Following the completion of the initial phase, SeeByte, ASV and the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom have been awarded funding to carry out phase two of the Adaptive Autonomous Ocean Sampling Networks (AAOSN) SBRI call.
The aim of the project is to reduce the complexity and frequency of operator input when supervising large fleets of autonomous systems from the shore.
Extending the tagged fish work carried out in phase one, this second phase will seek to design autonomous behaviours to address five scenarios including oil spill, passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), seabed mapping, fish tracking and tidal mixing.
The behaviours will integrate sensor data and interpretation methods to enable adaptive, multi-vehicle missions using combinations of ASV, AUV and Glider assets.
Trials for this project will be conducted integrating SeeByte’s Neptune, which already forms the basis of the UK Maritime Autonomy Framework (MAF), onto various autonomous assets including the ASV’s C-Enduro, a long endurance Autonomous Surface Vehicle, using a common interface and control system. The C-Enduro will operate a multi-beam echo sounder and PAM system.
SeeByte’s Neptune is an adaptive planning tool for optimising the execution of AUV operations. It supports high-level goal-based mission descriptions and allows the matching of mission requirements against vehicle capabilities.
Neptune also includes behaviours capable of adapting the mission based on changes in the environment, assets and mission objectives; benefits which will be useful for future unmanned operations.
Image: ASV