A. Potential Applications ASV platforms applied to research, civil, and military operations offers the potential for reducing operational costs, increasing the quantity, frequency, and spatial coverage of measurements, and reducing the exposure of humans to hazardous and hostile environments. Oceanographic, atmospheric, and environmental research can benefit from the application of ASV platforms by supporting the collection of in situ measurements at the ocean-atmosphere boundary layer. Measurements include, but are not limited to, surface winds, air temperature, humidity, sea surface temperature, salinity, ocean color, currents, and chemistry. Platforms may function as mobile buoys and Lagrangian drifters. They may also support calibration and validation of remotely sensed measurements from air and space. ASV platform may also support mapping of dynamic features such as Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) and oil spills. Vertical profiling and sample return support are also possible. Operational civil applications include weather forecasting, hurricane path prediction, and search and rescue. Military and law enforcement operations for homeland security, port/harbor surveillance, mine detection, and reconnaissance may also benefit from using ASV platforms.
Distant Thunder / NetSAT littoral water system (DARPA)