2 description - massachusetts institute of technology

4 ITR: Information Technology Expeditions

Overview: GO + Expeditions + Information Technology

This is a proposal for a four-year, $4m thrust to create a new a cross-

cutting program of field expeditions as drivers for information

technology research. Initially, MIT’s new GO (Global Opportunities) office

will engage an unusual amalgam of partners (National Geographic,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Explorers Club, MIT’s Earth

Sciences Initiative, MIT’s Media Lab). This alliance is uniquely capable of

launching bold expeditions that can systematically drive information

technologies beyond the walls of typical lab-bound research, and can

carry IT work, and IT workers, into ecological and societal realms that are

expansive and place intense demands on technical ingenuity.

The program also creates a new series of university-wide “Great

Explorers” lectures, regular research meetings, and hosts a major

symposium on world activities in these areas in year three. If successful,

these will be among the most rousing fresh steps on MIT’s campus.

Getting computer science out of the lab is not always easy. And scientific

expeditions traditionally occur in disjoint academic pockets (almost

never in computer science departments). Due to tight budgets and the

plain difficulty of achieving “escape velocity” from a bustling campus,

expeditionary work is relatively rare. Modern expeditions of course draw

on all manner of computer-mediated instrumentation, and all scientific

expeditions seek to gather information in more effective ways. But very

few of them engage mainstream IT research energies with much force, or

advance the IT field per se substantially. Most expeditionary teams simply

don’t have access to top-notch IT facilities and people.

Yet few pursuits fire up more intellectual adrenaline than a powerful

expedition. By his own admission, had he not lucked into a berth on the

HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin would have luffed along to pursue a Ph.D. in

his chosen field (Divinity!) and might well have become Pastor Darwin,

creationist. Instead, he visited Amazonia, the Galapagos, Tierra del

Fuego, and more. That three-year voyage was mindblowing. Darwin is

not an isolated case. And ours is an era in which pressing ecological

concerns and world social issues demand the most liberal and inspired

application of information technologies. More than ever, the world is our

IT laboratory. Our proposed expeditionary program is designed to

provide strong incentives for cross disciplinary teams to engage a broad

array of IT research on tough real-world problems. The impact — in

terms of stimulating new ideas in the field; in stirring fresh energy and

inspiration among students in IT research; in reorganizing university field

activities; and in worldwide outreach — could be substantial.

Partner main web sites:

MIT GO:go.mit.edu

MIT Media Lab:www.media.mit.edu

MIT Earth Systems Initiative:web.mit.edu/esi

National Geographic Society:www.ngs.org

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:www.whoi.edu/home

Explorers Club:www.explorers.org

New perspectives as seen in the Galapagos(photo: M.J.Hawley)

2 Description

ITR: Information Technology Expeditions 5

The next section, Background, traces some prior expeditionary steps,

shows how they benefitted from and enriched the liberal array of IT skills

within the Media Lab, and touches on advancements in both IT and non-

IT sciences. We then outline Four New Expeditionary Thrusts and their

IT Challenges. Each of these proposed expeditionary tracks is seen as a

“forcing function” to push on different IT problems; taken together, the

partnerships and results could be highly synergistic. Beyond piloting

new expeditions, several other Key Program Components are required

to give the program a more substantial reach both at MIT and in wider

communities (via lectures, symposia, partner-driven broadcast media,

and expansion steps). We conclude with probable Impact on IT

Research and Beyond. As this is a medium-sized proposal, and

organizes partnerships and activities that are different from typical IT

research, the Management Plan and the development of the

Expeditionary Alliance are discussed.

Background: Prior IT Expeditions and their Results

Hawley, the main proposer, was instrumental in creating and leading a

number of major and minor consortium-driven IT research efforts at the

Media Lab. Widely published and recognized, they include Things That

Think (to explore the diffusion of IT into a vast array of everyday artifacts

and architectures); Toys of Tomorrow (to reinvent toys as a means for

advancing digital media and infrastructures creatively); and Counter

Intelligence (to invent new systems and applications of digital media in

the kitchen, and in the household infrastructure). These programs drew

together about 75 corporate sponsors from notably eclectic industries.

In a sense, these could be termed “expeditionary,” for they involved a

startling array of creative technologies and applications (many of which

would be labeled “out of box thinking”) and were often pursued far

beyond Cambridge. It is not hard to imagine the diverse spectrum of IT

challenges that partners like Nike, Disney, Mattel, Kraft Foods, Procter &

Gamble, Motorola, Swatch and the International Olympic Committee

bring to the table.

