VideoRay International Partner Symposium - Key Largo, Florida, USA

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Location	Lisbon	Key Largo
Session Type	Keynote	Classroom Seminar	Hands-on Workshop
Session Category	Business	Piloting	Maintenance	Academic and Research
Session Day	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
Display	Category	Presenter	Description	Time	Room

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Keynote: Scott Bentley
President - VideoRay - Scott Bentley delivers his ever-popular annual presentation: "The State of the Micro-ROV Industry and VideoRay." Starting with a recap of 2006, Scott quickly moves on to describe the industry and technology trends that are sure to have an impact in 2007, particularly VideoRay’s developments for the United States Navy (see www.hulsfest.com.) You won't want to miss this one. Subject to time constraints, a question and answer session will follow this presentation.

Monday 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Keynote: Marcus Kolb
Director of Research and Development - VideoRay - Since last year’s conference, VideoRay’s Research and Development Team has been working on the next generation of VideoRay. From and electronics and sensor standpoint, these systems will be “legacy free” and provide exciting new capabilities. In addition to explaining the changes you’ll expect, we might have a prototype component or two to demonstrate.

Tuesday 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Classroom Seminar: Dave Phillips
UnderSheriff - St. Louis County, Minnesota - Strong currents, tangled fishing nets and other debris, and an extremely remote location made this trip, sponsored by survivors of the USS HOUSTON, which was sunk in WWII by the Japanese, very challenging. The plan was to document the structural state of the vessel and provide video footage for the survivors and families of the crew. Learn what actually happened when men and machines hit the water, and the important lessons learned during this talk by one of the three men who ventured on this exciting and dangerous dive during August, 2006.

Monday 8:30 AM - 9:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Brett Kolb
Senior Repair Technician - VideoRay - Every Micro-ROV user - pilot, technician and supervisor - needs to know what is presented in this seminar. Learn how to care for VideoRays, and how to troubleshoot and fix simple problems in the field.

Monday 8:30 AM - 9:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Steve Van Meter
Principal - Steve Van Meter Consulting - Take it from someone who is a certified expert in bad days – it is bound to happen sooner or later. Learn how quickly it can happen and how to recover and get back into operation. See how to solve everything from a broken conductor in your tether, a stuck and knotted tether, a leak, component failures, to the ultimate bad day of losing the ROV - yes, it does happen, and yes, like Steve, you can survive.

Monday 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Andrew Mumford
Vice President - MBA, Inc.The focus of this presentation is to share the practices and techniques that enable the VideoRay to become the ultimate underwater inspection tool. Through countless ROV and Dive inspections performed for the Potable Water Industry, the presenter's first hand experiences shall be shared to enable all attendants to gain a better understanding of the environment encountered while inspecting potable water facilities. Video clips of some of the toughest inspections and mishaps will be shared and analyzed to illustrate this point.

Monday 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Selcuk Kolay
Principal - Kolay Marine -

Monday 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Steve Van Meter
Principal - Steve Van Meter Consulting - VideoRay technology is steadily making progress in the challenging conditions offshore, where traditionally only much larger ROVs have been used. A recent project in Turkey, awarded to Momentum Engineering of Dubai by a large oil and gas company, was an opportunity for VideoRay and our local dealer Emirates Aviation to prove that a pair of VideoRay Deep systems, along with a Tritech Sea Sprite sonar and Desert Star positioning systems could get the same results as larger, more cumbersome, and more expensive systems. In this session attendees will learn how VideoRay systems were applied in inspecting a gas production tripod and monitoring the complex process of installing it over a well in the Black Sea. The value of training, backup systems and the VideoRay Advantage! program (VideoRay had a replacement system hand-delivered from the United States to ensure timely delivery and smooth transfer through customs) are all discussed. Different methods of video capture, inflatable boat deployment, battery power for VideoRays, and lessons learned combine to make this a session that anyone using VideoRays in extreme conditions cannot miss.

