Funding: Autonomous Aerial and Marine Technology Understanding

Literature Review Proposal

Development of a literature review that will contribute to understanding the status and potential of UAS and AUV technologies to conduct marine mammal monitoring or population surveying.

An exhaustive review of available UAS and AUV platforms and sensor technologies that are most pertinent to oil and gas operations for monitoring of marine species. Other than an overview of the available systems and sensors, this review should provide details on cost of systems and sensors, current state of technology maturation, including current commercial availability, sensor performance, system lifespan, limits to operating conditions (weather, depth, currents, etc.),

along with relevant references to field tests, sources of cited data and key points of contact for each system.

Key data types (e.g. digital photographs, digital sound files, oceanographic data, e.g. CTD, currents, bathymetry, GPS data, etc.) and the data's potential uses for assessing the effects of oil and gas industry exploration and production (E&P) as well as geophysical operations (e.g. seismic surveys) on marine species. Proposers should address the technical challenges of managing, storing and analyzing large amount of data produced by the autonomous systems.

Make recommendations of platform technologies, sensors and data characteristics that would be most relevant for the E&P industry to pursue, either via further advancement of technology development or field trials of existing promising systems, including combinations of sensors/platforms best suited to particular species, geographic, and operational conditions.

The proposal should include a timeline for completion of major milestones and an expenditures schedule, as well as a detailed budget, curricula vitae or biographies of key team members, and supporting documents as warranted (not to exceed 20 pages).

Project deliverables shall include:

• Periodic Progress Reports that summarize the work conducted, tasks planned for the coming reporting period, amount spent (vs. budget), and forecasts of spending for the duration of the project. The format and frequency of reports will be determined following contract award.
• Draft and Final Reports that:
• document the state of the science for using both UAS and AUV technologies for marine animal monitoring purposes during oil and gas industry activities offshore.
• Identify specific technologies (platforms and sensors) that might be used in future field trials sponsored by either the JIP or individual companies.
• Papers or posters at professional conferences and important marine technology conferences at the discretion of the Principal Investigator.
• A publication with the key findings from the status review. The review team is also encouraged to address the prospects for regulatory concurrence on autonomous technologies as a replacement/complement to current monitoring methods required for operating in low visibility conditions and/or for monitoring long distances from the activity, and finally as a replacement for Marine Mammal Observers (MMOs) / Protected Species Observers (PSOs).