twice as much usable data.

2. The engineer uses a 360 camera (Insta360 et al) to provide a photorealistic walkthrough of the vessel. This is by far the fastest way to capture a vessel. Depending on the requirement, this may well meet the needs of the owner/operator who is looking for a smaller scale solution which could for example be used for familiarisation and general inspection purposes.

Both options provide a walkthrough and a point cloud of the vessel. The only thing that varies is the accuracy of the point cloud. The Laser scanner is accurate to +/- 2mm, whereas the 360 camera is accurate to +/- 10mm. So depending on the end use, this will dictate which solution is best.

Once the data has been captured, it is then processed and turned into a useable model for the operator. The operator's team can navigate the model as though it is ‘Virtual Reality’ - flying through the vessel with ease. Typically, these models are utilised for Dry Dock planning and day-to-day management of the vessel. The clear benefit to a full laser scan is the option to utilise it for retrofit activities in future.

How will my crew and operations team benefit?

No requirement for frequent and often repeated trips out of the office to meet vessels - with each survey taking a week on average. Instead, the superintendent can call up the model and answer 99% of the questions from their office at the point of viewing. As the model is hosted on the cloud, it can be accessed from anywhere. Furthermore, providing the vessel has internet, the crew can also access this model at the same time on calls, etc. If the end-user is likely to have inconsistent internet access then options are available to enable hard-drive access offline.

Crew familiarisation – crew will often join a vessel having never seen that vessel before. Crewing agents can be given access to the fleet, allowing crew to log in, access the vessel, and walk around the virtual model. This could be utilised as part of an induction or training, and allows them to familiarise themselves with the vessel, their cabin, the mess space, etc. Training videos and manuals can also be attached and linked to various equipment to ensure the crew is ready to use the vessel-specific equipment.

A photographic memory is no longer required. Often superintendents will manage a vessel and only visited it once or twice. Trying to remember where the UPS is (including what deck, and in what compartment) is difficult when they may have only been on the vessel once, and may be managing multiple vessels simultaneously. By utilising the remote access technology, the ability to quickly answering questions such as "where was that panel?" becomes much easier.

Missing manuals – With many years surveying vessels, we are astounded if we find that a vessel over 5 years old still holds the complete catalogue of manuals from build. Ships are sold, manuals are lost and this puts the crew in a difficult position. All OEMs have PDF manuals. These manuals can be attached to the equipment in the model and easily accessed from the model itself, so losing manuals is never a problem again.

Condition surveys - This is a recent evolution. Class Societies are investigating the use of remote access models to function as a condition survey. This is very much an emerging and innovative development. However, it demonstrates the huge spectrum of uses that this technology has across the board, and its progression towards mainstream and widespread use in the coming years.

We could go on, but these examples give a good idea of what is possible with this technology. The possibilities are almost endless, and we feel that Remote Access should be every owner and operator's first step on the path to digitisation.