AUTONOMOUS DETECTION OF NEAR-SURFACE MARINE MAMMALS USING INTEGRATED ACTIVE SONAR AND ABOVE-WATER SENSORS

Scientific Solutions, Inc. (SSI), teamed with BAE Systems and Southall Environmental Associates, Inc. (SEA), proposes to investigate the feasibility of using hull-mounted active sonar integrated with above-water sensors, specifically radar and EOIR, to autonomously indentify and track marine mammals from transiting surface ships at ranges out to and beyond 1,000 yards. Active sonar, radar, and EOIR sensors have been proven effective to detect and track marine mammals under various conditions and system configurations. However, hull-mounted sonar has known issues detecting targets near the surface in downward refracting environments, and radar and EOIR sensors will not penetrate far into the water column. In Phase 1, we will determine the feasibility of detecting and identifying marine mammals from a transiting surface ship by building a simulator that predicts the performance envelope based on the system parameters and acoustic and atmospheric conditions, along with ship motion and animal motion based on tagged animal data. These predictions will account for automated detection and identification processing; will be used to determine the autonomous system performance relative to the current visual watch standers approach; and will determine the sonar, radar, and EOIR system configuration to be tested in Phase 2.