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Completed TRL 4 (started at 3, targeting 4)
Develop path planning methods that incorporate an approximate model of ocean currents in path planning for a range of autonomous marine vehicles such as surface vessels, subsurface vehicles, vertically profiling floats and gliders.
The goal of the path planning software is to develop a plan of control directives that when executed by a marine asset in an actual ocean current field will cause the marine asset to follow a template path relative to an ocean feature of science interest, where a template path is a series of edges between waypoints. As an example, templates can go from one corner of a 15km x 15km box to the opposite corner. Nominally this path should take 24 hours to complete. Ideally the asset would perfectly follow the line but in reality the asset should follow the line as closely as possible and achieve the endpoint within 0.5 km.
Increased ability to measure Earth ecosystems, to understand environment and climate among other things.
Increase general autonomy technology available for commercial space ventures.
Increased ability to measure ocean ecosystem - benefits to NOAA, USN, and USGS.
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