A network architecture concept for deep ocean lander systems

There has been a move towards the use of benthic landers in the investigation of biological activity in the deep ocean/sediment boundary. Such landers generally consist of a rigid metal frame hosting autonomous instrumentation, and these are deployed on the ocean floor where they gather scientific data until commanded to return to the surface via telemetry from a ship. Ballast of some form is attached to enable deployment of landers, and buoyancy returns them to the surface once the ballast is released at the end of the operation. The duration of lander deployment can be from only a few days up to several months. There are already many research institutions using such systems, and a project entitled ALIPOR (Autonomous Lander Instrumentation Packages for Oceanographic Research), has brought them together with a common objective: to exchange ideas and to jointly develop a generic modular lander which can incorporate instruments from all partners involved by 1998. Technological and data standards are to be introduced, and the advantage of such standardisation is clear. Grounded on the emerging technological needs expressed by the marine scientific community, this paper presents a Controller Area Network (CAN) based systems architecture for benthic landers that, further to answering the needs of the scientists and providing a desirable standard platform, will increase a system´s reliability and simplicity of use