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增加，水下无线通信(UWC)引起了人们的极大关注。这项技术具有广泛的科学、环境、民用和军事应用，如海洋勘探、人为和自然环境灾害的探测以及海底通信。随着物联网(IoT)及其新的分支--水下物联网(Iout)的产业进步，UWC具有广阔的潜力和前所未有的应用前景。极端的水下条件对UWC提出了挑战。UWC使用的技术包括射频(RF)、光学和声学。然而，射频会遭受严重的衰减。光技术享有很宽的带宽，但工作在短距离内。声波传输可以覆盖远距离，但带宽有限。随着对《化学武器公约》的需求不断增加，已经作出了许多努力来解决这些限制。2017年，北约海洋研究和探索中心发布了首个《禁止化学武器公约》标准。这个协议，Janus，为标准化的Iout铺平了道路。然而，后者仍处于早期阶段，有许多地方需要改进。我们的长期目标是设计强大、自主、安全和自我维持的iOUT网络。建议的网络可以容纳各种应用和连接要求的大量UWC设备。开发的网络将通过提供可靠的连接而健壮，即使在动荡的水下条件下也是如此。将设计新的学习算法，使其能够自组织和自我重新配置，以保持网络自治。此外，还将开发安全算法，以使网络免疫，并使其对水下条件具有弹性。最后，将通过创新的能源收集解决方案实现可持续发展。为了实现长期目标，该计划将经历三个平行和综合的阶段；每个阶段都有自己的短期目标，以应对《禁止化学武器公约》的具体挑战。第一阶段将解决网络覆盖和可靠性问题。第二个将集中在安全问题上。最后一个阶段将确保可持续性。加拿大的三个大洋和世界7%的淡水在许多方面对加拿大的人民、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，这项研究是此类研究的第一项，将为环境、民用和军事应用开辟新的研究方向。将发表几项专利和高影响力的期刊和会议文章。此外，该项目的成功将促进工业部门的创新，如养鱼、IOUT原型和配备UWC能力的专用自主水下航行器(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.