Optimal Planning, Estimation and Resource Allocation (OPERA) Software for Seafloor and Sub-seafloor Characteristics Survey

The objective of this project is to develop minimal data density and interpolation tools capable of handling a huge volume of Geospatial Information & Services (GI&S) survey data. These tools will be integrated into the Optimal Planning, Estimation and Resource Allocation (OPERA) software to be developed in Phase 2 that can automatically (1) estimate seabed statistical properties from reconnaissance missions or historic data, (2) suggest optimal comprehensive survey strategies to meet data quality requirements based on seabed properties, sensor characteristics and operation constraints, and (3) fuse measurements from various sources into a coherent picture of the seabed properties for real-time or near-real-time use. The project team consists of SSCI as the prime contractor and University of Texas at Austin (PI: Dr. John Goff) as the subcontractor.