WASHINGTON – U.S. Navy researchers needed help developing software to predict conditions over, on, and under the ocean's surface for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), search and rescue, amphibious landings, mine warfare, and mission planning. They found their solution from Peraton Inc. in Herndon, Va.
Officials of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington awarded a potential $45.7 million contract to Peraton last month for the Ocean Dynamics and Prediction Engineering and Software Development project. The initial contract is worth $8.9 million.
The ocean forecasting software contract calls for Peraton to develop software to process and analyze data from ocean and atmospheric sensors to determine and predict conditions over the ocean, at the ocean's surface, and under the ocean from the surface to the sea floor.
The company also will handle data collection from near-real time underwater sensors and via remote sensing at high resolution, and assimilate data into 3-D models and multi-horizon extended forecasts.
From Peraton, NRL researchers want an improved understanding of the seabed geologic processes, and geospatial enablement of meteorology and oceanography (METOC) processes that lend themselves to new environmental models for nowcast and forecast systems.
These systems will cover deep ocean basins, marginal and semi-enclosed seas, and coastal regions, including ocean tide and wave modeling and upper ocean processes, coupled air-ocean wave processes, coupled ocean/acoustic processes, geology, and seabed processes.
The Ocean Dynamics and Prediction Engineering and Software Development project seeks to use this advanced information for Navy missions such as anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, amphibious landings, mine and special warfare, sea bottom warfare, and mission planning.
Related: Sikorsky applies advanced analytics to predict, resolve issues and enhance safety
Ocean dynamics modeling will incorporate computational numerical techniques and data assimilation approaches, and encompasses data collection from near-real time in-situ underwater sensors or via remote sensing at high resolution to assimilate this data into 3-D models and multi-horizon or extended forecasts.
Peraton will provide NRL researchers with oceanography software and modeling support in remote sensing exploitation; sea surface temperature; ocean and atmosphere coupling and processes; regional ocean circulation; arctic sea ice; ocean acoustics; environmental impacts on sensors; marine geology, geophysics and geodetics with emphasis on understanding seabed geologic processes; geospatial analysis and visualization; and program management.
The company also will develop high-quality data; generate numerical models, algorithms, test cases, and software. Companies chosen will use remote sensing data to determine sea surface temperatures; forecast arctic sea ice; model ocean acoustics throughout the water column; predict environmental impacts on sensors; conduct network-centric sensor analysis for mine warfare; understanding seabed geologic processes; perform geospatial analysis and visualization; conduct geospatial environmental analysis and visualization.
On this contract Peraton will do the work at the NRL detachment at John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss., and should be finished by June 2024. For more information contact Peraton Inc. online at www.peraton.com, or the Naval Research Laboratory at www.nrl.navy.mil.
