Real-Time Passive
Sonar Management

Introduction

The tropical littoral waters have their own challenges and thus the conventional passive sonars are not able to keep pace with the growth complexity in the operational arenas in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and the South China Sea (SCS). Real-time prediction of the underwater medium fluctuations and the ambient noise mapping is a critical input for any such effort. The prediction takes online real-time inputs like the sea-surface parameters, sound velocity profile, wind & sea state, bathymetry, shipping traffic inputs from the AUtomatic Identification System(AIS), bottom type & profile and more from online databases. The proposed simulator has unmatched features and high end specifications. The passive sonar simulator will have broadly four blocks:

Target Block

The target block will generate multiple predicted acoustic signatures of the potential platforms, it is likely to encounter. State-of-the-art prediction models have been developed to generate the radiated noise at source with in outs of the platforms that are by-and-large available in open source.Machinery inputs, onboard layouts and more have been sourced from open source for a large number of ships.

Underwater Channel Characterstics

The Underwater Channel Model provides that real-time medium fluctuations
based on the local environmental parameters like the sea surface parameters, sound velocity profile, bathymetry, bottom type & profile, wind & sea state and more. The tropical littoral characteristics are captured from the local paramters and the UW channel model is derived. The data at source is passed through the UW channel model to derive the ground realities.

Ambient Noise Mapping

The low frequency spatio-temporal ambient noise mapping in real time will be undertaken and linearly combined with the received signal to generate the actual received signal. The real-time Automatic Identification System (AIS) data feed, is taken and the shipping traffic data derived from it. This gives the radiated noise at source for distant shipping to compute the low frequency ambient noise. The UW channel parameters are also combined with the same to obtain realistic feel of the ambient noise.

Graphical User Interface

A detailed GUI with all the components of the passive sonar simulator for both the versions,training and operational and also the offensive and defensive versions will be provided. Multi-operator consoles with multi-feature switchable versions will be provided.

Specefications

The specifications of the real timepassive sonar deployment tool pertainto four broad categories:

The frequency range that the simulators operates, is from extreme low frequency to 1 KHz.
The radiated noise prediction is within +/- 4 dB.
The UW channel model accuracy is within +/- 4 dB.
The instanteneous spatio-temporallow frequency ambient noisemapping accuracy is within +/- 6 dB.
The radiated noise classification performance is of the order of 85 %.

The frequency range that the simulators operates, is from extreme low frequency to 1 KHz.
The radiated noise prediction is within +/- 4 dB.
The UW channel model accuracy is within +/- 4 dB.
The instanteneous spatio-temporallow frequency ambient noisemapping accuracy is within +/- 6 dB.
The radiated noise classification performance is of the order of 85 %.

Unmatched Features

The conventional training aid for fresh operators, but here it gives a realistic feel of the actual operating environment with real-time environmental parameters.
The sonar performance evaluation tool to assess the real-time sonar effectiveness, taking into account the diurnal and seasonal fluctuations of the UW medium.
The deployment tool, where the sonar operator can plan effective deployment site and time based on the spatio-temporal inputs of the UW Channel and the ambient noise.
The vulnerability assessment tool to evaluate the platform detection range and classification performance of sensors deployment by the adversary.

The conventional training aid for fresh operators, but here it gives a realistic feel of the actual operating environment with real-time environmental parameters.
The sonar performance evaluation tool to assess the real-time sonar effectiveness, taking into account the diurnal and seasonal fluctuations of the UW medium.
The deployment tool, where the sonar operator can plan effective deployment site and time based on the spatio-temporal inputs of the UW Channel and the ambient noise.
The vulnerability assessment tool to evaluate the platform detection range and classification performance of sensors deployment by the adversary.

Conclusion

The entire tool will be highly interactive and also provide very high data processing and innovative data analytics capability to make the sonar operator familiar with the underwater condition and facilitate effective deployment of the sonar in real time. The entire solution will be provided in a hand held device to make it accessible to the operator on the go. The onboard operator will require such hand held devices will significant processing capabilities to manage his requirements. Online and offline versions will be made available to manage the back end memory and processing.