A Shipboard Oceanographic Data Processing and Control System

In June of 1962 a digital computer (IBM 1710) was placed aboard the Research Vessel Chain of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This system has made it possible to automatically sample, compute, and record the ship's heading and speed, latitude and longitude, water depth, gravity in terms of total acceleration, free-air and Bouguer anomalies, and the magnetic field of the earth. The system was expanded in November, 1963, to provide online plotting of bathymetric, gravity anomaly, and magnetic field profiles; computer control of gravity meter spring tension; processing of ocean surface temperature and sound velocity measurements; reduction of Loran C and VLF radio navigation data to latitude and longitude; display of ship's position and numerical data at remote stations aboard the ship; and malfunction detection and alarm message generation. Three magnetic-disk storage units are used for data and program storage and provide the ability to merge real-time on-line computations with background off-line computations (time-sharing). Experiments are being made using three input/output typewriters at remote locations on the ship. The advantages of a shipboard system are described.