Multi-vehicle operations for high-throughput ocean monitoring in short timeframes

Abstract

Ocean monitoring is a critical component in understanding the complex dynamics of marine ecosystems, climate change, and environmental sea conditions. However, traditional methods of oceanographic data collection often face limitations in both temporal and spatial resolution, especially when large-scale or high-density data sets are required. In response to this challenge, the use of multi-vehicle operations has emerged as a promising solution for achieving comprehensive, high-throughput monitoring of oceanic environments over short periods. By the deployment of a set of autonomous vehicles in swarm configuration, it is possible to simultaneously collect data across coastal areas of interest. Even mesoscale oceanic regions can be surveyed with this schema, significantly improving both the coverage and resolution of environmental observations. These vehicles, equipped with a range of sensors of the same characteristics, can rapidly get a current image of the area of interest and replanning the survey pattern for focusing on the most interesting sector. The ability to coordinate multiple vehicles in a synchronized manner offers substantial advantages over conventional single-vehicle approaches, particularly in terms of data acquisition speed and redundancy. This paper explores the potential of the microglider MicroAlba-25 as an agent for multi-vehicle operations for ocean monitoring. Because of its easy replicability and convenient cost per unit, a large number of vehicles provide the ability to enhance temporal resolution, expand spatial coverage, and optimize data collection efficiency in short timeframes. We discuss the technical challenges associated with coordinating multiple agents in a dynamic and often unpredictable marine environment, as well as the methodologies employed to maximize data throughput and system reliability.