Communications Central!

During our summer installation cruise aboard the R/V Thompson, communications from ship to shore played a vital role. This post, co-authored by Mairi Best, Natalie Bowes, Murray Leslie, Dwight Owens and Katleen Robert, takes you behind the scenes to understand how we handled our cruise communications.

While the ROPOS team piloted their state-of-the-art ROV (remotely operated vehicle) below water, a whole network of people both at sea and on land watched and participated in the dive. It was the responsibility of the communications team to connect this people network to the installation work.

The Hot Seat

For every dive, one scientist or instrument technician sat in the hot seat. This person directed the dive operations and troubleshooted issues in real-time while collaborating (via Skype) directly with scientists and network/data specialists. During our installation cruise, Mairi Best (NEPTUNE Canada Associate Director, Science) served this role for the majority of our dives, but Doug Schillinger (Dalhousie University), Bob Meldrum (Pacific Geosciences Centre), Reza Mir (University of Toronto) and Michael Hofbauer/Maik Dressel (both of Jacobs University) have also occupied the hot seat.

Dive Loggers

Sitting next to the hot seat and directly behind the pilots was the dive logger, who kept notes or "observations" on the dive as it unfolded. Each observation included a written description, video snapshot and ROPOS location coordinates (latitude, longitude, depth, heading). These entries, along with live video, were streamed live on the internet through a satellite uplink. The observations are searchable by text and keyword, transforming our many terabytes of video data into an invaluable information resource. Once compiled, you will be able to search our many dive logs for specific instruments, animals, or procedures and click directly to corresponding streaming video - all through the Web.

Dive Logging Team
Daniel Roy (left) gives the thumbs up as Reza Mir photographs Pacific Whiteside Dolphins, 16 September 2009.	NEPTUNE Canada's Murray Leslie (left) and Dwight Owens, 3 September 2009.	Dive loggers Natalie Bowes (left) and Katleen Robert, 1 September 2009.

(Click images to view slideshow.)

During this installation cruise, five people have served as loggers, Murray Leslie and Dwight Owens (NEPTUNE Canada), Natalie Bowes (Royal Roads University grad student), Katleen Robert (University of Victoria grad student), and Daniel Roy (Canadian Navy).

Technologies

In addition to logging, there were numerous other communications technologies at play in the operations room. VHF radios, internal telephone, satellite telephone, and two satellite Internet networks were buzzing. We were emailing, Skype-ing, Tweeting, blogging and broadcasting real-time digital video.

Chief Scientist

The key communications role in this whole operation was that of the Chief Scientist Mairi Best, who conducted the orchestra of installation activities. She read the engineering schematics to write dive plans for the ship and ROPOS team. She oversaw preparations for the dive, confirming that all of the platforms and instruments were deployed when and where they needed to go. During dives, she troubleshot any problems and ensured the installation of the equipment was done according to the scientists' specifications. All the while, she directed communications with shore letting everyone know what was happening and when, so they could participate.

Chief Scientist
Mairi Best, NEPTUNE Canada Associate Director, Science, inspects equipment preparations, 26 August 2009.	Mairi Best, NEPTUNE Canada Associate Director, Science, consults with ROPOS navigator Ray Morgan, 27 August 2009.	Mairi Best, NEPTUNE Canada Associate Director, Science, directs a dive from the hot seat as NEPTUNE Canada's Dwight Owens logs, 25 August 2009.

(Click images to view slideshow.)

Amazing Experience

For members of the coordination/communication team, this installation cruise was an amazing experience. Some of us had never been to sea before and none had been involved in this kind of highly technical cutting-edge deep-sea work. Under the Chief Scientist's leadership and working with the richly skilled and experienced Thompson and ROPOS crews, we learned a lot, made new friends, and experienced real adventure.