Under these consortium auspices, a handful of interesting field

expeditions were conducted. For example, in 1997, one of Hawley’s

teams ran the Boston Marathon. The runners were equipped with the

first generation of wearable body monitors. This was one of the earliest

prototypes to demonstrate that notion, and it helped to articulate a

number of challenges as well as possibilities. Since then, a multitude of

companies and academic teams have taken up the “body net” problem.

Proposed Expeditionary Thrusts:

1. Advanced Media Systems / National Geographic

2. Ecologic Sensor Arrays / MIT Earth Systems

3. Deep Sea Visualization / Woods Hole

4. Animal Communication / Explorers Club

Key Program Components:

1. Explorer’s Lectures

2. Meetings and world Symposium on expeditionary technologies

3. Core staff for GO.

4. Expeditionary Alliance

Hawley home page: www.media.mit.edu/~mikeThings That Think: ttt.media.mit.eduCounter Intelligence: www.media.mit.edu/ciMedia Lab Sponsors:

www.media.mit.edu/sponsors/sponsors.html

Wearable body monitors for marathon run.Georeferenced sensor output (S.F. marathon)(photo: W. Chappell)


In 1998, together with the Boston Museum of Science, NASA, Yale, and

members of the Explorers Club, Hawley’s group led some of the most

substantial scientific work on Mount Everest. The expedition worked on

geology, climatology, physiology, and telemedicine. Efforts included

completion of the GPS summit survey with Trimble; deployment of a

system of weather probes that transmitted daily climate data via ARGOS

satellite direct to internet feeds for close to a year; and further steps in

building wearable body monitors in order to study the physiology of

climbers at altitude (Lau, 1998). (Live video as well as internet service

was also established from Base Camp. In those days, this was something

of a technical feat. Now it is de rigeur). Later that summer, Hawley’s

students instrumented bicycles with a suite of sensors (for human vital

signs, bike measurements, weather, GPS) and rode them over 3,000 miles

from Seattle to Cape Cod, logging data the entire way. At about the

same time, the body monitoring systems used on Everest were field

tested with US Army rangers at Fort Benning, GA. Another student used

similar equipment to measure the performance of protective motorcycle

suits in European grand prix races. And another built similar sensors into

jewelry with Harry Winston (a kind of expedition into haute couture).

These projects were well “outside the box” of even our own eclectic

consortium research. Nonetheless, they invited technology challenges

(many of which have yet to be adequately resolved) and were

magnetically attractive to students and sponsors. They pointed the way.

In 1999, we began a focused $1.2m/y program, sponsored by DARPA,

to invent new architectures for “embedded sensor packs.” Much of our

experimental apparatus needed ensembles of sensors tethered into

nimble systems, but we were plagued by inadequate infrastructures.

Sensor networks did not exactly assemble like LEGOs.

To exercise our new sensor network architectures, we conducted a series

of field tests. For example, cross country skis were instrumented with

sensors to measure kinematics and efficiencies of skiing. These were

tested in Iceland and Norway. One of our students with a geology

background adapted the sensor architecture for use in a handheld tool

that combined mini GPS, tiltmeters, and a camera, and took it to

Greenland to further a field survey of the eastern geological shield (see:

web.mit.edu/dtfg/www/index.html). In January of 2001, Prof. Hawley’s

team partnered with Prof. Kim Bridges at the University of Hawaii to

build and deploy Tephranet (Wheeler, 2001). This was an innovative

network of eco-monitors to measure the environment around rare

Body sensors in use on Mt. Everest.K. Kamler outfits climber Nimatashi Sherpa.(photo: M. Hawley)

Computerized tandem for 3000-mile C2C ride.

US Army Soldier monitoring system.(photo: M. Redin)

Ski kinematic sensor system.(photo: M. Hawley)


plants. Nodes were camouflaged as rocks or tree stumps, contained an

array of sensors (light, moisture, temperature, etc), and used a new self-

organizing radio network to move the data around like a bucket brigade.

This was a particularly successful experimental step: it offered new

insights into plant biology; prototyped an innovative form factor that

DARPA embraced; and helped to map out an important new class of

micro radio networks. (It also grew into an entrepreneurial success: the

students who did that work are now very successfully running Ember

Corporation to pioneer these new embedded networking techniques).

