A Discovery Process for Initializing Underwater Acoustic Networks

Seaweb is an underwater acoustic wide-area network connecting autonomous, distributed nodes. This paper presents a network discovery process that enables such a field of spontaneously deployed, ad hoc nodes to auto-configure network routes. The process is initialized as nodes in the network are discovered, link distances measured, and optimal routes chosen from among candidate routes according to comparative evaluation of a cost function. The implemented network discovery process is tested with computer simulation and demonstrated at sea with a network of 19 nodes. The resultant network routes obtained upon completion of the ad hoc network discovery process are compared with those derived from Dijkstra´s algorithm. It is concluded that the network discovery process always produces a shortest-path route from a master node to each discovered node in the network. Sensitivity analysis on the route cost evaluation function is performed.