Engineering Challenges of Stationary Wireless Smart Ocean Observation Systems

The ocean is vital for humankind but may cause catastrophes when unhealthy. Although there have been efforts to build ocean monitoring systems, the understanding of the underwater environment is limited due to the cost and challenges of obtaining real-time marine data. One potential solution is to build stationary ocean observation systems based on wireless communication due to its affordable cost. In this study, we divide these systems into three components: 1) underwater data acquisition; 2) network communication; and 3) data management. We investigate the engineering challenges associated with each component, the causes, and how they relate. The literature has not discussed the technical issues of building stationary smart ocean monitoring systems entirely based on wireless communication yet. This article fills that research gap by conducting semi-structured interviews with 17 experts knowledgeable about underwater sensors, underwater acoustic communication, offshore network communication, and underwater data usage. The identified challenges are compared with the literature to assess whether our findings are novel or are a confirmation of what have been already found in prior publications. The Internet of Things (IoT) used in smart city platforms is quite advanced, but the Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) employed in smart ocean monitoring systems has several unresolved issues; although IoT is viewed as a foundation for IoUT. Therefore, we compare fundamental differences between the technologies used in the smart city and the smart ocean domains, explaining why some of our identified challenges are unique in the marine context.

I. Introduction

The ocean is vital for human beings. It is critical for food supply, climate regulation, transportation, and energy production [1]. An unhealthy ocean may have severe effects on the climate [2] and humankind [3]. In 2019, the United Nations pointed out that ocean health had been declining [4].