2012 Glider School attendees
The 2013 edition brings together the world leading manufacturers of autonomous underwater gliders.
The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) organizes the IV Summer School on Autonomous Underwater Gliders that stands out in this edition the international dimension of the students attending and the presence of major manufacturers of underwater vehicles and ocean sensors associated to them.
The Glider School is a world-unique initiative promoted by the PLOCAN’s area of Vehicles, Instruments and Underwater Machines -VIMAS- where the 2013 edition has covered the available seats with students from Australia, Brazil, Tunisia, France, Mexico, Finland, United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain.
One of the main attractions of the IV Glider School is the presence by the main marine autonomous glider manufacturer representatives in the world: SLOCUM, Spray, Seaglider, Exocetus-CG, Waveglider, Sailbuoy, and the SeaExplorer by the French company ACSA, which has designed the first European prototype of underwater glider.
PLOCAN currently own three prototype units for scientific research missions and setup new technologies, having also conducted test operations for different models of AUVs for ocean observation in different areas and contexts.
Besides the different prototypes of gliders, the "Glider School” will focus through several specific sessions on physical and biogeochemical sensor systems, comprising a set of technologies related to sampling, telemetry, data management and display, as well as the rest of the accessories or subsystems that can be installed on such autonomous devices for marine observation.
The glider applications with increasing demand for ocean research and observation, as well as other utilities related to sea-border security or catastrophic events management, and the PLOCAN gliderport settings as dedicated facility for autonomous underwater vehicles, will be other subjects to be taught in the Summer School.
The IV Glider School training activity has been scheduled between July 15th and 20th, through morning and afternoon sessions, and includes practical sessions with gliders in laboratory and open waters of Gran Canaria.
