Coastal Eyes, a Multi-Mission Topographic, Current Retrieval and Debris Mapping Sensor System

NOAA seeks to characterize the impact of severe weather on coastal areas with a cost-effective, responsive multi-mission sensor system. In response Areté Associates proposes a conceptual design for an affordable, responsive, compact airborne sensor system called “Coastal Eyes” which will rapidly provide land and surface water topography, surface current, debris and storm surge mapping over wide swaths of the coastal zone. CoastalEyes is cost-effective, able to be deployed on many aircraft and can be tasked quickly to support emergency management needs. . Benefits include: • Low-risk approach exploits existing COTS sensors and established processing techniques • Wide-area monitoring of topographic and ocean variability using compact commercial radar • Able to operate at high altitudes in day/night and a variety of weather conditions • High-resolution land and ocean topography; near-shore bathymetry, and currents using compact LIDAR and time-series imaging systems • Flexible and adaptive solution useable with a range of small manned aircraft and adaptable to unmanned platforms • Commercial transition path embraces partnership with an established leader in airborne surveys. In Phase 1, Areté developed the Coastal Eyes system design and quantified the achievable performance for the core missions. Phase 2 will produce a CoastalEyes prototype and perform a demonstration of the five core missions.