PFI:BIC A Smart Service System (ESPnet) for Enhanced Monitoring and Management of Toxic Algal Blooms

这种创新伙伴关系：创新能力建设（PFI：BIC）项目旨在解决一个日益严重的社会问题：有毒或有害藻华（HABs），通常被称为“赤潮”。每年，数百万美元的损失，由于赤潮和赤潮在美国和世界各地。损失可以是直接的，如人类因食用受污染的食物而患病和死亡，或鱼类和贝类资源的死亡，也可以是间接的，如在赤潮期间避免所有海鲜产品，即使是安全的产品。受赤潮毒素威胁地区的管理目前涉及监测方案，这些方案依赖于每周对从沿着许多地点收集的贝类进行肉检。 这些计划是昂贵的，缓慢的，通过几十年来没有改变的保守的收获关闭政策提供保护。利用先进的科技，例如环境样本处理器，可大大改善红潮的管理。环境样本处理器是一个可潜入水中的独立“罐头实验室”，收集水样本，并识别显示有害藻类存在的分子或基因。ESP可以自主运行数月，并将包括环境条件在内的数据传输到海岸。该项目的目标是开发和演示ESPnet，这是一个利用这些新型生物传感器为负责保护公众健康和渔业及旅游业免受有毒有害生物影响的资源管理人员提供环境意识和决策支持能力的系统。该系统是变革性的，因为它将新的传感器技术应用于目前通过昂贵，缓慢和过时的监控程序解决的主要资源管理问题。目前还没有其他类似的服务系统来管理有害藻华、微生物病原体或其他水媒疾病或问题，ESPnet将以一个ESP网络为基础，通过一个配有自动数据分析和可视化工具的门户网站提供实时、高频率的有害藻华监测信息，使管理人员能够以前所未有的详细程度查看沿海环境，从而能够采取果断和有效的行动。这个为期三年的项目将包括在缅因州（GOM）海岸沿着的关键地点部署多个ESP。该项目团队将与其行业合作伙伴McLane Research Laboratories合作，修改ESP硬件和软件，以降低功耗，并扩展部署，以全面采样GOM的HAB季节。 要实现这一项目的总体目标，就需要进行开发工作，使ESP数据分析完全自动化，并将其与地理空间呈现的环境测量结果合并;这一系统必须为非专家量身定制，并通过用户友好的数据门户网站提供。将通过查明用户群体和确定对新系统的接受程度、优化向用户提供系统信息的方式、确定用户群体之间反馈的特点以及估计ESPnet技术的经济成本和效益来处理人的因素。该项目旨在解决最普遍的有害藻华中毒综合症-麻痹性贝类中毒或PSP-的管理方面的基本问题。因此，项目活动具有重要的社会效益。 ESPnet的概念可以应用于美国其他地方的PSP问题，以及其他有害藻华中毒综合症，以及一系列影响水质的非有害藻华问题，如病毒和微生物病原体。因此，该项目符合“促进发现与其为社会服务之间的联系”的标准。 这个项目有广泛的本科生和研究生培训，因为多名学生和实习生将参与。将通过科学论文、讲习班和会议介绍以及与媒体的讨论广泛传播项目成果。因此，该项目通过“在促进教学、培训和学习的同时促进理解中的发现”，符合NSF的更广泛影响标准II。主要合作伙伴包括牵头机构：伍兹霍尔海洋研究所、生物系和海洋政策中心（非营利研究和教育机构）;工业合作伙伴：麦克莱恩研究实验室（马萨诸塞州法尔茅斯;少数民族拥有的小型企业）;学术合作伙伴：蒙特雷湾水族馆研究所（加利福尼亚州莫斯兰丁;非营利）。更广泛的背景合作伙伴包括东北地区沿海海洋观测系统协会（NERACOOS;朴茨茅斯，NH;区域协会）;缅因州海洋资源部（W。缅因州布斯贝港;国家机关）;新罕布什尔州环境服务部（康科德，新罕布什尔州;州机构）;马萨诸塞州海洋渔业部（新贝德福德，马萨诸塞州;州机构）。

This Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) project addresses a significant and growing societal problem: toxic or harmful algal blooms (HABs), commonly called "red tides". Every year, millions of dollars are lost due to red tides and HABs throughout the US and the world. Losses can be direct, such as human illnesses and deaths from the consumption of contaminated food or the mortality of fish and shellfish resources, or indirect, such as the avoidance of all seafood products during red tides, even products that are safe. Management of areas threatened by HAB toxins currently involves monitoring programs that rely on weekly flesh-testing of shellfish collected from many locations along a coast. These programs are expensive, slow, providing protection through conservative harvesting closure policies that have not changed for decades. Red tide management can be greatly improved through the use of technological advances such as the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP), a submersible, self-contained "laboratory-in-a-can" that collects water samples and identifies molecules or genes that indicate the presence of hazardous species of algae. ESPs operate autonomously for months and transmit data, including environmental conditions, to shore. The goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate ESPnet, a system that will utilize these novel biosensors to provide environmental awareness and decision support capabilities for resource managers charged with protecting public health and the viability of fisheries industries and tourism from toxic HABs. This system is transformational, as it applies a new sensor technology to a major resource management problem that is currently addressed through monitoring programs that are expensive, slow, and outdated. No other service system of this type currently exists for managing HABs, microbial pathogens, or other water-borne diseases or problems.ESPnet will be based on a network of ESPs that will supply real-time, high-frequency HAB surveillance information through a web portal complete with automated data analysis and visualization tools, allowing managers to view the coastal environment with unprecedented detail so they can act decisively and effectively. The three-year project will include field deployments of multiple ESPs at key locations along the Gulf of Maine (GOM) coast. The project team will work with their industry partner, McLane Research Laboratories, to modify ESP hardware and software to reduce power consumption and extend deployments to fully sample the HAB season in the GOM. Meeting the overall goal of this project requires a development effort to fully automate ESP data analysis and to merge that with geospatially rendered environmental measurements; this system must be tailored to non-experts and available via a user-friendly data portal. Human factors will be addressed through identification of user groups and characterization of receptivities to the new system, optimization of the manner in which system information is supplied to users, characterization of feedback among user groups, and estimation of economic costs and benefits from the ESPnet technology. This project addresses fundamental issues underlying management of the most widespread of all HAB poisoning syndromes--paralytic shellfish poisoning or PSP. Project activities thus have important societal benefits. The ESPnet concept can be applied to PSP problems elsewhere in the U.S., as well as to other HAB poisoning syndromes, and to a host of non-HAB problems that affect water quality, such as viruses and microbial pathogens. This project therefore satisfies the criterion "fostering connections between discoveries and their use in the service of society". This project has extensive undergraduate and graduate training, as multiple students and interns will be involved. Project results will be broadly disseminated through scientific papers, workshop and conference presentations, and discussions with the media. This project thus meets NSF's Broader Impact Criterion II through "advancing discovery in understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning".Primary partners include Lead institution: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biology Department and Marine Policy Center (non-profit research and educational institution); Industrial partner: McLane Research Laboratories (Falmouth, MA; small minority-owned business); Academic partner: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (Moss Landing, CA; non-profit). Broader Context Partners include Northeast Regional Association for Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS; Portsmouth, NH; regional association); Maine Department of Marine Resources (W. Boothbay Harbor, ME; state agency); New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (Concord, NH; state agency); Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (New Bedford, MA; state agency).