Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Information Study

Abstract : Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) are any vehicles that are able to operate underwater without a human occupant. Smaller and cheaper autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) are today very capable and gaining users. Large autonomous underwater vehicles are more expensive but they offer capabilities in some missions and applications that no other platforms can offer. However, using unmanned underwater vehicles in marine applications provide some challenges such as noisy communication, position uncertainty and the likelihood of robot failures. In addition, standards for data and information sharing are not well defined and, as mature as it is, the unmanned underwater vehicle field is still an emerging sector. Within the last decade, interest in UUV to be part of specific military, industrial and academic missions and applications have increased due to technological innovation and the evolution of their sensor payload. Missions such as persistent surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, oceanography and mine coutermeasure are amongst those where UUV capabilities far exceed those offered by other platforms. Canadas vast coastal areas could benefit from the introduction of UUVs to perform various roles. On one hand, their use is very cost-effective. On the other hand, they offer persistence and data quality that are not achievable using traditional methods. This usefulness is even more reflected in remote environments, where deploying personnel is a very costly alternatives. In order to enable the integration of the data and information provided by a UUV it is necessary to have a look in the underlying data and information sharing standards related to them. Achievement of interoperability between multiple national and international agencies is mandatory if one seeks to use the UUV to its full potential in support of the generation of more complete maritime domain awareness.