| NSF Org: |
CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 20, 2014 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | December 12, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1428567 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Rita Rodriguez
CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems CSE Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2014 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2018 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $400,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $448,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2015 = $16,000.00 FY 2016 = $8,000.00 FY 2017 = $8,000.00 FY 2018 = $16,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
360 HUNTINGTON AVE BOSTON MA US 02115-5005 (617)373-5600 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
360 Huntington Ave Boston MA US 02115-5005 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
Major Research Instrumentation, Special Projects - CNS |
| Primary Program Source: |
01001516DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001617DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001718DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.070 |
ABSTRACT
This project, developing an underwater network instrument, enables studying and collecting data from oceanic life and environment. The project builds this novel underwater network using current commercial products and develops new components that do not exist today. The instrument is built in a modular fashion so that improved hardware and software can constantly be developed and integrated. In addition, the team develops a modular protocol stack that addresses the constraints that exist with acoustic wireless networks. This project addresses the data exchange from the underwater sensors, robotics, and real-time video that requires fundamentally different modes of networking protocols and behaviors. Integration of computational capabilities to commercial communication units (Teledyne Benthos acoustic modems) will be developed to grant flexible and modular protocol stack implementation, with capabilities of network reconfiguration and instrument programming from remote locations. The instrument will be integrated with the Marine Science Center that will provide maintenance and management.
The broader significance will be felt in a broad area of marine sciences where the instrument will provide the option to consistently collect and observe data in a large body of water. Many other science disciplines will be able to take advantage of the type of data exchange with this instrument, including environmental sciences dealing with natural and human caused catastrophes. Important discoveries can be expected in the area of innovative communications networks able to operate under the challenging conditions of underwater communications. Some of the output could be proposed as standards as a much desired network standard does not exist today.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The project ?MRI: Development of the Northeastern University Marine Observatory NETwork (NU MONET)? aimed at building an instrument (called ?the NU MONET?) enabling underwater networking in support of the two following endeavors: 1) Provide communication and data gathering capabilities for the research of marine scientists with a large array of interests, 2) provide a semi-permanent multi-hop wireless (acoustic) network to be used for testing protocols at all layers of the networking protocol stack. By the end of the project duration, we obtained the following outcomes.
1) Design of a network architecture comprised of (i) commercial acoustic modems (Teledyne Benthos SM-975), (ii) ?smart buoys? connected to each of the modems, allowing communication to/from underwater assets from/to a station on shore, (iii) control software for remote (re)programmability of the modems and other underwater equipment (e.g., sensors), and (iv) a suite of networking protocols including those for media access control (MAC) and data gathering.
2) Design and construction ?from scratch? of the smart buoy connected to each deployed acoustic modem (via underwater cables). The buoy has the following characteristics: Rechargeable batteries (for the attached modem or other underwater assets); provision for energy harvesting (solar); on-board computational capabilities to facilitate (re)programmability and implementation of various networking protocols; multiple wireless communication capabilities to communicate with the user on shore and allow real-time, remote control of all underwater assets.
3) Deployment and testing of the NU MONET system in an indoor tank, in an outdoor tank, and in the ocean, at the Northeastern University Marine Science Center in Nahant, MA (a picture of the deployment in the ocean is available).
4) Publication of several papers at premier peer-reviewed international conferences and journals in the field of networking. These publications made this project known to a large community of researchers and practitioners.
5) A female graduate student earned her Ph.D. through results obtained by using the instrument. The thesis of Dr. Yu Han, titled ?Stochastic Medium Access Control for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks? proposes new underwater acoustic MAC protocols. These protocols have been tested in water (indoor and outdoor settings) using the NU MONET.
6) Education modules were produced for courses taught by the three PIs of the project. Particularly, based on the lesson learned while designing, deploying and testing at sea of the NU MONET, the following classes were introduced in many communication and networking courses: (a) theory and practice of acoustic communication and related digital signal processing, (b) design and testing of protocols for channel access and data gathering in multi-hop wireless underwater networks, (c) network management and remote (re)programmability.
7) Eight undergraduate students were supported through REU funding that supplemented this award. It is worth mentioning that thanks to his involvement with the project, the student Andrew Tu has: Published a paper at a peer-reviewed IEEE conference (MTS/IEEE OCEANS 2016); published a paper in Embark, the peer-reviewed Northeastern's Undergraduate Engineering Research Journal; presented a poster on his work on the NU MONET Smart Buoy in Arlington, VA, at an REU-related event of the Council for Undergraduate Research, and traveled to Italy to collaborate on research with the underwater networking research group of professor Chiara Petrioli of the University of Rome ?La Sapienza.?
8) The NU MONET team was present at several events geared towards fostering awareness of underwater communication and networking and their possibilities. These events include the NU College of Engineering Research Fairs (in Fall 2016, 2017 and 2018), the NU Talks (a Northeastern?s version of the Ted Talks, led by undergraduates), and presentation at the Marine Science Center students at Nahant (including the participation of high school students).
9) Research outcomes of this project were also featured on WIRED (November 2016) and on the blog of the Sierra Circuits (July 2018).
More details can be found on the project web site: https://www.northeastern.edu/numonet/
Last Modified: 02/22/2019
Modified by: Stefano Basagni
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