Despite the tremendous advancements we’ve made in communications over the years, this particular brand of technology is, for the most part, obsolete underwater. The global coalition NATO has financed a research project that aims to form the first digital underwater communications network. To many people, this might not seem like groundbreaking news and many people might be shocked that such a network doesn’t already exist.
If (most likely when) this concept comes to fruition, the sky appears to be the limit for its capabilities. An underwater-based communicative system of this nature could be useful in various situations like notifying an ascending scuba diver of nearby boating activity, enabling submarines to communicate with land-based outposts, and underwater robots sending signals to oil rigs upon detecting leaks or other vulnerabilities.
A digital underwater communications system can serve several additional purposes, such as protecting high-traffic nautical ports, marine surveillance, detecting mines and other underwater explosives, along with monitoring offshore pipelines and windfarms.
NATO’s Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) recently developed a new standard for underwater acoustic communications called JANUS, which the coalition’s allies have universally adopted since March 24th of this year. The historic significance behind this mandate is the first time a digital underwater communication protocol has been acknowledged at the international level, and paves the way for the research and development of numerous underwater communication applications and devices.
So how would an intricate system like this function underwater (and in some cases miles from the nearest coastline)? While the formatting of this innovative network could be explained textually, one of the more effective ways to demonstrate the mechanics behind this concept is through visualization.
The infographic below goes into detail breaking down how such a digital underwater communications network would function, along with the components and devices that would be applied.
