Collaborative Research: CRI: IAD: Developing a Novel Infrastructure for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

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Proposal #: CNS 07-08498 07-09946 07-08420PI(s): Preisig, James C Ye,Wei Stojanovic, MilicaLee, Freitag Heidenmann, John S.Institution: Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst U Southern California Mass Inst TechWoods Hole, MA 02543-1041 Los Angeles, CA 90089-1147 Cambridge, MA02139-4307Proposal #: CNS 07-09005 07-08938 07-08467PI(s): Cui, Jun-Hong (June) Levine, Brian; Kurose,James F. Freitag, LeeRajasekaran,Sanguthevar;Shi, Zhijie;Willett,Peter K.;Zhou,ShengliInstitution: University of Connecticut U of Massachusetts WHOIStorrs, CT 06269-1133 Amherst, MA 01003-9242 Woods Hole, MA 02543-1041Title: Collab Rsch:CRD/IAD:Open Research Testbed for Underwater Ad Hoc andSensor Networks (ORTUN)This collaborative project, developing the first open testbed infrastructure for theunderwater networking community, enables open access with the capability to conductexperiments remotely. The infrastructure, based on open research platforms, consists ofa testbed that enables wide and systematic experimental evaluation and comparison ofunderwater acoustic networks. The work, involving this rapidly deployable testbed thatcan be shared by the underwater networking community, aims to demonstrate the abilityof the facility to facilitate field experiments. The project represents a higher-levelcollaborative that arose from two collaborative groups. One group developing thefacility, the other working mainly on the experiments utilizing the facility. The testbed isexpected to be a buoy-based system that can be easily taken to different environments.When operational, these systems will be deployed 5 or 6 times a year. Theinfrastructure will consist of two types of nodes with different capabilities. The first typeof node of the rapidly deployable testbed will offer a fixed physical layer capability usingacoustic modems such as the WHOI micromodem or the ISI S-modem to implement aphysical layer with limited reconfigurability interfaced to a reconfigurable networkprocessor. This network processor will support algorithm/protocol implementation andtesting at higher network layers. The Network functions on the Fixed Physical Layertestbed will be hosted by a Gumstix processor which will then communicate withphysical layer modems such as the WHOI Micromodem or USC/ISI S-modem via aserial port. Ten to fifteen fixed physical layer nodes will be built including up to 3gateway nodes. Each gateway node of the testbed will be equipped with wireless RFcommunication enabling real-time monitoring and control of network performance. Thefixed physical layer nodes will be smaller and more easily deployed than the secondtype of node which is the all-layer node. The all-layer node is a more capable node thatwill ultimately support algorithm/protocol implementation and acoustic data collection atall networking layers. In addition to the equipment included in the fixed physical layernodes (i.e., a gumstix network processor and the ability to support relatively fixedphysical layer modems such as the WHOI Micromodem and the ISI S-modem), theall-layer nodes will also include a general purpose data acquisition system (D/A andA/D) with substantial disk storage and in-situ processing capability. The MIT r-modemsoftware will be implemented on this general purpose hardware and, along withMATLAB, will enable user implementation and testing of algorithms and the gathering ofacoustics data at the physical layer in addition to the testing at higher network layersthat it will share in common with the fixed physical layer nodes. Three to five all-layernodes will be built. The rapidly deployable testbed, using two types of nodes withvarying capabilities, should significantly enhance research at all network layers whilesetting the stage for future infrastructure improvements.Many research groups investigating fundamental questions about how to design suchnetworked systems that utilize acoustic communications in complex underwaterenvironments have had their overall effort significantly slowed by the lack of commonmeans to test and compare protocols under realistic environmental conditions. Thisinfrastructure responds to the need for consensus on analytic or simulation models forunderwater networks where researchers need the ability to gather experimental dataunder real world conditions in order to make progress.The network stack will be modular by design with sockets used to enable cross layercontrol and communication. The physical, MAC, Network and Application layers will bepopulated with sample components to enable users test their own algorithms orprotocols without having to populate the entire stack. Users will be able to write modulesto test their own algorithms or protocols at different layers and selectively replace thesample modules with their own. While the development of the modular architecture andsample modules for the network stack will be done with close coordination between allparticipating institutions, the lead institution for the layers that will be provided arePhysical Layer (MIT for the all-layer system, WHOI for the Fixed-PHY system), MACLayer (USC/ISI), Network Layer (UConn, a geo-routing protocol), and Application Layer(UMass, a DTN routine service). The open characteristic of the testbeds and theirusefulness for conducting research will be demonstrated by the members of the team(primarily UConn and UMass as described above) and a few selected outsideparticipants. In addition, acoustic receptions suitable for physical layer research will bemade available to the general research community via the Internet.Broader Impacts: This work enables the essential capability of research groups toexamine fundamental research questions and their potential solutions in the real world.The infrastructure will directly benefit many on-going research projects in this field Alarge number of potential users in the community may benefit from this testbedinfrastructure. In addition to the significant research impact, the infrastructure isexpected to make a very strong educational impact as well, supporting classes bringingremote access to field experiments to students for whom traditional experiments wouldhave been too costly. The infrastructure can accelerate research and education in theunderwater networking field.