Interactive 3D Visualization of Underwater Sound Propagation in Dynamic Environments Via Fast Computation
Abstract
The operational success of the fast attack submarine fleet to track and avoid detection by other submerged and surface self-poweredvessels is critically dependent on the real-time analysis of their passive sonar assets that provide information about the ambient sonar environment. Such data suffers from several initial ambiguities such as range, depth, and heading of the object of interest based on the limitations of the collecting device. So, for example, using a linear towed array, beam-forming techniques can only indicate the horizontal angles of arrival of the ambient acoustic environment because it is essentially a one-dimensional receiver. Confronted with the time evolving nature of this information, the submariner needs to make decisions about how to resolve these ambiguities to localize and track, while at the same time avoid detection.In understanding both the context and the course of action, knowledge of the environment and its effects on sound propagation is paramount. Target range, bottom type, including topology and the rangevarying acoustic sound speed profile all play an important role in determining what the passive sonar senses and how it is interpreted. Unfortunately, the sonar operator has little knowledge of these parameters and, moreover, how they affect the uncertainty in the ultimately estimated target location and its ability to sense the listening platform. In the context of these considerations, and regarding increasing the submarine operator#s knowledge of the environment, its uncertainties, and the potential for detection of both the adversary and formulating strategies for both searching and tracking it, we will create a visually rich display environment that conveys this information in a format that is intuitive and interactive. The overall objective of this program is to create a rich 3-D visualization of underwater sound propagation using Unreal version 5 that takes advantage of our recent development of a fast implementation of Bellhop to provide a much more intuitive basis for interpreting 3D underwater sound field simulations. As a further extension, considered here, we will augment our static calculations with time-varying physics that employs insights into the physics that governs fluctuating sound fields to produce engaging videos.This abstract is publicly releasable.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 24, 2024
- Source ID
- N000142412090
Entities
People
- Jules S. Jaffe
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of California, San Diego