Abstracts

As a follow up to SatNAG and Scripps Satcom report to the broader UNOLS community, some time has been set aside to answer questions from the RVTEC Community. Please watch their presentations prior to RVTEC and put your questions in the #RVTEC-2-satnag-hsn Slack Channel.

From March through September 2020 John Haverlack of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Josh Drake and Ryan Kiser from the Indiana University Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, conducted a collaborative engagement on behalf of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet (ARF) and the Cyberinfrastructure Center of Excellence Pilot (https://cicoe-pilot.org/) to explore use cases and proof of concept test solutions for a U.S. ARF fleetwide federated identity management service. This report summarizes the findings of this engagement and reviews the promises of and challenges to realizing a fleetwide IdM solution.

Network Training - Lessons Learned

The aim of the talk will be to summarize the Network Training Event that OSU hosted in February 2020. We will look at the initial survey given to participants to gauge their individual understanding of network organization and administration. Discuss how the training progressed and what topics were focused on. We will conclude with the results from the post event survey, highlighting the areas where participants showed the most growth. We will discuss the future of network training events and how a longer training with more in-depth sessions on ship specific hardware (ie peplink) would be beneficial. We will also be providing links to the training videos created by the OSU marine tech group which were captured during the event. Details on how distribution of videos are still TBD.

R2R Data Roles and Responsibilities

Abstract Pending

Presented by Kristin Beem, Mark Bushnell and Katie Watkins-Brandt

Please see Slack Channel #rvtec-bestpractices-iode-r2r

Abstract Pending

Abstract Pending

We (NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research) have just released a Deepwater Exploration Mapping Procedures Manual that comprehensively documents the best practices developed aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer over a decade of operations. This manual covers equipment setup, data acquisition, processing, reporting, and archiving. While this manual is a documentation of our methodologies used aboard Okeanos Explorer, I think many of the insights and procedures can be extrapolated across platforms, and hopefully contribute to broader ocean mapping procedural documents.

For RVTEC, a 10 - 15 minute presentation will allow us to announce this resource to the UNOLS community, dive into the "Principles of Exploration Mapping," demonstrate some useful methods, and leave time for questions. I do know that many platforms are resource limited, with typically one tech manning numerous systems, so I would like to clarify that this will more present a resource/goal rather than an expectation of its uptake. This manual has much relevance to the current national and global seabed mapping initiatives; I was glad to lead its development and hope that is useful for others in the deepwater mapping community.

For further information, we recently released a webpage dedicated to the manual: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/data/publications/mapping-procedures.html

In August 2020, Sikuliaq procured a life cycle replacement Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) to replace aging compute and storage hardware for shipside science and IT services. The new SDDC is a fully redundant zero single point of failure 3 node VMWare cluster with ~ 110 TB of storage capacity. Any single hardware component in the system can fail, and be replaced without impacting uptime of running systems. This overview summarizes the cluster design, architecture, and deployment strategy for replacing existing hardware.

The NSF-funded Multibeam Advisory Committee will discuss ship visits and lessons learned over the last year, with a focus on increasing remote support. The MAC will demonstrate new versions of Python tools for assessing system performance and reducing bandwidth for shore-based bathymetry processing. Additional topics will include Global Multi-Resolution Topography (GMRT) tools for onboard data QA/QC that facilitate data integration; calibration site planning tools in development that improve terrain selection and highlight proven sites; and other resources for technicians and scientists collecting multibeam data aboard UNOLS vessels.

The main topics will be:

• MAC updates

• NSF funding renewal

• Increasing remote support: opportunities for MAC testing with reduced personnel / schedule changes

UNOLS ship visits / remote support

• Sikuliaq EM302/EM710 calibration

• Healy EM122 QAT

• Kilo Moana EM122 and EM710 QAT

• Revelle EM122 / EM712 SAT

Python tools

• File trimmer (enabling faster support and processing on shore)

• Swath coverage plotter (line planning, checking data rates)

• Swath accuracy plotter (verifying performance in all modes)

• BIST plotter (new plotting options for noise and hardware health)

Other updates

• Saildrone testing

• EX EM304 experience

• Patch test planner

At last year’s RVTEC meeting we provided a live demonstration of the CORIOLIX ship to shore datapresence capabilities by checking in with the R/V Oceanus on her way back from Hawaii. This was an important milestone as we prepare for transitioning the CORIOLIX system to the RCRVs in the near future. In 2020 we focused on improving CORIOLIX including building an integration between CORIOLIX and the OpenRVDAS data acquisition software. Specifically, the integration solves two problems for us. First, it creates new OpenRVDAS capability by adding the CORIOLIX database as a data storage target. Second, provides a framework for OpenRVDAS to query CORIOLIX for data acquisition configuration instructions. This presentation will cover the motivation for the integration work, an overview of the challenges and outcomes, and a quick demonstration of the integration.

Abstract Pending

Good Inventory Management is essential to many and can be helpful for projects of any size. However, there are a number of aspects of ocean-going research that present significant challenges and prevent typical solutions from being useful.

In 2018, amidst an ever-growing pile of spreadsheets and a litany of failed commercial management tools, a team of Technicians, Engineers and Software Developers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution began a project to meet the unique organizational needs of tracking and managing the life-cycle of oceanographic equipment. This collective, open-source effort grew into the Roundabout DataBase; a software solution for the ocean research and technical community. Two members of that team, Connor Ahearn and Hannah Brewer, will describe the ongoing effort as well as the experience of adapting existing project practices to include Roundabout and streamline their work.

Roundabout DataBase (RDB) is a web application for handling circular inventory tracking and management. It's geared towards oceanographic/scientific projects where a group may have an engineering inventory of many different parts that are used repeatedly and sent to many different locations. It does this by allowing the user to create templates that describe their "Parts" and then a tree of "Locations" that match their working environment. Individual "Inventory" items can then be created in the application using these Part templates, and assigned to different Locations to track their real-world status.

It also allows users to create "Assembly" templates or blueprints that describe how these various individual inventory items can be assembled into a complete "Build" or final product such as an ROV, Mooring, Vehicle, Widget, etc. A real-world Build can then be created in RDB, and used to track what Inventory items are used to construct it. This Build can then be "Deployed" to the field to track its field time, field time of all its Inventory items, actions while deployed, etc. A Build can be Deployed multiple times, and individual Inventory items can be swapped on or off the Build as needed.

Abstract Pending

This tutorial provides a hands on proof of concept test network demonstration using CJDNS (https://github.com/cjdelisle/cjdns/) to establish a encrypted IPv6 Mesh network thereby facilitating secure and transparent access to remote networks. A CJDNS mesh network has some advantages over VPN or tunneled network connections as the mesh network is agnostic to specific routes. This tutorial will demonstrate how to use CJDNS + Squid Proxy Server + Firefox browser access remote web interfaces, and how to use CJDNS + NoMachine for cross platform remote desktop access on Windows, Mac, Linux and Raspberry Pi computers. Requirements: You will need a CentOS 7,8. Debian 10, Raspbian 10, Window 10, or OS X physical or virtual computer with 1 GB RAM and a graphical desktop with Firefox Browser. We will be installing CJDNS, and NoMachine softwares on your test system.