The Marine Environmental Prediction System (MEPS) - a new generation of moored ocean observing systems

Dalhousie University's Marine Environmental Prediction System (MEPS), designed in 2001, has been operated for three years in support of real-time observation, prediction and visualization of ocean properties and processes. The observatory consists of a network of three moored buoys connected to an unmanned shore station using 802.11b wireless LAN technology. The system is controlled, configured and maintained remotely, over the Internet, using the novel DACNet ocean observatory operating system. Each mooring has a full suite of meteorological, oceanographic, acoustical and optical sensors, which collect and provide data in near-to-real-time to an access and visualization system (www.cmep.ca/bay). Currently 20 different sensors are on each platform, with the ability to add virtually any type of oceanographic sensor on spare guest ports. An industry standard PC104 computer is used as the primary controller on each buoy, allowing both Ethernet and a scalable number of high-speed serial inputs, creating a highly flexible acquisition node. The system configuration was designed to meet diverse science team requirements including sensors on the main buoy platform, sensor chains, bottom-mounted sensors and a remote surface tracking optical package. Communications and power are provided from the main buoy, with the option to provide shore-based cabled power. A novel serial network protocol called SatNet was deployed on each mooring to allow groups of standard oceanographic sensors to be connected on the same power and communications bus, simplifying wiring and consolidating sensors on a single interface port. SatNet Interface Modules (SIMs) allow devices without built in SatNet protocols and metadata to communicate on the network. This paper describes the system design, configuration and deployment of the MEPS.