If you have any questions as to the nature of the installed infrastructure, or its potential impact on your boating and shipping activity, please do not hesitate to contact VENUS.
VENUS, the coastal network of the Ocean Networks Canada Observatory, is a research project to cable and instrument the coastal waters of BC in order to monitor, study, and better understand our coastal marine environment. The on-site infrastructure consists of a shore station, an armoured submarine cable, an observatory node, and connected observatory instrument systems. The shore station provides high voltage DC current to the node and instruments via a copper conductor, and Ethernet communications via optic fibres, both housed in an armoured marine telecommunications rated cable. The node and instrument systems are large multi-ton platforms, housing pressure cans and delicate scientific instruments. The cable corridor and instrument study area have been cordoned off for network use though regulatory permits. We appreciate your cooperation in avoiding this area. Although most gear is mounted on the bottom, there are plans to have mid-water column moorings connected to the network in the deeper reaches of the study area (red circle).
Notice to Mariners
The latest Notice to Mariners for our fixed marine assets is also available for download in PDF file format.
GPS
The most recent instrument and cable positions are available for GPS users by downloading the VENUS GPX file. If your GPS does not support the GPX format, you can use GPSBabel to translate this file into a format supported by your GPS.
Locations and Positions as of December 15, 2011
The diagrams to the left shows the approximate location and cables for each of the deployed instrument systems. For exact locations of each network component, please see the tables below. The approximate cable route is marked on the latest CHS charts. If you have concerns or anticipate that the installation, maintenance, or the infrastructure (Node, Cable, Instruments) will impact your operations, please do not hesitate to contact the Project Manager, Adrian Round, or the Associate Director – Research, Richard Dewey.
Saanich Inlet Array
| Name | Latitude | Longitude | Depth [m] | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Node | 48° 39.0540’ N | 123° 29.2027’ W | 100 m | This is the large (1000kg), black, trawl resistant power and communications hub, into which instrument systems are plugged. There are likely to be many cables leading to/from this Node. |
| Anode | 48° 39.08’ N | 123° 27.07’ W | 5 m | The Sea-water return Anode is located along the main cable route, 100m south of the mid-point of the IOS breakwater. |
| Study Area | 48° 39.184’ N (NW)
48° 39.184’ N (NE) 48° 38.967’ N (SE) |
123° 29.350’ W (NW)
123° 29.017’ W (NE) 123° 29.350’ W (SW) |
100 – 92 m | The VENUS Permit identifies a 400m square study area around the Node for instruments and experiments. Instruments connected to the Node by large cables extend in various directions like spokes of a wheel. |
|
VIP |
48° 39.0816’ N | 123° 29.1851’ W | 97 m | This is a large white frame (850 kg) supporting numerous oceanographic instruments, including several CTDs, an ADCP (300kHz), and an upward looking sonar (200kHz). An orange oil-filled hose runs from here to the Node. |
| CMap Camera Site 1 | 48° 39.0523’ N | 123° 29.2936’ W | 104 m | For this deployment we have mounted the CMap digital stills camera directly onto the supporting Camera Frame, which hosts the SIIM and other ancillary sensors (CTC & Oxygen & Turbidity). The camera has a pan & tilt, three flood lights, and one strobe flash. It is used for benthic ecology studies. |
|
DISCO Camera Site 2 |
48° 39.0696’ N | 123° 29.1651’ W | 96 m | This is a new deployment for VENUS, with the new Digital Stills Camera (DISCo) mounted on an extended arm from a simple frame. The camera has a pan & tilt and two flood lights and a strobe flash. |
| Camera Tripod | Out for servicing. | |||
| HD Camera | HD Camera. |
OTTB
| Name | Latitude | Longitude | Depth [m] |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTTB | 48° 38.950’ N | 123° 28.545’ W | 95 m |
| Clump Weight at Buoy | 48° 38.956’ N | 123° 28.589’ W | |
| Turn around Point | 48° 39.022’ N | 123° 29.136’ W | |
| Mid Span Connection | 48° 39.041’ N | 123° 29.020 W |
Strait of Georgia Array
| Name | Latitude | Longitude | Depth [m] | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Node | 49° 02.408’ N | 123° 25.529’ W | 300 m | Large (2000kg), orange and black, trawl resistant power and communications hub, into which instrument systems are plugged. There are likely to be many cables leading to/from this Node. |
| VIP Central | 49° 02.3845’ N | 123° 25.5546’ W | 300 m | This is a large white frame (850 kg) supporting numerous oceanographic instruments. An orange oil-filled hose runs from here to the Node. |
| Hydrophone Central | 49° 02.4060’ N | 123° 25.5198’ W | 300m | Yellow Frame w/3 tripods |
| East Node | 49° 02.552’ N | 123° 19.065’ W | 170m | Large orange and black TRF. |
| VIP East | 49° 2.535’ N | 123° 19.064’ W | 170m | Large white steel frame. |
| Hydrophone East |
49° 2.545 N | 123° 19.0286’ W | 170m | Yellow steel frame & 2 tripods. |
| Delta Dynamics Laboratory | 49° 5.0532’ N | 123° 19.7466’ W | 108m |
This is a large white frame (850 kg) supporting numerous oceanographic instruments. An orange fibre optic cables runs 5km south from here to the East Node. |
| Piezometer | 49° 5.169’ N | 123° 19.7512’ W | 105 m | Yellow Stub on 3m Probe |
