Implementation of GPS Drifters for Measuring Surface Current
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Abstract
This study aims to apply a low-cost GPS-equipped drifting buoy for measuring surface current velocity and direction. The buoy was designed and constructed using readily available materials, ensuring low production cost and suitability for field deployment. The developed buoy is equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and continuously transmits positional data via the AIKA application, a real-time location tracking platform. The recorded GPS coordinates at successive time intervals were subsequently used to calculate the velocity and direction of buoy movement, which represent the surface current characteristics. Field experiments were conducted in the Chao Phraya River, in the vicinity of the Naval Academy, Thailand. The results demonstrate that the buoy maintained stable flotation and successfully recorded continuous movement trajectories throughout the deployment period. The derived data effectively captured the overall surface flow patterns within the study area. The findings highlight the potential of GPS-equipped drifting buoys as an efficient and cost-effective tool for surface current measurements, providing valuable support for oceanographic applications.
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