Connect or terminate: How CONOPS drives design of sub-sea network systems

Abstract

The international emphasis on climate change has prompted numerous initiatives in ocean observation. These initiatives require the widespread use of undersea networks for scientific research. The resulting demand for reliable sub-sea networks installed in a variety of environments poses dramatic design challenges. Designers draw solutions from academic networks such as MARS and VENUS, commercial networks linking oil platforms, and military surveillance systems or undersea ranges. To meet user requirements and answer the technical challenges, system implementers must first understand the network's concept of operations (CONOPS) and translate that into specifications, generally drawn from mature technologies, and in certain cases, newer or innovative approaches available to the designer within the allowable risk to the project. The authors submit that placing technology before the CONOPS introduces unappreciated risk into a system solution and omits essential iterative steps in defining the initial system requirements. When a specific technology drives the CONOPS, it sets the system requirements and makes overall performance contingent on the technology's maturity, allowing the specifications to reflect the optimum achievable reliability. This paper advocates rigorous development of the application CONOPS as the first priority, then selecting specifications and technological solutions that achieve risk, cost, and other programmatic requirements. One key risk and cost element common to sub-sea networks is that of cable termination technologies, and this paper presents alternatives to commonly used connector form-factors that can provide system designs alternative solutions to achieve desired CONOPS results.