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ACT Autonomous Surface Vehicle Workshop Report
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platforms, sensors, data acquisition, storage, processing and transfer technologies, on a vessel
moving across the water surface in an intelligent manner. Basic autonomy requires operator
involvement to a substantial extent in planning, executing, overseeing and recovery from the
mission. By improving the level of ASV autonomy, vehicles capable of performing planned
objectives and having increased levels of onboard intelligence may benefit the user community
that relies on ASVs for shallow water quality monitoring and mapping. However, many
obstacles hinder these advancements. Obstacles include definition of a clear, efficient, and
value added, hydrographic survey mission for ASVs; concerted efforts to engage the research
community in further ASV development (as has been the case for Underwater Autonomous
Vehicles); and, the present existence of a relatively small number of manufacturers engaged in
development and servicing ASVs coupled with an equally limited current market demand.
On the ocean surface, the ever present (or nearly so) availability of global positioning systems
provides significant navigational advantages over underwater autonomous operations.
However, these advantages are quickly overcome by difficulties of operations at the air/sea
interface. The presence of harsh conditions at this interface, including wind, waves, structural
icing, floating ice and other vessel traffic, compound the problems of ASV operation and
development.
Presently, ASV’s offer extended mission endurance (as great as 20 days), excellent payload
capabilities, and large power budgets available for both instrumentation and data
storage/analysis. Coupled with relatively shallow drafts and the ability to produce high quality
survey products in environments which are repetitive (dull), hazardous to human crews
(dangerous) and environmentally unhealthy (dirty) make ASVs a promising tool. Hence, the
“three Ds” of dull, dangerous and dirty, define the current suite of missions ideally suited for
ASV operations.
Furthermore, at sea operational requirements must be met, while still pursuing greater
functionality in ASV operational modes. Currently, at sea retrieval, maintenance, and repair of
existing ASV models have proven to be costly and difficult. At the present state of ASV
development, little crew or cost savings have been realized over conventional survey
operations. There are notable exceptions to this generalization when ASVs are used as a force
multiplier, working in collaboration (within line of sight) of a conventional survey platform.
Workshop Overview
The ACT workshop on
Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) for Shallow Water Mapping and
Water Quality Monitoring
was held November 18 - 20, 2015, in Solomons, Maryland, at UMCES
CBL. NOAA’s ocean observation and mapping requirements include the critical, nearshore,
shallow water (less than 10 meters) regions of the coastal ocean and Great Lakes, which is
reflected in the shoreline near CBL. Within these coastal waters, rapidly changing bathymetry
and water quality is common, making frequent mapping and monitoring critical. Furthermore,
traditional shipboard observations may not be possible or effective in these regions and in
many cases, small boat survey operations may be laborious and/or unsafe. CBL offered an
ideal, tidally dominated, location to bring these constraints to the forefront.