Intelligent networking for autonomous internet of underwater things: from smart cities to a smart world

由于人类与水下世界的互动越来越多，水下无线通信（UWC）引起了人们的广泛关注。该技术具有广泛的科学、环境、民用和军事应用，例如海洋勘探、人为和自然环境灾害的探测以及潜艇通信。随着近年来物联网（IoT）及其新分支物联网（IoUT）的产业发展，UWC具有广阔的发展潜力和前所未有的应用前景。极端的水下环境给UWC带来了挑战。UWC使用的技术包括射频（RF）、光学和声学。然而，射频受到严重的衰减。光技术带宽宽，但工作距离短。声波传输可以覆盖很长的距离，但带宽有限。随着对UWC需求的增加，人们做出了许多努力来解决这些限制。2017年，北约海事研究与探索中心发布了UWC的第一个标准。这个名为JANUS的协议为标准化IoUT铺平了道路。然而，后者仍处于早期阶段，许多场馆有待改进。我们的长期目标是设计健壮、自主、安全和自我维持的IoUT网络。提出的网络可以容纳各种应用和连接要求的众多UWC设备。通过提供可靠的连接，即使在动荡的水下条件下，开发的网络也将是强大的。将设计新颖的学习算法，实现自组织和自重构，以保持网络的自主性。此外，将开发安全算法，使网络免疫，使其适应水下条件。最后，可持续发展将通过创新的能源收集解决方案来实现。为了实现长期目标，该方案将经历三个并行和综合的阶段；每个人都有自己的短期目标，以应对UWC的具体挑战。第一阶段将解决网络覆盖和可靠性问题。第二个重点是安全问题。最后一个阶段将确保可持续性。毗邻的三个海洋和占世界7%的淡水在许多方面对加拿大的人民和动植物产生了重大影响，特别是在气候变化的情况下。设计高效的IoUT网络将极大地促进加拿大的科学、战略规划和安全。此外，这项研究是同类研究中的第一个，将为环境，民用和军事应用开辟新的研究方向。几项专利和高影响力的期刊和会议文章将发表。此外，该计划的成功将推动工业领域的创新，如养鱼、IoUT原型设计和配备UWC功能的专业自主水下航行器（UAV）的制造。

Underwater wireless communications (UWC) is attracting considerable attention due to the increased interaction of humans with the underwater world. This technology has a wide range of scientific, environmental, civil, and military applications, such as marine exploration, detection of man-made and natural environmental disasters, and submarine communications. With the recent industrial advancements in the internet of things (IoT) and its new branch, the internet of underwater things (IoUT), UWC has promising potentials and unprecedented applications. The extreme underwater conditions impose challenges on UWC. The technologies used for UWC include radio frequency (RF), optical, and acoustic. However, RF suffers from severe attenuation. Optical technology enjoys a wide bandwidth but operates in short range. Acoustic transmission can cover long range but with a limited bandwidth. With the increasing demand for UWC, many efforts have been made to address those limitations. In 2017, the NATO Centre of Maritime Research and Exploration has published the first standard for UWC. This protocol, JANUS, paves the way for a standardized IoUT. However, the latter is still in its early stages, with many venues for improvements. Our long-term objective is to design robust, autonomous, secured, and self-sustaining IoUT networks. The proposed network can accommodate numerous UWC devices of various applications and connection requirements. The developed network will be robust by providing reliable connections, even in turbulent underwater conditions. Novel learning algorithms will be designed, enabling self-organization and self-reconfiguration to maintain network autonomy. Additionally, security algorithms will be developed to immunize the network and make it resilient to the underwater conditions. Lastly, sustainability will be achieved through innovative energy harvesting solutions. To achieve the longer-term objectives, the program will undergo three parallel and integrated phases; each one has its own short-term objectives that tackle specific challenges of the UWC. The first phase will address network coverage and reliability. The second will focus on security. The last phase will ensure sustainability. The three bordering oceans and the 7% of the world's freshwater have a significant influence on Canada's people, flora, and fauna in many aspects, especially under the climate change. Designing efficient IoUT network will significantly facilitate the science, strategic planning, and the security of Canada. Additionally, this research is the first of its kind and will open new research directions for environmental, civil, and military applications. Several patents and high-impact journal and conference articles will be published. Moreover, the success of this program will enable innovation in industrial sectors, such as fish farming, IoUT prototyping and manufacturing of specialized autonomous underwater vehicles (UAV) equipped with UWC capabilities.