Drifter Motion Planning for Optimal Surveillance of the Ocean (DRIMPOS)

In recent years substantial progress, much of it resulting directly from ONR funding initiatives, has been made in understanding fundamental features of transport and mixing in oceans using methods derived from dynamical systems theory. The purpose of the current collaborative research is to extend these methods to the design of control algorithms for Drifter Motion Planning for Optimal Surveillance of the Ocean (DRIMPOS). This effort is a direct attempt to transition Lagrangian based dynamical systems methods from diagnostic, postdictive tools to essential and active components in the design of oceanographic and naval observing systems. The specific goals of the research project include the development of flow-based control algorithms for drifting autonomous sensing systems.