SGER: High Bandwidth Ocean Tele-presence: An iGrid Prototype

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ABSTRACTThis project expands on the goals of the LOOKING project funded through the ITR Program. The PIs request support to investigate and advance the utility of cyber-infrastructure in remote environments taking advantage of two significant opportunities; a submarine volcano oriented field program in the NE Pacific occurring at the same time as a major computing and communication show-case, iGrid, taking place in San Diego. The PIs propose to take an early step toward routine, remote use of High Definition TV for real-time inquiry into complex seafloor ecosystems using a combined Keck-NSF-UW supported research cruise in September 2005. On this cruise, HDTV imagery of vigorous seafloor hydrothermal systems will be transmitted from the JASON Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to the R/V Thomas G. Thompson, from the Thompson to UWTV in Seattle, then to iGrid in San Diego. The scientific research will focus on a suite of hydrothermal fields that represent one of the most vigorously venting areas known along the global mid-ocean ridge spreading network. It hosts hundreds of black smokers on many tens of sulfide structures that rise 20 to 30 m above the seafloor. The vent systems support richly diverse, chemosynthetic biological communities. The HDTV signal from the seafloor will be recorded on board the Thompson, where a field production crew will simultaneously record coincident scientific dialogues guiding the research focused on linkages among earthquake activity, hydrothermal output, and sub seafloor microbial productivity. A blended and compressed version of both seafloor and surface-ship live feeds will be transmitted via the Galaxy 10R Satellite to the UWTV Studio. At UW, the uncompressed imagery from sea will be mixed, with a third HDTV stream with a group of land-based students, researchers and REVEL teachers interacting via back-channel audio communications with the scientists at sea. The three full bandwidth video streams, and a continuously updated stream of contextual material, will be transmitted to the iGrid Conference. In anticipation of new research infrastructure being developed within the Ocean Observatory Initiative (OOI) and in keeping with iGrid tradition, the goals of this prototype effort are to demonstrate, for the first time: 1) the feasibility and utility of transmitting live, interactive high-definition imagery from the deep sea for conducting remote research involving land-based participants; 2) the utility and importance of pushing the envelope on bandwidth, signal quality, and feedback mechanisms required to capture the dynamics of complex remote environments for widespread distribution to land-based audiences, and; 3) the powerful potentials for follow-on programs leading to real-time, 3-D use of HDTV streams opening exciting new research and outreach opportunities for remote, precision operations upon arrival of cabled observatories. This is cutting-edge risky project that could Broader Impacts:The convergence of many technologies that will be investigated in this proposal will empower scientists and educators from a broad range of disciplines and allow them to examine planetary-to-microbial scale system dynamics in remote and/or dangerous environments. For example, the capabilities investigated will allow multiple groups, including computer and ocean scientists, engineers, educators, students and the general public to observe remote deep sea volcano research taking place live with the highest visual fidelity possible using a satellite link. In doing so, the intent is to begin changing the way that society views real, dynamical ocean systems and the conduct of scientific research in general.