Networked robotic sensor platform deployments for use in coastal environmental assessment in southern California

Abstract

Mobile sensor platforms such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and robotic surface
vessels, combined with static moored sensors compose a diverse sensor network that is able to
provide macroscopic environmental analysis tool for ocean researchers. Working as a cohesive
networked unit, the static buoys are always online, and provide insight as to the time and locations
where a federated, mobile robot team should be deployed to effectively perform large scale spatiotemporal
sampling on demand. Such a system can provide pertinent in situ measurements to marine biologists whom can then advise policy makers on critical environmental issues. This
poster presents recent field deployment activity of AUVs demonstrating the effectiveness of our
embedded communication network infrastructure throughout southern California coastal waters.
We also report on progress towards real-time, web-streaming data from the multiple sampling
locations and mobile sensor platforms. Static monitoring sites included in this presentation detail
the network nodes positioned at Redondo Beach and Marina Del Ray. One of the deployed mobile
sensors highlighted here are autonomous Slocum gliders. These nodes operate in the open ocean
for periods as long as one month. The gliders are connected to the network via a Freewave
radio modem network composed of multiple coastal base-stations. This increases the efficiency of
deployment missions by reducing operational expenses via reduced reliability on satellite phones
for communication, as well as increasing the rate and amount of data that can be transferred.
Another mobile sensor platform presented in this study are the autonomous robotic boats. These
platforms are utilized for harbor and littoral zone studies, and are capable of performing multi-robot
coordination while observing known communication constraints. All of these pieces fit together
to present an overview of ongoing collaborative work to develop an autonomous, region-wide,
coastal environmental observation and monitoring sensor network.