In retrospect, these early expeditions, for the most part conducted on a

shoestring, all helped to pull the fabric of digital infrastructures in new

directions. But when we began, we did not intend to mastermind a

series of expeditions. In fact, we were mostly doing other lab-related

projects. The expeditions were creative tangents, almost like a skunk

works. The first designs for embedded sensor packs and self-organizing

wireless meshes and body monitors were done before those IT areas

emerged as discernible (now vogue) pursuits. But importantly, each step

was driven by a blunt field problem (measure the weather on Everest for

a year; track a soldier’s physiology to prevent collapse due to exhaustion;

find a way to monitor rare plants sparsely scattered around Volcanoes

National Park without spoiling the scenery; etc). Many of these of course

drew on the confluence of IT themes and skills that were percolating

within Things That Think and the rest of the Media Lab. In each case,

though, expeditionary pressures not only focused the development,

and pushed the technology into new domains. They also exposed

generations of students to a plethora of “real world” challenges.

As a byproduct of work on Everest, for example, students came to

understand the Sherpa culture in Nepal and the potential impact of rural

telemedical systems there. Live classroom video links from base camp

brought the expedition into student hands at universities, schools and

research meetings in the US. ABC television (Peter Jennings; Nightline)

relayed the expedition live to mass audiences. Recent activity has

included emphasis on advanced digital photography techniques, tested

in Bhutan, and Cambodia, where our IT researchers have had a first hand

look at extraordinarily different cultures and technology dynamics.

We now propose to conduct this style of research in a more principled

way, in part by forming a new center that can liberally mix information

technologies with many kinds of expeditionary needs. Our thesis is that

Ember Corporation (embedded wireless nets):www.ember.com

Tephranet radio sensor nodes.(photo: M.Hawley)www.media.mit.edu/~mike/hawaii/slides

Tephranet node (faux rock) in field test atMauna Kea volcano craters.(photo: M.Hawley)

Internetworked schools in rural Cambodia.(photo: M.Hawley)


the expeditionary mode of inquiry we stumbled into is timely, will

continue to exercise IT innovation in surprising ways, and will be a

stimulus for fresh ideas and partnerships. This thesis was borne out in

April, 2002 when we convened a working group at MIT to discuss steps

for building a more vigorous program of expeditions (http://go.mit.edu/

agenda). Institutions present included Discovery Channel, Discover

Magazine, Woods Hole, American Museum of Natural History, Boston

Museum of Science, National Geographic, NOVA, CBS News, Earthship

Productions, and several facets of MIT (Architecture, Anthropology,

Archaeology, Ocean Engineering, the Edgerton Center, the Media Lab,

etc). The consensus was unanimous. Several participants echoed a point

made by Steve Petranek (the editor and publisher of Discover Magazine),

namely that most field projects are short on the sorts of IT skills that MIT

seems to have in abundance. This suggests a natural symbiosis between

MIT and institutions that do frequent fieldwork. But even basic incentives

to put IT researchers on regular expeditions were seen as invaluable

steps.

All agreed that, much as the Media Lab has explored human

communication and expression with a multitude of corporate partners,

an array of diverse and synergistic expeditions will propel fresh and vital

innovations in information technologies, taking them into new realms.

With that background, we propose four new expeditionary tracks.


Four New Expeditionary Thrusts and their IT Challenges

The IT research core of this program is built around a series of disparate

but synergistic expeditions, initially four per year, that each push a

different technical area to combine IT and field science. Each expedition

is conducted with a partner that already has a strong agenda and

capacities to address some of these problems.

As the program develops, more expeditionary projects will be added. It

is anticipated that each expeditionary track will pursue additional

sponsorships when needed (in some cases including further NSF

proposals when distinctive research problems are appropriately suited to

NSF solicitations). It is also expected that many technologies piloted on

expeditions will be scaled up and applied as kits on future efforts. For

instance, the field photography work applies across all expeditions; the

marine sensor work is relevant to much of the “wet” work.

If successful, MIT’s GO may emerge as the de facto “expedition

department,” a nexus to bring together many other expeditions and

creative technologies. For example, the National Geographic Society runs

over a hundred expeditions every year, and GO, once it is established,

will offer access to an atlas of field opportunities and a wealth of creative

technologies and people. They are one of many forceful consumers of

these new IT advances. Discussions have been held with NOVA,

Discovery Channel, several major museums and aquariums, etc.

