Development of a Seafloor Cabled Observatory Communications System

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

0079720 Chave This Major Research Instrumentation award to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution provides funds for development of an advanced network communications system for implementation in a deep-ocean fiber-optic cable observatory system. The goal of the project is to develop, using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) data networking technology, a robust system capable of two-way packetized communications at multiple Gbit/s rates over an observatory network cable several hundred kilometers in length, and including numerous nodes for seafloor observations and experiments. The development effort includes fabrication and wet testing of a fault tolerant seafloor communications and control node. The project was reviewed and supported collaboratively at NSF by the Division of Ocean Sciences in the Directorate for Geosciences, the Division of Advanced Networking Infrastructure and Research of the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, together with the Office of Polar Programs. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and their industry partner, Cisco Systems, Inc., will provide cost-share support for 34% of total project costs. ***