Navigator bathymetric LiDAR joins EU SeaDeep sea farm project

YellowScan and its partner VisionAir Production AB join the SeaDeep consortium, whose kick-off meeting takes place on 10 September 2026. Within the project, YellowScan studies how its Navigator topo-bathymetric LiDAR can support the monitoring of marine farms and algae production sites. The sensor maps coastal areas above and below the surface in one acquisition, producing 3D digital twins of farm infrastructure, seabed condition and environmental change. Background on the sea farm assessment is in YellowScan Navigator LiDAR assessed for SeaDeep sea farms.

SeaDeep runs from 2026 to 2029 with European Union co-funding and tests solutions in real production environments.

The Navigator combines a laser scanner developed in-house by YellowScan with an SBG Quanta Micro GNSS-inertial unit. Its green laser works with a 40° field of view, the widest angle at which that wavelength performs effectively underwater. Depth capability is rated at up to 2 Secchi, a unit tied to water clarity: where one Secchi equals 2.2 m, the system measures to roughly 4.4 m. The system weighs 3.7 kg without battery, is a Class 3B laser product with a nominal ocular hazard distance of 25 m, and mounts on multirotor or helicopter UAVs through a Gremsy quick-release attachment.

Why it matters

YellowScan has offered airborne LiDAR since 2014, when its Mapper line began. Its range spans the Mapper+, Voyager and Navigator, the last being the bathymetric model. The company lists river and lake analysis, coastal oceanography, hydraulic structure safety and dredging among the Navigator’s applications; SeaDeep adds aquaculture.

For payload integrators, the project places a bathymetric LiDAR in an aquaculture setting, with fisheries operators and other aquaculture stakeholders as potential end users. The Navigator’s flight envelope, with a maximum altitude of 100 m above ground level and a typical endurance of 45 minutes, defines the survey profile that host platforms must support. The sensor’s weight, laser safety distance and mounting interface are the main integration parameters for UAV manufacturers considering it as a payload.