Swimmer Detection Sonar Network - Phase I: Integration Architecture

Terrorist swimmers, perhaps using powered swimmer delivery vehicles, constitute a significant threat to both military and civilian shipping and facilities, e.g. warehouses, fuel, chemical storage in our harbors. Here we propose to develop a system designfor a network of inexpensive sonars to protect critical waterfront areas. The individual, inexpensive sonar nodes will be based on existing technology and hardware developed for the successful High Frequency Marine Mammal Mitigation sonar system. Effortsare already underway to test the effectiveness of this technology against swimmers in a busy and critical harbor environment. However, the integration of these existing sonar nodes into a coordinated detection network is considered to be one of the higherrisk areas of the overall development. Issues associated with data fusion, validation, resolution, switching, time synchronization, calibration and aiming, acoustic interference and reverberation, along with hardware, software, and training limitations,particularly for the modest level of operator technical expertise anticipated, need to be addressed. This Phase I effort is to define the Integration Architecture for a Swimmer Detection Sonar Network. In Phase II we will build and test a prototypesystem, including an information system capable of supporting multiple nodes, using the results of Phase I. If successful this SBIR will lead to hardware and software that combined comprise the