Autonomous Undersea Vehicle Track Planner (AUVTP) for Adaptive Environmental Sampling Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Topic No.: N05-080 Topic Title: Autonomous Undersea Vehicle Track Planner (AUVTP) for Adaptive Environmental Sampling Proposal No.: N051-080-0766 Firm: Daniel H. Wagner, Associates, Incorporated 40 Lloyd Avenue Suite 200 Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355-3091 Contact: David Kierstead Phone: (703) 938-2032 Web Site: www.wagner.com Abstract: Environmental conditions can have a significant effect on Naval planning efforts and operations. To gain a warfare advantage, information obtained through in-situ observations and measurements of environmental properties (e.g., water depths, currents, temperature, salinity, wave spectra) can be exploited to improve the planning and execution of these operations. Such information is critical in littoral environments to support reliable wave and surf model predictions. Increasingly, mobile observational platforms, such as AUVs, are playing a greater role in the data collection process in littoral waters (due to their covertness, efficiency, increasing viability, and reduced risks). Daniel H. Wagner, Associates (DHWA), teamed with the Neptune Sciences Division of Planning Systems, Inc., proposes to develop an adaptive sampling track-planning system, for one or more AUVs, to maximize the value of data collected and achieve mission objectives. There are two major goals. The first is to investigate and develop methods to determine, prioritize, and quantify the data collection needs (spatially and temporally). The second is to develop a track-planning tool using a genetic algorithm approach, leveraging an existing algorithm developed by DHWA for ASW search planning. This tool will be the first step toward an expanded capability for other types of platforms and missions. Benefits: The new Operations Research (OR) concepts and AUV track-planning system that result from this research will have wide applicability inside and outside of DoD. Although the missions and databases will be specifically tailored to AUV scenarios, the general algorithmic approach will be useful for many other multi-faceted scheduling problems, where sensor performance is highly non-homogenous. The Navy will reap great benefit from this new technology in that the AUV track planner (AUVTP) can be modified for application to other tactical applications and warfare areas, like Mine Warfare. The metric definitions will obviously be different, since the missions are different, but the modular structure of AUVTP will easily accommodate changes of this type. We believe that AUVTP could be the genesis of a large family of mission planners in support of Navy, Army, Air Force, and Marine decision making, because it will offer objective decisions, with applicability across many military missions, where current planners are outdated, subjective and inefficient. For instance, it could be expanded to include multiple platforms each of which must choose sensor/track combinations, but in accordance with other platform decisions. It could also be adapted to Coast Guard search and rescue, where weather conditions are non-homogeneous and dynamic. We believe that the commercial potential is great because current capability is severely lacking a good blend of realism, efficiency, accuracy, modern OR tools, and the capability to deal with uncertainty. The technology would have important and valuable commercial applications such as predicting the movements of oil spills, pollution monitoring, storm forecasting and surf prediction. Return