Wi-Buoy: An Energy-Efficient Wireless Buoy Network for Real-Time High-Rate Marine Data Acquisition

Abstract

The next frontier of maritime networking will see the deployment of large-scale buoybased mesh networks, with an equal emphasis on both high-speed data transfer and energy-efficiency. One such challenging application is the operation of maritime seismic surveys for oil/gas exploration and academic studies. Large amounts of seismic data are generated at a rate of several Gigabits per second, by nearly 10,000-30,000 seismic sensors that are deployed on the seabed across an area of several square kilometers in offshore oceanic environments. The task of monitoring existing reservoirs and identifying new oil and gas deposits require subsurface images of superior quality, which in turn are dependent on high-quality data for processing. Wireless technology can unlock real-time data transfer for rapid image-viewing, enhanced productivity, and reduced logistical costs. This interdisciplinary article outlines the challenges of marine seismic acquisition and the design of a buoy-based wireless backhaul network for high-rate data transfer over the ocean surface. Based on off-the-shelf IEEE 802.11 systems, a standards-compliant wireless buoy network architecture called Wi-buoy is proposed for real-time, scalable, and energy-efficient data delivery. In order to attain optimal power conservation, a Buoy-Based Power-Saving Backhaul (B-PSB) scheme is also proposed for specifying the operating parameters across all layers of the protocol stack. Essential aspects of the marine propagation environment are reviewed, and the performance of the proposed system is evaluated as a function of the antenna height, wind speed, compression ratio, and various flavors of the IEEE 802.11 standard. Furthermore, the use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) is analyzed as an integral component of upcoming high-speed buoy-based networks in the maritime environment.

Maritime Communications: A Survey on Enabling Technologies, Opportunities, and Challenges

“…The authors of [104] modeled DTN and SDN as a tradeoff optimization problem and showed that modifying various factors could achieve a delay-energy trade-off. An energyaware solution for marine data acquisition via IEEE 802.11based wireless buoys network, known as Wi-Buoy, is proposed in [105]. The authors proposed an optimization framework to reduce energy consumption at a backhaul buoy source used to transfer seismic data collected from sensors on the seabed to a seismic survey vessel [105].…”

“…An energyaware solution for marine data acquisition via IEEE 802.11based wireless buoys network, known as Wi-Buoy, is proposed in [105]. The authors proposed an optimization framework to reduce energy consumption at a backhaul buoy source used to transfer seismic data collected from sensors on the seabed to a seismic survey vessel [105]. Motivated by the fact that most vessels follow designated shipping lanes, authors of [106] proposed using the shipping lane information to minimize the average power consumption.…”

A Node Selection Algorithm Based on Multi-Objective Optimization Under Position Floating

“…In summary, the computational complexity of the node selection algorithm proposed in this paper is O Mn + mN 2 + mK , where m is the number of objectives, M is the number of underwater sensor nodes, n is the number of particles and N is the population size of NSGA-II.…”

“…In the military field, underwater target tracking can effectively defend the invade of torpedoes, submarines and underwater robots. In the civilian field, it also plays an important role in the protection for marine resources, oil/gas exploration and maritime seismic survey [2].…”

Recent developments in offshore wind energy systems: Technologies and practices

“…This approach provides enhanced run-time operational resilience and safety compliance to beyond visual line of sight autonomous missions. Reddy and Stuber [44] have outlined the challenges of marine seismic acquisition and designed a buoy-based wireless backhaul network for high-rate data transfer over the ocean surface. They have also developed Wi-buoy for real-time, scalable, and energyefficient data delivery through a buoy-based power-saving backhaul scheme.…”