University of Strathclyde – a partner to public services

A potentially lifesaving collaboration between the Earth Intelligence Observatory at the University of Strathclyde, Creative Help Ltd and Nith Inshore Rescue is working to overcome gaps in navigation charts within the Solway Firth, one of the UK coastline’s most perilous stretches of water. The Solway Firth is an area of tidal flats which is uncharted, made up of natural sediments deposited in the Firth, making it very difficult to navigate and to understand which areas of the Firth are safe to maneuver within as the sediment moves, with the risk of ground the lifeboats when rescuing.

Frequent satellite imagery, available to the University, is combined with satellite navigation to provide support and near-real time situational awareness of otherwise invisible underwater dangers to rescue teams on lifeboats. Low tide images are used to chart the exposed tidal flat and provide regularly updated navigation data, allowing the rescue crew to reach a rescue area faster and safer, and search for a reported person for longer, knowing they can get safely back before the tide ebbs.