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Theodore Lessman WR121 M-Th 10a 08/12/2013 Untz Essay #3

Drones of the Deep: Answering Wonder with Weaponry Silvia Earles chapter Exploring the Ocean in her book titled The World Is Blue, really stood out to me as a computer science major (185). She begins with a quote from author Van Jones that speaks of how powerful smartphones are, and how we do not use their full capabilities (Earle 185). Why dont we know everything there is to know about our planet? For many years, human-kind has attempted to piece together the world they live in. One way in which this is accomplished is through the use of maps. These portrayals of Earth are found etched in stone, painted onto parchment, or stored in digital bytes. We have explored ancient ruins, navigated forgotten rivers, even surveyed distant planets. With modern computer science, through the use of various handheld devices, a lay person can access a myriad of maps and geographic data. One popular compilation of these satellite images was put together by Google, the company of focus in Peter Eislers article in USA Today (Eisler). According to Eisler, the United States government also contributes to the costs of putting up satellites that companies like Google use to collect their data, and in doing so, the company provides government bodies such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency access to high resolution satellite imagery of intelligence targets (Eisler). In fact, much of the governments investments have a military or national security use. A summary of The United States Office of Management and Budget report states in the 2014 projected discretionary spending budget which is about 30 percent of the proposed budget of which is decided by lawmakers that

science research, and energy and environment are only receiving 6 percent of the budget, while military is getting, a hefty 57 percent of the $1.15 trillion being dispersed (Kramer). If our country invested more of their focus into scientific pursuits, perhaps we could increase both our understanding, and our respect for our oceans the dominant element and foundation for life on our planet. Although military funding is much higher than any other portion of the discretionary budget, the science community and the armed forces have long had a sort of symbiotic relationship. Military inventions such as sonar and radar are products of this partnership, where science research benefited from the funding and support of the US Armed Forces. Those technologies and the more recent development of LiDAR, an abbreviation for Light Detection and Ranging as stated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, measure both ground and ocean elevations (NOAA). According to Bluesky a leading supplier of geographic information systems equipment this can be used to accurately identify targets for precision air strikes, monitor nearby threats such as submarines, mines and aircraft, and is even replacing police radar guns for accurately pinpointing speeds of specific cars (Bluesky). Other non-military uses of LiDAR occur in meteorology, videogame design, urban planning (Figure 1) and vehicle navigation, such as cars that can parallel park on their own (Bluesky). In order to negotiate precise attacks on targets, or defuse dangerous improvised explosive devices (IED), we now rely on remote controlled or even autonomous drones to complete the
Figure 1: LiDAR use in urban development. New York City captured in a rendering for the NYC Solar Map Project. Source: State and Local Energy Report

mission while removing the danger of losing a soldier if the remote operated vehicle (ROV) gets shot down. In a New York Times article, journalist Richard Parker writes about an AI controlled aerial Navy drone which can perform as well, if not better than most pilots (Parker). Parker adds that it is capable of withstanding radiation levels that would kill a human pilot and destroy a regular jets electronics, and projects that in addition to conventional bombs, successors to this test plane could be equipped to carry a high-power microwave, a device that emits a burst of radiation that would fry a tech-savvy enemys power grids, knocking out everything connected to it, including computer networks that connect satellites, ships and precision-guided missiles (Parker). This could save lives while giving our troops the technological edge. What if we took this same technology and did not weaponize it? By adapting military technology, mankind could venture into an uncharted corner of our galaxy, teeming with life the deep ocean. We have made efforts in deep ocean bathymetry measuring the depth of bodies of water but progress is slow. According to Alastair G. C. Graham, and other authors for The Cryosphere Discussion, current survey methods such as data received from radar altimetry which reads differences in water level likely due to the gravitational pull of the mountains and chasms below have problems including moderate resolution and problems of noise in gravity anomaly measurements. Further, data gathered from satellite imagery is limited to above 72 degrees south [and likely a similar limitation in the northern hemisphere] leaving portions like those near Antarctica unable to be read (Graham, Nitsche and Larter). Even sonar, the method of reading they chose for their expedition, has potential errors, though the scientists did their best to provide a variance in their results (Graham, Nitsche and Larter). NOAA researchers David Sandwell and Walter Smith, note that we are only now starting to use LiDAR, as previously there were limits to how far our lasers could penetrate through water (Sandwell and Smith).

Using two frequencies of lasers scientists can get more accurate readings, which are much less affected by such interference as temperature change or the reflectivity of the surface (Bluesky). A standard red pulse reflects when it hits water, and a special low frequency green beam that penetrates through the water until reaching the sea floor, provide the surveyors a calculated depth of the ocean at any given point (NOAA Kids). Data can then be used to create

Figure 2: Comparison of 1998 bathymetric estimate of the Blanco Trench and Parks Seamount, three hundred miles west of Oregon (left) and current LiDAR bathymetric reading from the same angle (right). Source: Google Earth

3D models of the ocean floor (Figure 2). Although we are now capable of mapping the deep, another complication remains. A vessel equipped with reading equipment is required to comb through the water, repeatedly making passes in order to get accurate readings (Earle 201). This could take years, and may place the ships crew in dangerous parts of the ocean for lengthily trips. Adapting drones to scour the seas could help resolve this. By programming a fleet of autonomous drones some of which can travel at subsonic speeds to scout the earths oceans rigorously, we would be able to complete the task much quicker, while keeping researchers out of harms way (Parker). Our military would find benefits from this sort of compromise as well. With a rich understanding of each mountain and crevice of the sea floor, submarines would have an easier time navigating, and lost cargo could be more easily located. With improved LiDAR equipped

on drones and aircraft, our forces would have a more accurate location of potential hostiles, and underwater mines. Finally, by pushing technology towards the perfection of automated drones, we could minimize human loss from the equation in warzones, make repairs to oil rigs and naval bases more effectively, and possibly even extend innovations into the medical field. By adapting our countrys most advanced weapons, allocating government funds towards the sciences, and focusing once again on exploration, we will further our understanding of our planets largest resource. In turn, advancing technologies the military already uses in defense of our nation will benefit their weaponry and tactics, while offering advances in non-martial applications.

Works Cited
Bluesky International Limited. LiDAR UK - LiDAR information and systems. 10 October 2011. Website. 3 August 2013. Earle, Silvia A. The World Is Blue. Wahington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2009. Eisler, Peter. "Google Earth helps yet worries government." USA Today 6 November 2008. Article. Google Earth. 4416'51.77" N 12956'47.42" W. Mountain View, CA, 11 08 2013. Map. Graham, A. G. C., F. O. Nitsche and R. D. Larter. "An improved bathymetry compilation for the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica, to inform ice-sheet and ocean models." The Cryosphere Discussion (2010): 2079-2101. Science Journal. Kramer, Mattea. National Priorities. 10 April 2013. Website. 3 August 2013. NOAA Kids. NOAA Ocean Service Education: What Other Tools Do Scientists Use to Map the Sea Floor? 5 March 2008. Website. 7 August 2013. NOAA. What is LiDAR? 22 January 2013. Website. 3 August 2013. Parker, Richard. "Pilotless Planes, Pacific Tensions." The New York Times 12 May 2013: A21. Article. Sandwell, David T and Walter H. F. Smith. "Global Bathymetric Prediction for Ocean Modelling and Marine Geophysics." 1996. NOAA National Geophysical Data Center. Science Journal. 4 August 2013. State and Local Energy Report. "High Tech Solar Map Shows Energy Potential for Every Building in New York City." 22 December 2011. State and Local Energy Report. Image. 7 August 2013.