Spread Spectrum Infogeometric Communication/Information Networks for Large Water Ranges

The SBIR Phase I proof of concept research applies affordable info-geometric instrumentation networks to the large water range application. The proposed SBIR Phase I proof of concept research will: 1) Formulate a large water range communication/instrumentation technical specification, 2) Develop a Phase I test plan to demonstrate key specification capabilities, 3) Breadboard a proof of concept testbed, 4) Conduct key proof of concept demonstrations, 5) Submit a Phase I final technical report and Phase II prototype system demonstration plan. Info-geometric devices possess the ability to mutually communicate with (info) and track (geometric) each other. Groups of info-geometric devices cooperatively form self organizing data fusion networks. Any info-geometric devices passing near an info-geometric fusion network (i) may be accurately tracked in location and orientation by the network, (ii) may communicate instrumentation data to the network, and (iii) may receive command guidance data from the network. The large water instrumented test range consists of info-geometric beacon units (IBU's) deployed at sea (unsurveyed, drifting). HTI has demonstrated IBU mutual communication rates of 64 kilobits per second and mutual range resolution of 5-to-10 centimeters in earlier ARPA and NCCOSC research programs, that exceed the performance requirements of the proposed research. Any test platform possessing a low cost info-geometric transponder will be automatically tracked by the large water range. Its tracked location and communicated instrumentation data will be reported to one or more info-geometric base station units for monitoring and scoring. The large water range will be capable of simultaneously tracking at least one hundred info-geometric transponders. The info-geometric instrumentation may take alternative forms to address specific tracking requirements. "Remodulation tags" are low cost transponders that can be tracked by the large water range at moderate distances with high precision...(this is the subject of a separate SBIR Phase I proof of concept proposal for aircraft interaction testing). Low cost transmit-only devices can be tracked at greater distances than re