Development of Mapping Algorithms for Marine Monitoring

<p dir="ltr">A current lack of data within inland bodies of water makes pollution monitoring and mitigation difficult. This is especially true in the field of inland water surveying, where effort and cost limit the amount of available data in the field. </p><p dir="ltr">One topic of interest in water monitoring is mapping large swaths of algae known as algal blooms. Common in Indiana, these plumes have negative health and environmental effects. This includes large-scale wildlife kills due to eutrophication and financial losses in the tourism and commercial fishing industries. However, determining the spread and severity of these plumes is difficult.</p><p dir="ltr">Advances in marine robotics have made it possible to gather more and higher quality data relative to current sampling techniques. The use of unmanned surface vehicles, or USVs, to perform advanced, data-driven sampling techniques makes them an appropriate choice for water monitoring and a high-potential solution for monitoring complex algal plumes.</p><p dir="ltr">This work begins by outlining the development of a software environment for testing algal plume monitoring. This includes vehicle and test plume simulation. This environment is then used to test different proposed algorithms.</p><p dir="ltr">This thesis then details two different approaches to mapping. The first is the implementation of a method based in adaptive transects. The second is a trio of approaches that utilize Gaussian processes and Bayesian experimental design to estimate plume measurements. Results from each of these implementations are used to justify the selection of a single method to implement.</p><p dir="ltr">As the culmination of the prior chapters, this work then outlines the development and implementation of a field testing environment for the selected algorithm. This includes the selection and design of a surface vehicle and its payload as well as experimental design.</p><p dir="ltr">The sum of these contributions is improved data collection processes within the field of water surveying and specifically algal plumes as part of the Blue Economy initiatives to fight marine climate change.</p>