The first four pilot partners and IT areas are:

1. National Geographic: Advanced Expeditionary Media

2. MIT Earth Sciences Initiative: Eco-Logic Sensor Networks.

3. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Deep Sea Imaging.

4. Explorers Club: Whale Communication Sensor Network

We discuss each expeditionary track in turn, flagging the broad goals, IT-

specific challenges, and expeditionary steps to be taken.


1. Advanced Expeditionary Media: Crittercam and Beyond.

co-PI: Greg Marshall, National Geographic Society

Broad Goals: Advance integration of photographic and sensing tools for

animal-borne video and data capture and general expeditionary use;

increase the utility of integrated audio/image/data (A/I/D) streams; gain

fundamental insights into animal behavior (including non-marine

animals) and enrich the palette of expeditionary logging tools.

IT Specific Challenges: solid-state ultraminiature video systems;

integrated ensembles of sensors and imaging systems; software

architecture for merging, manipulating, archiving and sharing combined

audio, image and sensor metadata (A/I/D);

Expedition Steps: Development of new systems in year one, 2-3 field

deployments with new systems on National Geographic expeditions in

year two, three and four. Development of a documentary series to

elevate the expeditionary field work and share with broadcast audience.

Assembling an accurate photographic record is vital for fieldwork. Recent

digital cameras (many of which are more powerful by some measures

than laptop computers were a few years ago) are not only beginning to

surpass film cameras in image quality, market quantity and immediacy,

but are hubs of sophisticated digital systems and crucial on expeditions.

They can do much more than take pictures. Webcams put eyes on the

internet. Image data formats are beginning to accommodate sensor

metadata. For example, cameras with GPS systems add a sense of place

to pictures: MIT teams recently shot over 50,000 GPS-tagged images

across Bhutan and are producing a new visual atlas of that country. Many

kinds of data are recordable in both tightly and loosely coupled digital

camera systems. Despite this, most field science teams make only

marginal consumer-grade use of these devices. Integrated

A/I/D (audio/image/data) streams remain awkward to archive and

annotate in the field. And afterwards, visual archives are rarely managed

well. As a consequence, most field projects leave spotty visual records.

Cutting edge imagery is the hallmark of the National Geographic Society.

Outstanding photographs embody the Geographic mission “to increase

and diffuse geographic knowledge”. In turn, National Geographic

expeditions have consistently advanced photographic technologies for

more than a century. One of the most exciting innovations in the history

of National Geographic is an imaging system called Crittercam.

Developed by marine biologist Greg Marshall, Crittercam combines

video, audio and environmental sensors in a small package that can be

GPS work with young monks in Bhutan.www.media.mit.edu/~mike/iCampus/lfp

CritterCam in action.(photo: National Geographic)www.nationalgeographic.com/crittercam


deployed on large marine animals like whales, seals, sharks and more, to

deliver an animal’s point-of-view. Over the last decade, National

Geographic’s Remote Imaging program has collaborated with over 20

scientific groups worldwide on about three dozen species in over 300

deployments. Crittercam allows us to see marine animal behavior over

time where human access is limited. The results are unprecedented. With

data from Crittercam’s on-board computer (dive depth, water

temperature), these deployments reveal startling insights into foraging,

reproduction, social behavior and habitat use. The data show how

animals behave in situ over time (Marshall, 1998). This information is vital

to understand dynamics of marine life, and in developing conservation

and management strategies (Parrish et al, 2000).

To minimize the impact on animals while maximizing the return per

deployment, Crittercam needs to be made smaller yet more powerful.

Several steps are needed. Existing tape systems must be replaced with

simpler, smaller, and lower-power solid state memory (think of an

ultramini video camera with no moving parts at all) to eliminate fragile

moving parts and increase robustness. Crittercam’s sensor array must be

expanded to include compass, velocity, heartbeat, salinity and possibly

GPS. We have pioneered a terrestrial and avian prototype which uses

video and data transmission. This, too, needs improvements (more

efficient power, including solar; optimized radio networks).

When separated from the “critter,” Crittercam is essentially a digital

camera platform with an ensemble of sensors. Development of these

systems is driven by the demands of animal-borne applications, but we

will explore more general applications of the systems and data formats.

