Redundant CommunicationsSolutions for PORTS® AcousticCurrent Profiler Installations
2010
The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) oversees an extensive network of instruments that collect, analyze, and disseminate integrated oceanographic and meteorological data. These data result in products that contribute to safer shipping and boating, more efficient port operation, more thorough emergency planning to ensure the safety of coastal residents, and improved environmental planning and protection. Several of these data products offer real-time, 24/7 data to shippers, port operators, emergency planners, coastal managers, and others throughout the U.S. and are part of the CO-OPS Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®). PORTS® consists of a suite of instruments that measure and disseminate observations of water levels, currents, salinity, and meteorological parameters (winds, atmospheric pressure, air and water temperatures). Current measurement systems are among those at greatest risk for data delivery failure because they often lack redundant communications. Fifteen acoustic current profilers mounted on aids to navigation (ATONs) provide current data within the PORTS® network. An additional 23 cabled systems also provide current measurements for PORTS® at some of the more than 200 National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) stations. ATON acoustic current profilers generate large and frequent data messages, (every six minutes), making redundant communications prohibitively expensive, depending upon the telemetry method used. Also, the PORTS® interface board (Sprenke board) cannot manage more than one method of communication. If communication from the acoustic current profiler fails at any single point along the data transmission path, data transmitted during that time are lost. Determining the specific failure point can be difficult; however, implementation of a redundant (or at least a secondary) communication path seems to be the best way of preserving valuable PORTS® data.
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