Buoyant Active Sensor System (BASS) for Riverine Mapping Navy STTR FY2010.A Sol No.: Navy STTR FY2010.A Topic No.: N10A-T024 Topic Title: Buoyant Active Sensor System (BASS) for Riverine Mapping Proposal No.: N10A-024-0695 Firm: Scientific Systems Company, Inc 500 West Cummings Park - Ste 3000 Woburn, Massachusetts 01801-6562 Contact: Eric Wemhoff Phone: (781) 933-5355 Web Site: www.ssci.com Abstract: There is need for fast, easy-to-operate, and low-risk methods for mapping geography, velocity, and bathymetry of rivers. River charts can be nonexistent or inadequate because of changes in water volume, tides, sediment transport, flooding, and other events. This is a hindrance and a hazard for navigation and other operations. Currently, procedures to map rivers involve navigating surface vessels into regions with significant uncertainty, which can be labor-intensive and dangerous. A better alternative is possible using low-cost sensors that float downstream, collecting data. Passive "drifters" have proven useful to research groups mapping ocean currents. However, faster flows and more constricted morphology in rivers present challenges. Passive floating sensors converge to similar streamlines and thus geographic coverage is limited, and can also get trapped or damaged by river features. In this program we will combine SSCI's technical and algorithmic expertise in autonomous vehicles, planning and decision making, and bathymetric mapping, and UC Berkeley's practical hands-on experience with self-propelled floating riverine sensors, for river modeling and mapping. We will design a system of collaborative, autonomous, self-propelled sensor vehicles and core strategies that will optimize the time, effort, cost, and risk necessary to successfully map rivers. Benefits: A system of floating sensors that work together to autonomously perform mapping of river geography, current profile, and bathymetry will be a useful tool for users who must navigate, perform environmental assessments, or other operations in riverine environments. Rivers are complex, dynamic features for which good navigation charting often does not exist, or is outdated. Even if existent, they can be invalidated due flooding, levee breaks, tides, or water release transients. Current solutions for generating navigation charts involving manned survey vessels are time-consuming, risky, and often not possible in the time or circumstances allowed for a given operation or mission. The proposed system will provide a solution that does not involve manned vessels, is easy to operate, and will produce accurate mappings suitable for navigation in short time. The system can also be adaptable to longer-term persistent monitoring of currents, bathymetry, and other features, in riverine, surfzone, or even bodies of water such as lakes (due to the sensor propulsion capability), by using energy harvesting or resupply methods, providing numerous opportunities for monitoring and assessment in military and environmental applications. Return