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A BlueOS extension that enables fully autonomous and adaptive bathymetric surveys on the BlueBoat and any ArduPilot-based ASV using SGP-Tools. Powered by the latest research in Informative Path Planning (IPP).

🌟 Features

  • Automatic Waypoint Generation: Generates efficient survey routes from your QGroundControl geofence polygon.

  • Autonomous & Adaptive Missions: Arms, runs, and disarms the ASV automatically, adapting routes in real time based on sensor data.

  • Supported Sensors: Works with Ping1D, GPS, and more (fully configurable in config.yaml).

  • Persistent Data Logging: Stores mission logs and collected data as HDF5 files for post-mission analysis and map reconstruction.

  • Onboard Visualization: Easily publish mission results for real-time or offline viewing in Foxglove or Jupyter Notebook.

  • Easy Plan Upload: Drag and drop QGroundControl plan files with geofence directly into /usr/blueos/extensions/sgptools.

  • Web Terminal Access: Launch, debug, and analyze missions through the BlueOS browser UI.

  • Configurable & Extensible: Quickly modify sensors, mission types, and planner options via YAML config—add new models with ease.

  • Integrated Simulator: Test, develop, and validate survey missions in a realistic Gazebo & SITL environment using our dedicated simulator docker container.

  • Minimal Setup: Installs in seconds from the BlueOS App Store; no complex setup required.

  • Multi-Arch & Platform Support: Runs on ARM64 (Raspberry Pi), AMD64, and any ArduPilot-compatible ASV with sufficient memory (4GB+). |

📋 Prerequisites

  • 64-bit BlueOS running on Raspberry Pi 4 or similar (ARM64) or AMD64 platform
  • At least 4GB RAM + swap (see Swap Setup below)
  • Compatible sensors (e.g., Ping1D sonar)

🧰 Installation

Install Directly from the BlueOS App Store

  1. Open BlueOS in your browser (e.g., http://blueos.local/)
  2. Go to Extensions tab
  3. Find SGP-Tools in the App Store and click Install
  4. The extension will auto-launch on boot

⚙️ Usage

Upload Your Survey Area Plan

  1. Use QGroundControl to draw your geofence and home position

  2. Save as mission.plan

  3. Upload to /usr/blueos/extensions/sgptools/ in BlueOS (using File Browser in Pirate Mode)

Configure (Optional)

  • Advanced users can edit /root/config.yaml in the SGP-Tools web terminal to:

    • Select/modify sensor config
    • Change mission type (AdaptiveIPP, IPP, Waypoint)
    • Adjust optimization parameters

    See the ros_sgp_tools README for configuration details.

Start Your Mission

  1. Open the SGP-Tools web terminal from the BlueOS UI (left menu)

  2. Start the planner:

    ros2 launch ros_sgp_tools asv.launch.py
    • The vehicle will arm, start the survey, and collect data automatically

Data Visualization

  • After the mission, you can visualize collected data via:

    ros2 launch ros_sgp_tools visualize_data.launch.py

  • Then open Foxglove in your browser, and connect to your ASV’s IP to view the bathymetry data

  • ⚠️ Do not run this during the mission, as it will disrupt the path planner

💾 Persistent Storage

The extension maps:

  • Host: /usr/blueos/extensions/sgptools/
  • Container: /root/ros2_ws/src/ros_sgp_tools/launch/data/

This directory is persistent and stores:

  • mission.plan
  • config.yaml
  • All mission logs: IPP-mission-<timestamp>/
  • Swap configuration script: config_swap.sh

🧠 Swap Setup & Memory Requirements

  • At least 4GB of RAM or swap is required.

  • The extension includes a swap configuration script: /usr/blueos/extensions/sgptools/config_swap.sh

  • Increase swap (if needed):

    • In BlueOS, open a terminal (Pirate Mode), then run:
    red-pill
    sudo bash /usr/blueos/extensions/sgptools/config_swap.sh

🧪 Simulation & Testing with the SGP-Tools Simulator

Want to experiment, develop, or validate missions before deploying to the water?

The docker-sgp-tools repository includes a fully integrated Gazebo simulator container with all the tools you need for realistic software-in-the-loop (SITL) testing.

🚀 Simulator Features

  • Gazebo Simulation: Realistic 3D environment with the BlueBoat ASV model and waves.

  • ArduPilot SITL: Software-in-the-loop autopilot runs your real survey missions.

  • SGP-Tools & ROS 2: The full path planning stack, exactly as on your robot.

📝 Notes and Troubleshooting

  • Extension won’t launch / out of memory:

    Run the swap setup, and ensure enough memory is available.

  • No mission data or logs:

    Make sure the Ping 1D port is correctly listed in the config.yaml

  • Cannot connect via Foxglove:

    Verify network settings, and that Foxglove bridge is running.

📚 More Info & Documentation

⚠️ Disclaimer

This extension, when executed properly, will take control of the ASV and could potentially collide the vehicle with obstacles in the environment. Please use it with caution.