The same platform, and same formats of sensor data, are fused into a

common soft format, whether from high-end still photos and video

captured by expedition teams, ultraminiature animal-borne probes, or

low-end time-lapse environmental surveillance probes. The combination

of high-quality imagery demanded by National Geographic productions,

and the intense system requirements of instrumenting animals on the

go make this a strong thrust for improving the architecture and utility of

A/I/D systems as a common denominator ingredient in field systems, like

email or web page formats in the larger infrastructure.

In conjunction with the fieldwork, we will develop a series of films with

National Geographic to document the adventure of moving these

technologies into disparate cultures and environments, and share the

results with a broadcast audience.

CritterCam, in 2001(photo: Henry Kaiser)

Monk Seals, from live CritterCam video(National Geographic photo)

Deployment on sperm whale.(photo: National Geographic)


2. Environmental Sensor Arrays for Ecosystems Research

co-PI: Prof. Kip Hodges, MIT Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences

Broad Goals: Develop and deploy integrated sensor arrays for real-time

monitoring of changes in physical, chemical, and biological processes.

IT Challenges: Fabricate inexpensive, easily maintained environmental

sensors that work on land and underwater; georeferencing of submarine

sensor data; wireless sensors nets for real-time data transfer to end-users;

efficient software architecture for data archiving and distribution.

Expeditionary Steps: Field deployment of terrestrial and submarine

sensors on Roatan, Honduras; coordination with National Geographic

production facilities to document and publicize deployment.

Effective stewardship of Earth's environmental treasures requires a clear

understanding of the effects of human activities on ecosystem evolution.

Unfortunately, few fragile ecosystems are well-enough characterized to

permit informed assessments of human impacts. As part of MIT's Earth

System Initiative, scientists are developing sensor systems that provide

the necessary environmental data. This expeditionary track enables the

fabrication and deployment of sensor nets specifically made to monitor

the health of a coral reef ecosystem in the face of coastal development.

Roatan is a small island off the Caribbean coast of Honduras that

happens to be surrounded by a spectacular series of near-shore fringing

reefs that represent part of the great Mesoamerican Reef Complex.

The reef annually attracts thousands of recreational divers and snorkelers

but Roatan had escaped much of the rampant development suffered by

other Caribbean islands. In the last few years, though, there has been an

unprecedented development boom on the island that may have serious

consequences for the future health of the reef. (Many of the factors are

outlined in a web site produced by Dr. Gaboury Benoit and students

from the Yale School of Forestry as part of reconnaissance studies

associated with a project-based course, Tropical Coastal Watersheds:

Science and Policy.) New construction focuses more on family homes than

resorts. This distributes first-order environmental impacts related to

excavation and second-order impacts related to occupation (sewage,

for example). Such dilution might mitigate environmental damage, but

weak zoning and construction regulations produces a chaotic situation

in which environmentally unsound building practices are the norm.

For example, many newly constructed dwellings for lower-income

families (drawn to the island by work in service to the tourist trade)

release raw sewage into the ocean. Recognizing this, large projects have

MIT ESI homepage:web.mit.edu/esi/index.html

Hodges MIT ESI page:web.mit.edu/esi/html/peoplesub/hodges.html

Prof. Kip Hodges uses handheld geosensing tool.

Yale School of Forestry Roatan page:www.yale.edu/roatan/index.htm


been initiated to improve the situation, like construction of a centralized

sewage treatment facility for Coxen Hole, the largest town on the island,

as part of a $23.5m Inter-American Bank program. But the decentralized

nature of the environmental impacts makes it difficult to design an

effective mitigation strategy without a clearer understanding of the

geospatial nature of ecosystem responses to human activities.

From an environmental science perspective, Roatan provides a special

opportunity for environmental monitoring because large-scale

development began in the 1990's on the western end of the island,

near the towns of West End, Sandy Bay, and Coxen Hole and has slowly

progressed eastward. As a consequence, monitoring of ecosystem

dynamics in eastern Roatan, where the population is very small and

most human activities are related to a small-scale and locally sustainable

fishing industry, provides a “baseline” for comparison with ecosystem

dynamics near the extensively developed western end of Roatan.

Understanding the local impact of human activity on coral reef

ecosystems is particularly challenging from an environmental sensing

perspective because land processes (erosion, sediment transport,

groundwater flow, and surface water runoff ) have profound effects on

submarine biological, chemical, and physical processes. Thus, effective

characterization of the reef ecosystem requires coupled characterization

of the adjacent coastal watershed. Sensor networks must be established

that provide real-time, coordinated streams of ocean data (current, water

chemistry, acoustics, optical properties, temperature, etc), earth surface

data (precipitation, soil temperature, soil moisture), stream data (water

chemistry, flow rate, sediment load), and atmospheric data over water

and land (temperature, wind speed, atmospheric chemistry, humidity).