Tuesday 8:30 AM - 9:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Dave Phillips
Undersheriff - St. Louis County, Minnesota - American TV has popularized the role of the forensic scientist in solving accident and criminal investigations. Learn what it really takes to conduct a thorough and conclusive underwater investigation from an expert with years of experience in public safety. While the strategies remain relatively unchanged, the tactics have been radically changed since the introduction of ROVs.

Tuesday 8:30 AM - 9:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Lauralyn Harmon
Assistant Professor - Gearge Mason University - Public administrators and educators will be interested in the results of a research project that used ROVs to increase the public’s understanding of the aquatic world. Results from a study that compared the impacts on individuals understanding of the underwater world because of the use of ROV technology and how ROVs could be used in natural resources education will be presented. This study’s result could be useful for individuals that are in organizations that may find ROV technology in their public education or outreach programs.

Tuesday 8:30 AM - 9:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Steve Van Meter
Principal - Steve Van Meter Consulting - You have a new VideoRay, and have learned a bit how to operate it. How do you make money with it? Steve Van Meter has completed profitable VideoRay missions for several companies and in many different environments – from inspecting water towers in Spain, to setting natural gas operating platforms in the Black Sea in Turkey, to measuring the size of underground aquifers in Florida. In this session he will share his experiences and insight about marketing services and finding work, pricing jobs, contracting issues and how to avoid potential pitfalls – so you can start or keep your business on the right track. Be sure to attend the follow-up Business Round Table and seminar on Logistics and Piloting Techniques for Commercial Inspections.

Tuesday 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Christopher M. Clark
- University of Waterloo - At the Lab for Autonomous and Intelligent Robotics at the University of Waterloo, researchers are working to provide the VideoRay with autonomous control. The goal is to enable the Micro-ROV to track way points or trajectories in a global coordinate system. This presentation will cover this year's progress, highlighting our work in dynamic modeling, state estimation and control. The latest simulation and experimental results will be presented.

Tuesday 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Chris Olstad
Operations Director for MarineLab Undersea Laboratory - Marine Resources Development Foundation - In this presentation, Chris Olstad explains how VideoRay was used to explore both deep water wreck sites and inland fortress cisterns in Malta. The unique and robust features of VideoRay allowed it to perform equally well in offshore locations subject to currents, and the long narrow entryways and tight spaces of the cisterns. Chris used the VideoRay to successfully document the condition of artifacts that are likely over 2000 years old.

Tuesday 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Marcus Kolb
Director of Research and Development - VideoRay - The United States Navy is in the process of establishing new technology and techniques to inspect ships for mines planted by enemy divers. The “HULSFEST” benchmark, conducted in February of 2006, was established to bring the best solutions for hull inspection together to demonstrate these in challenging conditions. Learn from an experienced member of the VideoRay team how it demonstrated the fastest, most portable, proven, robust, mature, and least costly solution. See www.hulsfest.com for background.

Wednesday 8:30 AM - 9:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Tom Glebas
Director of Technical Publications and Services - VideoRay - VideoRay PC Pilot allows operators to free themselves from the confines of the control box and customize the control interface to their preferences. If you have not seen PC Pilot, this session should be added to your personal VIPS schedule. You will learn how to set up PC Pilot and get some hands-on practice time with various joystick devices. Using digital video recording on the PC will be demonstrated as well.

Wednesday 8:30 AM - 9:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Mark Gleason
- Michigan Technological University - VideoRay ROVs have been used in educational programs that were conducted for diverse audiences in numerous settings, including small lakes, aquariums and the Great Lakes. Additionally, VideoRays have been used for studying the archeology of shipwrecks and plant and animal research including fish habitats and moose studies. This session will cover examples of projects completed and solutions to some of the many situations encountered.

Wednesday 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Dave Phillips
UnderSheriff - St. Louis County, Minnesota - Dave Phillips has worked closely with the Volunteer Search and Rescue Squad in St. Louis County, Minnesota. St. Louis County is one of the largest counties in the United States, borders Lake Superior and encompasses thousands of lakes. In addition to duties within their own county, the rescue squad is often called to assist nearby counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Learn how VideoRay has been a key tool in search and recovery missions under ice and in warm weather conditions, and important lessons learned from the Rescue Squad’s several body locations with their VideoRay.

