Requirements for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for scientific data collection in the Laurentian Great Lakes: A questionnaire survey

Abstract

Using mobile environmental monitoring can aid in gathering ecological data to meet fish community goals in the Great Lakes. One such approach is the use of large Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to gather data, or the potential use of AUV swarms, where multiple small AUVs work together with each having different data-gathering capabilities. To understand data needs that could be collected by mobile sensor networks to inform decision making, we surveyed Great Lakes professionals involved directly and indirectly in such decision making. Basic data that respondents chose as most important to collect were water temperature, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, turbidity, and blue-green “algae”, which seems to align with variables affecting fish directly or indirectly (through identification of harmful algal blooms). Specialized data chosen as most important were mapping of habitat characteristics, sonar of groupings of fish, and images/video. The time of year to collect all data was chosen as all seasons by the majority of respondents, the frequency most chosen was once a season for mapping of habitat characteristics, once a week for sonar detection of groupings of fish, and once per day for images/video and water temperature. Results were very similar when respondents were asked where data should be collected in the Great Lakes (i.e., tributaries, nearshore areas, etc.) except respondents indicated that images/video should be collected most in fish spawning habitats. Understanding data important to inform decisions of resource professionals will help guide the design of mobile and stationary sensor networks in the Great Lakes.