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Real-time environmental inversion using a network of light receiving systems

C. Soares, csoares@ualg.pt
S. M. Jesus,sjesus@ualg.pt
Institute for Systems and Robotics, University of Algarve
Campus de Gambelas, PT-8005-139 Faro, Portugal

Ref.: International Workshop on Marine Technology, Barcelona, November 2007

Abstract: This paper describes a system for real-time assessing the watercolumn and seafloor properties of the ocean by means of the inversion of acoustic signals. A controlled acoustic source is used to transmit a given waveform across the ocean, and the signals are captured by a network of acoustic receivers deployed over the area of interest. These acoustic acquisition devices are equiped with a GPS antena and a communication system allowing for a processing platform to tranfer the acquired acoustic data and have access to the actual position of each acquistion device. At the processing platform software consisting of routines that assimilate a priori environmental knowledge and telemetric data and implements a collection of methods to properly invert the acoustic data with aid of an acoustic propagation computer code is used. Real-time inversion of acoustic signals is a requirement for acoustic rapid environmental assessment (AREA), a concept developed in military oceanography. A preliminary version of this assemblage has been tested in one occasion, and further testing will take place in forthcoming sea trials.