Wednesday 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Steve Van Meter
Prinicpal - Steve Van Meter Consulting - Underwater commercial inspections demand efficient and effective solutions to keep a healthy bottom line. Traditional dive teams are being replaced by small inspection class ROVs that offer potential savings in operating costs and afford access to areas that divers and other methods cannot reach. This session presents some of the logistics and piloting issues that can mean the difference between success and failure for an underwater commercial inspection business.

Wednesday 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Chris Olstad
Operations Director for MarineLab Undersea Laboratory - Marine Resources Development Foundation - More than almost anyone, Chris Olstad spends most of his time underwater, but doesn’t get wet. Chris is the Operations Director for one of the premier underwater habitats and laboratories in the world operating in Key Largo, Florida. As part of their mission, Marine Resources Development Foundation offers unique educational programs to students from around the United States. Learn how Chris is integrating technologies like the internet, ROVs and immersive environmental simulations to heighten the interest of the participants and broaden the reach of their programs.

Wednesday 10:30 AM - 11:20 AM

Classroom Seminar: Tom Glebas
Director or Technical Publications and Services - VideoRay - To this day, the Panama Canal remains one of the engineering marvels of the world. Experience an insider's behind-the-scenes tour of lock operations and see how VideoRay is being put to use in an environment where every minute contributes to supporting 5% the world's trade.

Wednesday 10:30 AM - 11:20 AM

Hands-on Workshop: Dave Phillips
Undersheriff - St. Louis County, Minnesota - The perfect starting place for the new user, this hands-on presentation explains each component and instructs you on how to set up and operate your VideoRay. Gain skills and confidence quickly when you learn from an experienced pilot and instructor.

Monday 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Hands-on Workshop: Mark Gleason
Graduate Student - Michigan Technological University - Participants will have the opportunity to test drive the VideoRay GTO and show off their piloting skills in the VideoRay GTO Skills challenge.

Monday 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Hands-on Workshop: Bill McGurney
Quality Assurance Manager - VideoRay - In this hands-on workshop, participants will disassemble and reassemble a VideoRay for a very detailed look at the mechanical and electronic workings of the system. Learn about the tools needed, components functions, and the best practices for conducting a routine service or repair.

Monday 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Hands-on Workshop: Bill McGurney
Quality Assurance Manager - VideoRay - No video? Control panel lock-up? Finding a cure requires finding the cause. This session provides a detailed look at factory specifications and test procedures to diagnose and solve typical problems. Strategies and tactics for isolating the problem quickly and dealing with difficult to diagnose problems are also discussed.

Tuesday 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Hands-on Workshop: Moderator: Steve Van Meter
Principal - Steve Van Meter Consulting - Join in an interactive discussion of business issues and strategies for running an ROV service business. What is the market? How do you tap into it? How do you position ROV services against traditional methods and establish reasonable prices? Bring your questions, take part in providing answers, and network with some of the best minds and operators in the business.

Tuesday 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Hands-on Workshop: Steve Van Meter
Principal - Steve Van Meter Consulting - Reduced visibility, high currents, enclosed spaces… even experienced ROV pilots dread these conditions. This session teaches the practical tips and techniques that can be used to expand your “comfort zone” of operating conditions. Learn deployment strategies, tether management tactics and piloting skills that will make you a better ROV pilot.

Wednesday 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Hands-on Workshop: Marcus Kolb
Director of Research and Development - VideoRay - One of the most dynamic technologies Micro-ROV operators need to keep up with in the world of underwater searches and inspections has nothing to do with water. Often what was observed needs to be presented to someone else. From the simple VCR to the most sophisticated digital video editing, there are so many options it is hard to keep current. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses: cost, resolution, portability, usability, media cost, acceptance by clients, system requirements, interface, and edit-ability to name a few. During this working session, various devices for displaying and/or capturing video and still images with a VideoRay will be demonstrated and the strengths and weaknesses of each will be explored.

Wednesday 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM