A platform for environmental data acquisition in shallow waters

Water quality data collection in shallow water areas can be a challenging task. Obstacles encountered in such environments include difficulty in covering large territories and the presence of inaccessible areas due to a variety of reasons such as a soft bottom or contamination. There is also a high probability of disturbing the test area while placing the sensors. This paper describes the instrumentation and support software systems of a NASA-funded project, which has had a great deal of student involvement and is currently in the test phase, to develop a remote-controlled, shallow-draft vehicle designed as a supplemental tool for our Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network (TCOON) to be used in our studies of the South Texas Coastal waters. The system transmits environmental data wirelessly via a radio to a docking and control station in real-time.