DOLPHIN
The DOLPHIN (Diving OpticaL Profiler and High-speed Integration Network) is a compact, towed body, integrated sensor system designed for rapid optical surveying and real-time realization of advanced data products. The key DOLPHIN system components are a towed optical and hydrographic instrumentation package, a real-time, automated data integration, processing, and visualization network, and a discrete sampling system designed to continuously pump water from the towed package to the boat for analysis. The goal of the system is to provide optical data sets ideally suited for fulfilling calibration and validation needs for NASA remote sensing applications, including aircraft-based and future space-based lidar technologies. These remotely sensed data help researchers better understand and protect the planet Earth.
A: A towed vehicle with on-board optical sensors completing a transect.
B: Close-up of the front of the sensor cage showing backscattering and fluorescence meters, the pump for continuously pumping samples to the surface, and the end of and ac-9 sensor and CTD.
Read the Jan. 2003 News Release
More information:
Miller, R., M.S. Twardowski, C. Moore, and C. Casagrande. 2003. The Dolphin: Technology to Support Remote Sensing Bio-optical Algorithm Development and Applications. Backscatter 14(2):8–12.
