Environmental Adaptation for Off-Board Sensors Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2005.1 Topic No.: N05-044 Topic Title: Environmental Adaptation for Off-Board Sensors Proposal No.: N051-044-0472 Firm: Applied Hydro-Acoustics Research, Inc 5885 Trinity Parkway Suite 230 Centreville, Virginia 20120 Contact: Brian Samuels Phone: (703) 968-6112 Abstract: The DD(X) program seeks to use off-board sensors as adjuncts to a robust own-ship capability. Optimal use of these off-board sensors requires tools for providing environmentally adaptive tools to perform optimal placement and processing of these multi-static sensors. The team of Applied Hydro-Acoustics Research, Inc. (AHA) and the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington (APL-UW) will design and develop a comprehensive toolset to meet this challenge, the Surface-ship Environmental Adaptation and Multistatic Optimization USW Toolset (SEAMOUNT). In the first phase of the research, the AHA/APL-UW team will complete and document a comprehensive design for SEAMOUNT. The team will also perform an assessment and algorithm candidate selection for the various components of the toolset. Components include optimal placement algorithms; optimal sensor setting algorithms; environmentally adaptive tools for detection, classification and localization; tools for rapid acoustic computations; and effectiveness routines for coordinated active and passive missions. In addition to the toolset design in Phase I, the team will implement and demonstrate an initial tool in a critical area of need. That tool will be an optimal placement algorithm merging APL-UW's Particle Swarm Optimization techniques, with the Navy's approved multi-static tactical decision aid engine (ASPECT), which was developed by AHA. Benefits: The results of this research will have significant benefits to the Navy, through improvements in ASW force protection and area clearance missions. The toolset of optimization components designed and develop under this research will provide the DD(X) platform with improved utility of ASW assets in challenging environments. In addition, this toolset will be directly applicable in other Navy undersea Warfare missions, such as Air ASW sonobuoy and surveillance missions. Non-Navy agencies, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, could apply these toolset components in mission where environmental adaptation and optimization for a variety of sensor types is needed for coastal protection. Finally, this research could be used in the underwater survey industry to enhance tools that collect undersea data. Return