Oceanographic survey design and error analysis for a solar-powered autonomous surface craft

A solar-powered autonomous surface craft was developed. Survey mission accuracy was evaluated by considering the energy available from its solar panels. This article first briefly mentions the characteristic of components in a solar power system. Then estimation of the solar power generation in a day time and the energy consumption during a survey mission are formulated. The solar energy is regarded as the main power source for implementing survey missions. The survey error is estimated by taking into account of the effect caused by spatial resolution, and the total survey time parameters. The feasibility of the survey error prediction is then demonstrated by random field simulations. Considering the energy consumption during the survey, the range of available survey resolution and total time can be selected. Survey error is evaluated for specific situation with a survey spatial resolution and a total survey time. Experiments were conducted to verify power budget calculation and the survey error prediction. Copyright © 2012 by the International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE).