Infrastructure for mobile sensor network in the Singapore coastal zone

Singapore is an island nation located at southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula. She is at a strategic location along major shipping routes and therefore has one of the busiest harbors in the world. Having a safe and secure harbor environment is vital to maintain trade and growth in the country and region. To help build and maintain a safe harbor environment, the Center of Environmental Sensing and Modelling (CENSAM) under the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) is developing a mobile sensor network in the Singapore coastal zone. In this paper, we will describe the infrastructure for a mobile sensor network that has been developed and set up. It consists of a range of sensors and autonomous platforms, including underwater and surface vehicles. The algorithms developed, such as collision avoidance and path-planning, to make such a network feasible are also illustrated. Further descriptions on the applications of these sensors and platforms to carry out inspection of marine structures and data sampling of the water column that can be used for data assimilation to improve forecast accuracy for the coastal zone ocean environment are included. The results of two sea trials conducted in 2009 to test the viability of these systems and algorithms will be summarized. Further work to integrate the individual systems into a network to give a more effective and robust system will be outlined.