Integrated
Marine Mammal Monitoring Protection System
(IMAPS)
SSI is also the lead developer of the Integrated Marine
Mammal Monitoring and Protection System (IMAPS). IMAPS is a current Phase II
Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project*. The long-term goal of
IMAPS is to integrate active acoustic detection, passive acoustic detection,
and a mitigation management and control module (MMCM). The MMCM would
assimilate the available real time observations, and include a database of
marine mammals and an estimation tool for predicting potential harm given
the particulars of an operation (source strength, directivity, environmental
conditions, etc). Once fully developed, IMAPS would provide a complete
decision aid for the user to determine if an operation should continue or be
altered.
To date work on IMAPS has focused on development of a more robust sonar
system for the detection of marine mammals. The active component of IMAPS is
a relatively expensive phased array system using a vertical line array
source and 60 receive line arrays surrounding a cylindrical steel baffle.
The line arrays can work as both active and passive receivers. The prototype
IMAPS sonar head is shown in Figures 8 and 9 and has yet to be fully tested.
IMAPS is meant to develop into a versatile tool for protecting marine mammals. For instance, it could be deployed during seismic survey operations to prevent animals from getting too close to large air-gun arrays. It could be deployed during explosives shock testing or explosive removal of offshore structures. It could be used to survey an area prior to a large military exercise to confirm that no marine mammals that might be harmed are present. It could also be deployed off of patrol boats that could survey the shipping lanes and warn ships of the potential for a whale strike.
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IMAPS during preliminary testing when only 10 receive sensors were installed |
IMAPS is nearly fully assembled missing only the transmit line array |
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* An STTR is an SBIR (Small Business
Innovative Research) that requires university participation. The SBIR
program is a three phase program. Phase 1 is usually a feasibility study
Phase 2 is usually design, fabrication, and testing of a prototype.
Phase 3 is full implementation supported by none-SBIR funds.
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Scientific Solutions Incorporated
99 Perimeter Rd.
Nashua, NH 03063
Phone: (603) 880-3784
Fax: (603) 598-1803
E-mail: info@scisol.com