TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Sensors, Battlespace

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Littoral Battlespace Sensing - Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (LBS-UUV) ACAT IV

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: Develop optimal bathymetric � hydrographic mapping technologies, sensors and data processing techniques for integration into unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) platforms and support systems. Some major technology development areas that require innovative solutions are a follows: adaptive-autonomous survey schemes in dynamic oceanographic environments for optimal coverage per unit survey time, innovative techniques to correct navigation errors that are caused by drift in inertial navigation systems, and sensor-processing innovations to estimate measurement errors as a function of beam angle in environments with a high degree of spatial and temporal dynamics in sound speed within the water column. The generation of near real-time water depth map products with known accuracies in both measurement location and water depths would be the ultimate objective. Near real-time in this context may include a post processing latency for measurement adjustments and map product generation, which is equal to or less than the duration of the actual data collection.

DESCRIPTION: Water depth (bathymetry) and seafloor morphology or spatial characteristics of the ocean-seafloor interface are important environmental properties that enable effective naval operations in near shore regions. Effective sensing technologies and data processing techniques are necessary to characterize this environment enable safe navigation, accurate oceanographic prediction and accurate weapon system performance assessments that are needed to insure effective expeditionary and undersea warfare operations in the littoral. Accurate estimates of water depth from beyond the surf zone to the continental slope are needed to support these operations.

PHASE I: Conduct a feasibility study to implement an innovative technology and/or techniques that can be integrated onto a UUV and can optimally map water depths and seafloor morphology in littoral regions. Consideration should be given to minimization and quantification of navigation errors, estimation of measurement (water depth) errors and the optimization of seafloor coverage. Adaptive and/or autonomous survey schemes would be useful. Processing techniques to correct for tidal variations, navigation drift errors and map generation should be included in the feasibility study. The computational requirements that are needed to support the proposed processing techniques should be included in the feasibility analysis. Finally, general integration issues such as the sensor-processor subsystem architecture and the size, weight and power requirements of the proposed components should also be considered as part of the feasibility effort.

PHASE II: Demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative technology and/or technique that can be integrated onto a UUV and can optimally map water depths and fine scale ocean-seafloor interface characteristics in littoral regions. The demonstration should quantify navigation errors and depth errors. Viability of any innovative or adaptive survey schemes should be demonstrated. Interface requirements for the subsystem components should be documented to support integration planning.

PHASE III: Integrate into a Littoral Battlespace Sensing UUV (LBS-UUV) platform and evaluate performance of the technologies and algorithms.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: This technology can be used for undersea resource development in the oil industry and well as for civilian safety of navigation applications. Also, the technology can be used in the preparation of plans to lay undersea pipelines and cables.

REFERENCES:
1. The Navy Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) Master Plan November 9, 2004.
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/technology/uuvmp.pdf

2. Oceanography and Mine Warfare, Ocean Studies Board, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, National Research Council, NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS, Washington DC. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9773&page=59

3. Hydrographic Work Flow � From Planning to Products, Doug Cronin, Mel Broadus, Barbara Reed, Shannon Byrne, Walter Simmons, Lindsay Gee, U.S. Hydro 2003 Conference, Biloxi, MS, March 24-27, 2003, The Hydrographic Society of America, 2003. http://www.thsoa.org/us03papers.htm

4. Multi-AUV Control and Adaptive Sampling in Monterey Bay, Edward Fiorelli, Naomi Ehrich Leonard, Pradeep Bhatta, Derek Paley, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Princeton University, Proc. IEEE Autonomous Underwater Vehicles 2004: Workshop on Multiple AUV Operations (AUV04), June 2004. http://www.princeton.edu/~naomi/AUV13July04.pdf

KEYWORDS: bathymetry; unmanned undersea vehicles; adaptive sampling; littoral; seafloor morphology; navigation errors

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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