Near real-time data management of multiplatform autonomous vehicles fleet and integration with multi-source heterogeneous data in a web-based visualization tool for data-sharing, dissemination, and operational purposes

The Oceanic Platform of The Canary Islands (PLOCAN) is a multipurpose technical-scientific service infrastructure that provides support for research, technological development and innovation in the marine and maritime sectors, available to public and private users. As part of its activities, PLOCAN manages a variety of Observation Platforms in order to provide a continuous and real-time in-situ monitoring of the ocean, mainly in the Macaronesian Region. In the framework of different European Projects such as iFADO (Innovation in the Framework of the Atlantic Deep Ocean) PLOCAN conducts scientific missions with its surface and underwater autonomous vehicle fleet.

This fleet is formed by different platforms providing both engineering and scientific data in near real time with its own particular data format and communication flow which leads to an unmanageable scenario when developing information systems. Therefore, specific platform-driven data management has been developed in order to unify data flow and to homogenize all these sources for a posterior common treatment, which would allow common visualization, statistical processing or automation on pilot decision making among others.

Once all platforms data format is homogeneous, visualization tools has been built with two main objectives: disseminating the scientific results and providing visual tools in order to help vehicles operators to take decisions in near real time. Regarding dissemination, dynamic maps and interactive data plots has been integrated in a unique web data portal that leads to a better understanding of the scientific collected data, which are also linked to its corresponding metadata. Furthermore, for operational purposes, engineering information has been integrated in a web based operational map tool with other information sources such as forecasting models or near-real-time observations from HF radars, buoys, moorings or remote sensing platforms, depending on availability in the region of interest.