ASWEPS Shipboard System-A New Concept in the Automated Collection of Oceanographic Data

By means of the ASWEPS Shipboard System, it will be possible for a variety of vessels to systematically and accurately collect the large volume of data necessary to establish a synoptic picture of the underwater environment. Because the design of the Shipboard System is integrated with the projected central processing and communication facilities for the over-all ASWEPS System, it will be possible to handle this large volume of data expeditiously. The Shipboard System itself incorporates a number of advances in the state-of-the-art in sensor technology deck equipment and data-handling techniques. It should thus not only serve the function of contributing to environmental prediction, but also represents a significant advance in the field of instrumentation in the oceanographic community.