Wi-Buoy: An Energy-Efficient Wireless Buoy Network for Real-Time High-Rate Marine Data Acquisition

The next frontier of maritime networking will see the deployment of large-scale buoy-based mesh networks, with an equal emphasis on both high-speed data transfer and energy-efficiency. One such challenging application is the operation of maritime seismic surveys for oil/gas exploration and academic studies. Large amounts of seismic data are generated at a rate of several Gigabits per second, by nearly 10,000–30,000 seismic sensors that are deployed on the seabed across an area of several hundred square kilometers in offshore oceanic environments. The task of monitoring existing reservoirs and identifying new oil and gas deposits require subsurface images of superior quality, which in turn are dependent on high-quality data for processing. Wireless technology can unlock real-time data transfer for rapid image-viewing, enhanced productivity, and reduced logistical costs. This interdisciplinary article outlines the challenges of marine seismic acquisition and the design of a buoy-based wireless backhaul network for high-rate data transfer over the ocean surface. Based on off-the-shelf IEEE 802.11 systems, a standards-compliant wireless buoy network architecture called Wi-buoy is proposed for real-time, scalable, and energy-efficient data delivery. In order to attain optimal power conservation, a Buoy-Based Power-Saving Backhaul (B-PSB) scheme is also proposed for specifying the operating parameters across all layers of the protocol stack. Essential aspects of the marine propagation environment are reviewed, and the performance of the proposed system is evaluated as a function of the antenna height, wind speed, compression ratio, and various flavors of the IEEE 802.11 standard. Furthermore, the use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) is analyzed as an integral component of upcoming high-speed buoy-based networks in the maritime environment.