Maritime Surveillance Sensing Using Underwater High Frequency Acoustic Communication Receivers

The Navy, the academic oceanographic community and the oil industry have embraced the use of underwater acoustic modems to take advantage of the many benefits that wireless operation brings to their applications. In this proposed SBIR effort, HLS Research Inc will take advantage of the resources already present in an acoustic modem, namely the acoustic pressure sensors and the signal processing capability, to develop detection, classification and localization/tracking algorithms for exploiting passively sensed acoustic data when the communications functions are not being used. The goal is to provide acoustic situational awareness of transiting surface ships and undersea platforms, using their acoustic signatures. HLS Research has organized or participated in a variety of high-frequency at-sea experiments, focused on both acoustic communications and marine mammal studies (where the passage of surface and other ships was of course an interference), in which high-frequency raw time series was recorded for days or weeks at a time, often on arrays of hydrophones. HLS Research will also take advantage of additional data-collection opportunities as they arise. These datasets will provide realistic data for a convincing demonstration of feasibility in this Phase I effort.