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ARTICLE RUNNINGARESEARCHCRUISEFROM SHORE TelepresenceTechnology Telepresence,inthiscontext,refersto thesuiteoftechnologiesand operationalmethodologiesrequiredto allowkeymissionpersonneltobe locatedonshorewhileconducting ship-basedoceanographicresearch andexploration.Thetechnology requiredtosupporttelepresence largelyconsistsofahigh-powered satellite-trackingantenna,advanced networkinginfrastructure,video/audio broadcastequipmentandasuiteof softwaretoolsfordatasharingacross thesatellitenetwork.Thisarticle attemptstoexplainthenutsandbolts ofship-to-shoretelepresence systems. Asarule,exploringtheunknown oceancannotbeaccomplished effectivelybyasmallgroupof scientistsandengineersonboardships.Theymustrelyonthetelepresence connectiontoengagewithothershore-basedparticipantstomakecritical decisionsduringtheROVdivesaboutwheretoexplore,whatfeaturestoinspect inmoredetail,whatsamplestocollectandtologobservationsabouttheseafloor andwatercolumn,includingdescriptionsofthegeological,biologicaland archaeologicalcharacterofthesite.TheOceanExplorationTrust’sE/VNautilus andtheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration’sShipOkeanos Explorerconducttelepresence-enabledsystematicoceanexploration(Figure1). TheInnerSpaceCenter(ISC)attheUniversityofRhodeIslandGraduateSchoolof Oceanographyistheshore-basedhubfortelepresencewherescientistsand studentscanworkandstandwatchduringthelivedives,interactingwiththe teamsonboardtomakeexplorationmoreefficient(Figure2).TheISC’sserversalsorecordanddistributethelivevideofeeds totheInternetsothatremotecruiseparticipantslocatedanywherecanalsotakepartinreal-time.TheISChasafullvideo productionstudioandbroadcastfacility(Figure3)thatsupportsliveeducationalprogrammedeliverytoschoolsandinformal scienceeducationalvenuessuchasmuseumsandaquariumsaspartofabroadoutreachprogramme. Duringrecentyears,theinfrastructurerequiredtosupportthistelepresenceparadigmhasevolvedtobecometechnically robustandthemethodologieshavebecomerelativelystraightforward.Becauseofthis,researcherswhoconductseagoing projectsonotherships,suchasthoseintheUniversity-NationalOceanographicLaboratorySystem(UNOLS)fleet,caneasily incorporateatelepresencecomponenttotheirresearchandeducationaloutreach.Mostresearchshipshavesomesortof satellitetrackingantennaandaship-to-shorenetworkinfrastructurethatcanbeenhancedtosupportatelepresence operation.Bysimplyprocuringadditionalsatellitebandwidth,addingsomeenhancedcomponentstotheship’ssatellite networkandaddingatechnicalsystemforliveaudio/videostreaming,thistelepresencecomponentcanbeachieved. Amobiletelepresenceunit(MTU,Figure4)canbeusedtodeliverthelivefeedsandfacilitatevoicecommunication.The devicesthatmakeupthistechnologycanincludeencoders,voice-over-IPintercompanels,videoconferencingsystems,audio mixers,videoswitches,networkswitches,anddevicesforvideoeffectslikequad-splitters,framesynchronisersandscan converters.Thisgearismore-or-lessstandardinthebroadcastindustryandisneededtoprovideaqualityexperienceforthe endusersashoretoeffectivelycommunicatewiththeteamonboard.AsimpleMTUsystemcanrangeincostfromabouta fewthousandtoseveral10’softhousandsofdollars.Theshipboardtelepresencesystemscanintegrateintotheship’s networkinginfrastructure,integratewiththeship’svideosurveillancesystems,integratewiththeship’svoicecommunication systemsandbecompatiblewiththeshore-basedinfrastructure.Occasionally,dependingonthenetworkdesign,aVPNor GREtunnelmayberequiredtofacilitateeffectiveequipmentconfigurationsanddevicecommunication. Forexample,aUNOLSshipownedbytheNationalScienceFoundationandoperatedbytheUniversityofRhodeIsland GraduateSchoolofOceanography,theR/VEndeavor,wasrecentlyequippedwithtelepresencetechnology.Thetechnology allowedashore-basedchiefscientist,whowasnotmedicallycleared,tosailonthecruisetoconducthercruiseonschedule. Workingwithanautonomousunderwatervehicle(AUV),aglider,awire-walkingprofilinginstrument,andaCTDtoaccomplish theresearchgoalsofthecruise,Dr.MelissaOmandledtheteamonboardbycommunicatingconstantlythroughthe telepresencesystem,assistingwithdataanalysis,andprovidingremotetechnicalsupportondeckandinthemainlab. SeveralcruiseparticipantsusedvideocamerasandmicrophonestoconnectliveandsupportDr.Omand’sremote participation(Figure5).TheISCservedastheprimaryshore-basedhubforconductingthecruiseoperation,andlivevideo