WP1 : Coordination and management of the Project
Work package 1 will ensure the smooth and effective coordination of the BIOGLIDER project which draws on public research and private industry expertise through partners in France, Norway and Poland. SU will be responsible for the overall scientific and technical coordination of the project and will provide the scientific and technical support required for all partners in order to achieve the objectives of the project. SU will provide IT tools and procedures to ensure efficient communication within and external to the project, and will be responsible for organising regular project meetings and workshops for smooth accomplishment of the BIOGLIDER objectives.
WP2 : Coordination and management of the Project
Scientific study and evaluation
Work package 2 will provide the scientific study and analysis of the innovative BIOGLIDER solutions for marine and industrial research. The project will develop a new scientific tool that responds to needs both within the research community and industry. Work package 2 will provide the scientific input to design the BIOGLIDER applications, the sensor payload characteristics (sampling, processing), underwater communications capabilities and experimental glider missions for testing and validating the BIOGLIDER monitoring solution. WP2 will prepare BIOGLIDER use cases in cooperation with WP4 for offshore industry, fisheries, marine ecosystems, and ocean observatories, which will be used as a basis for testing, validation and exploitation of the BIOGLIDER developments. WP2 will also conduct a combined analysis and evaluation of BIOGLIDER operations and sensor data, compared to the designed use cases, and evaluate the added value of the BIOGLIDER vehicle and its innovative payload.
WP3 : Technical work required for the gliders and sensing systems
Work package 3 focuses on the activities required to prepare and implement the BIOGLIDER sensing systems. These tasks include integration of the WBT mini EK80 single and split beam echosounders and transducers, integration of the UVP6-LP imaging system, and integration of an underwater communications solution to enhance the operating capabilities of BIOGLIDER and enable integration into ocean observatories. Each system will be integrated and validated before being tested onboard the gliders. Tasks 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 will work in parallel, with workshops and information exchange to follow the progress of each task. Task 3.4 will combine the work of the three previous tasks to achieve the complete BIOGLIDER solution, aiming to integrate combined payloads on single vehicles (ie EK80 split beam echosounder with UVP6 imaging system) while ensuring that the systems can be platform independent and not limited to a single vehicle type.
WP4 : At-sea experiment and testing
Work package 4 contains the tasks required for the at-sea experimentation and testing of the BIOGLIDER technology. This work package will coordinate the execution and field tests of gliders fitted with the EK80, UVP6-LP and underwater communications. This will be achieved by (1) developing a field mission planning for an integrated ecosystem survey, (2) field deployments of the gliders for a 2 weeks survey in the Lofoten-Vesterålen area known for its high density of zooplankton during spring and the site for the Lofoten-Vesterålen Ocean Observatory managed by IMR, and (3) collecting and delivering quality controlled data to end users in real time. WP4 builds on DEMO2000 GLIDER (Project 269188/E39) during which a large ecosystem survey was carried out from March to September 2018 and 2019 in the Lofoten Vesterålen area. In this WP4 we will deploy our technology in the same area (departing from Bodø) for generating a comprehensive data set to enhance ecosystem knowledge with a particular focus on zooplankton such as Calanus spp and fish larvae. According to the availability of shiptime, additional sea trails will be performed West of Svalbard during summer.
WP5 : Dissemination and exploitation activities
Finally, work package 5 will ensure the effective dissemination and exploitation of BIOGLIDER results and technology. Task 5.1 will conduct exploitation planning and activities for the BIOGLIDER results. At the end of the project, APN will propose the BIOGLIDER vehicles fitted with the EK80 and the imaging sensor to its client in need of marine ecosystem data. A strategy will be devised to identify how the BIOGLIDER consortium will work together beyond the BIOGLIDER project to provide the services that will be covering all the spectrum of activities ranging from sensor integration, deploying and operating the gliders, collecting, quality control the data and finally interpreting the data. Task 5.2 will include all communications and dissemination activities to ensure maximum exploitation of the BIOGLIDER results. Communications tools (website, social media) and materials (flyers, animations) will be set up for public outreach and to generate interest in the project. Project results will be presented at international conferences and workshops and published in peer-reviewed journals. Co- authorship will be achieved by participation in international projects on marine technology and autonomous observations, and also by sharing all the data collected during the project.