USC CINAPS Builds bridges : observing and monitoring the southern california bight

Abstract

ore than 70% of our earth is covered by water, yet we have explored less than 5% of the aquatic environment.Aquatic robots, such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and their supporting infrastructure play a major role in the collection of oceanographic data (e.g., [11], [17], and [29]).To make new discoveries and improve our overall understanding of the ocean, scientists must make use of these platforms by implementing effective monitoring and sampling techniques to study ocean upwelling, tidal mixing, and other ocean processes.Effective observation and continual monitoring of a dynamic system as complex as the ocean cannot be done with one instrument in a fixed location.A more practical approach is to deploy a collection of static and mobile sensors, where the information gleaned from the acquired data is distributed across the network.Additionally, orchestrating a multisensor, long-term deployment with a high volume of distributed data involves a robust, rapid, and cost-effective communication network.Connecting all of these components, which form an aquatic robotic system, in synchronous operation can greatly assist the scientists in improving our overall understanding of the complex ocean environment.The Center for Integrated Networked Aquatic PlatformS [CINAPS (pronounced as sin-aps)] is located at the University of Southern California (USC).The goal of CINAPS is to bridge the gap between technology, communication, and the scientific exploration of local and regional aquatic ecosystems.Specifically, CINAPS is focused on providing timely dissemination of information related to harmful algal blooms (HABs) and general water quality to scientists, policy makers, and the general public.To accomplish this task, the CINAPS team has designed and deployed an embedded sensor network to monitor and observe the coastal regions of Southern California.In this article, we present the recent developments of an aquatic robotic system, with the goal of providing a reliable and cost-effective data transfer framework that forms a bridge between each of the pieces of coastal observing system, allowing for optimization of sensing and sampling strategies, and to provide information about the performance of the system as a whole.CINAPS attains this broad goal by