streamstotheInternetallowedotherremotescientiststoparticipateorallowedforDr.Omand’sparticipationfromherhome. Satellitebandwidthcanbeexpensive,dependingonthedatesanddurationofthecruise,thegeographiclocation,andthe minimumbandwidthrequired.Satelliteserviceprovidersrequirea’linkbudget’tobecomputedthatfactorsinthetechnical capabilitiesoftheshipboardtrackingantenna(suchasthediameterofthereflectorandpoweroftheamplifier)andatthe terrestrialearthstationteleport.Onceallthesedetailsareknown,providerscandevelopbudgetaryquotesfortheship-toshoreInternetservice.Dependingonthetechnicaldetails,monthlycostscanbeanywherefromUSD5,000toUSD50,000per monthforuploadbandwidthintherangeof1.5–20Mbps,withsmallerreturn(download)bandwidth.Traditionally,ISC supportedtelepresencecruiseshavereliedonC-bandorKu-bandsatelliteservice.RecentadvancesinKa-bandcapable satelliteswillpotentiallyallowformuchgreaterbandwidth.Thetransmissiondelayforlivevideoandaudiotobereceived onshoreisonlybetween1-2seconds,typically,dependingonthelocations,allowingforeffectivecommunication.Withthe capabilitiesofInternet2andmulticast-enabledterrestrialnetworks,thelivevideo/audiostreamscanbegloballydistributedin nearreal-time,makingitpossibletosupportthecommunicationbetweentheshipboardpersonnelandanyoneintheworld. Thetotalcostforaddedsatellitebandwidthforaone-monthcruise,combinedwiththecostforsomeextratechnical personnelonboardandashore,alongwiththecostfortheextraship-andshore-basedinfrastructurestillamountstoless thanUSD100,000forthedurationofatypicalcruise,whichisequivalenttothecostofabout2shipdays.Telepresencecan increasetheefficiencyofthecruisebyallowingmoreuserstoparticipate,increasethebroaderimpactsoftheprojectby havingscientistsandeducatorsengagewithvastaudiences,andallowforshore-basedteamstocommunicate,troubleshoot, processdata,increaseawareness,buildawebpresence,andeducatestudentsinreal-time.Theseefficienciesgreatly outweighthecost. Bycombiningtheadvancesinsatellitetelecommunications,Internet2andmulticast-enablednetworksandencoded video/audiostreamingtechnology,thetelepresenceparadigmhasbeenproveneffectiveandisincrediblypowerfuland robust.Insteadofthetraditionalwayoceanographersandtechnicianshaveconductedtheirseagoingbusinessinthepast, withsciencepartiesofafewdozenpeople,telepresencecannowallowforinfiniteexpansion,broadeningtheparticipation globallytoallpopulations.AsprovenbytheNautilusprogramme(www.nautiluslive.org)andtheOkeanosExplorer programme(www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov),telepresencehasallowedforliveROVdivestobeviewedbyusuallyhundreds andoccasionallythousandsofpeopleatatime.Newdiscoveriesontheseafloorandscientificallyinterestingandengaging videocontentofgeologically,biologicallyandarchaeologicallysignificantsiteshasbeenkeytoexcitingnewgenerationsof oceanexplorers.ThroughthesewebsitesandthroughthevideobroadcaststudiosattheISC,learnersofallagescan contributetothelivediscussions,askquestionsandgetliveanswersabouttheongoingresearch.Telepresencecanenable cruiseparticipationbyanyone,includingthosepeoplewhoarenotphysicallyabletogotosea.Andtelepresencecanenable technicaltroubleshootingofequipment,allowforcommunicationbetweenusersonboardandvendorsashore,andhelp facilitatethetechnicalsuccessofseagoingexpeditionstoremoteplacesthatwouldotherwisebeinaccessible. MoreInformation Bell,K.L.C.,M.L.Brennan,andN.A.Raineault,eds.2015.Newfrontiersinoceanexploration:TheE/VNautilus 2014Gulf ofMexicoandCaribbeanfieldseason.Oceanography28(1),supplement,60pp., http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2015.supplement.01. Ballard,R.D.(2004),Linkingshorewiththeoceanfloorinreal-timeinarcheologicaloceanography,EosTrans.AGU, 85(14),133,139–140,doi:10.1029/2004EO140001. Bell,K.L.C.,K.Elliott,C.Martinez,andS.A.Fuller,eds.2012.NewFrontiersinOceanExploration:TheE/VNautilus and NOAAShipOkeanosExplorer2011FieldSeason.Oceanography25(1),supplement,68pp, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2011.supplement.01. Coleman,D.F.,J.A.Austin,Jr.,Z.Ben-Avraham,andR.D.Ballard.ExploringtheContinentalMarginofIsrael: “Telepresence”atWork,Eos,Vol.92,No.10,8March2011 Coleman,D.F.,andA.Doyle.TelepresenceGuidanceforScientistsandShipOperators.2015.Awhitepaperpostedon theUNOLSwebsitewww.unols.org. Videosandcontentonthefollowingwebsites: innerspacecenter.org, oceanexplorer.noaa.govand nautiluslive.org https://www.hydro-international.com/content/article/telepresence-technology