Multi-Static SeaSonde Ocean Current Mapping by Ships Underway

"The proposed SBIR efforts build on CODAR Ocean Sensors' extensive base of commercial HF radar products and technology, including demonstrated bistatic and multi-static deployment capabilities. We will extend these concepts heretofore intended for coastalsiting to ships underway, with the goal of mapping ocean surface currents for rapid environmental assessment in littoral zones without the need for instrumentation on unfriendly shores. A moving transmitter and/or receiver on a vessel represents theprincipal challenge, followed by the expected distortion to antenna patterns due to ship superstructure. Phase 1 will augment our existing HF radar simulator to include transmitter/receiver movement, as well as distorted antenna patterns. Simulated radardata will then be used to assess and optimize performance, as quantified in terms of accuracy, resolution, and coverage area. We will determine constraints on vessel operations during such current-mapping surveys. Finally, we will design modifications toour existing GPS timing synchronization system that allows multiple transmitters and receivers to share the same frequency channel simultaneously, to accommodate moving transmitters and receivers without losing coherence or degrading echo signal quality.During Phase 2 we will test the designs, algorithms, and operating scenarios developed under Phase 1, employing oceanographic research vessels that can gather simultaneous ground-truth d