PI	Arabshahi, Payman	Org	University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory
Award #	AIST-05-0030	Managing Center	ARC	Status	Open
Title	A Smart Sensor Web for Ocean Observation: System Design, Modeling, and Optimization

We propose a smart sensor web system composed of mobile and fixed underwater assets, combined with NASA satellite data, for ocean observation. The objectives of this task are to - Design, develop, and test an integrated satellite and underwater acoustic communications and navigation sensor network infrastructure and a semi-closed loop dynamic sensor network for ocean observation and modeling. - Perform science experiments in Monterey Bay, enabled by such a network, and evolve them to growing levels of sophistication over the period of performance (three years). Our approach is unique, in that it offers, for the first time: - A first-of-its-kind ad-hoc multi-hop satellite/acoustic sensor network, incorporating features such as reconfiguration of sensor assets, adaptive sampling and autonomous event detection, targeted observation, location-aware sensing, built-in navigation on mobile nodes (Seagliders), and high-bandwidth, high-power observation on cabled seafloor and moored nodes (mooring systems with vertical profilers). - Strong tie-in with the NASA satellite oceanography and ocean science community, in charge of carrying out new experiments which will overcome limitations in current approaches (undersampling of the ocean and aliasing of high frequency processes such as tides and internal waves). These experiments can also be used for in-situ calibration of data gathered via remote sensing by NASA satellites. This proposal addresses Topic Area 1, Smart Sensing, of the AIST Call.Proposed work will leverage extensive in-house expertise in acoustic networking and ocean science at the University of Washington, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We project an entry of TRL-3 and an exit of TRL-7.