Many sensors can be built easily or purchased off the shelf; the major

challenge is development of rugged systems for long-term deployment.

A greater problem is how the data obtained will be spatially referenced.

Conventional GPS technology can establish geospatial references for on-

land sensors, but we envision a 3-D submarine deployment of ocean

sensors. We are exploring options. Our preliminary strategy is sonar to

triangulate sensor locations relative to “fixed” buoys with GPS attached.

An important aspect of this project is photodocumentation of the reef

complex, and the development of a program to monitor physical

changes in the reef structure related to human activity. We will adopt

technologies developed in the Advanced Expeditionary Media

component of this proposal.

MIT geology team at work in the field technology tent.


3. Visualization in the Deep Sea

co-PI: Dave Gallo, Director of Special Projects, WHOI

Daniel Fornari, Chief Scientist- Deep Submergence, and

Senior Scientist, Geology and Geophysics Dept., WHOI

Broad Goals: visualization of deep-sea floor and biological communities,

especially those around dynamic environments like seafloor eruption

sites and hydrothermal vents. Live 3D imaging from remotely operated

vehicle (ROV) at sea, in the lab for post-cruise analysis, and for education

outreach to bring the deep ocean to K-12 students and the lay public.

Specific Challenges: High quality still and video imaging systems

applicable to deep sea environments (up to ~6500m), operable from

fiber-optic tethered ROV systems such as Jason2. Hardware and software

to permit realtime 3D views of seafloor terrains by ROV pilots.

Expedition Steps: 2-3 research expeditions per year. Field tests on

science cruises as part of the ongoing effort to improve the imaging

capabilities of the system for the US academic community.

Deep ocean science is poised to enter a new millennium characterized

by multidisciplinary cooperation. Scientists of many stripes seek to

understand the complex linkages between physical, chemical, biological,

and geological processes in the world oceans. This has been spurred by

unprecedented advances in capacities of deep submergence vehicles

over the past two decades. Marine scientists forecast that the next

decade will see even greater linkage across oceanographic disciplines,

a need to understand the temporal dimension of the processes being

studied, and continued use of deep ocean submersibles and use of

newly developed, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and autonomous

underwater vehicles (AUVs) for conducting observatory based research

in the deep ocean and at the seafloor. These approaches will enable

marine scientists to achieve a greater understanding of the factors that

influence global climate change and geochemical mass balance, and to

grapple with understanding interrelated processes of crustal generation,

evolution and transport of geochemical fluids in the crust and into the

oceans, and origins and proliferation of life on Earth and beyond.

Information technologies provide a vital role in all of the bridgework for

this. But this expeditionary track concentrates on augmented sensory

perception for ROV control. By way of contrast, the submersible Alvin has

taken more scientific “eyes” to the deep seafloor than any other human-

occupied vehicle (HOV) in the world. Since the 1970s, the

groundbreaking accomplishments of scientists working in Alvin have

JASON2 deployment.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:www.whoi.edu/home

Fornari home page:www.whoi.edu/WHOI/SciTechDir/daniel_j_fornari.html


been often cited, and Alvin's capabilities and reliability continue to be

the standard by which HOVs are measured.

The advent of increasingly capable ROVs and AUVs will provide greater

demand for novel approaches to imaging the deep sea floor and the use

of optical and computer-aided systems to create virtual environments

that will help ROV operators and scientists view their experimental sites

and the processes occurring there.

In Alvin, scientists are palpably aware of every movement and sensation

during a dive. The perspective of looking directly out of Alvin’s viewports

are the seafloor is unsurpassed and essential. ROV pilots need that same

sense of 'being there.’ Current ROVs strive to achieve this, but the reality

is that no ROV provides a sense of telepresence that is even close. For

example, the human sight/balance system provides a keen sense of

position, but ROV’s currently rely on changing numbers on the screen

that show compass indications. Virtual reality in ROV systems may be

decades away, but the work envisioned in this track of the proposal

seeks to make great advances in this area. Time at sea is expensive, and a

fully engaged researcher making observations and sampling on the

seafloor is more effective and accomplishes much more. For instance,

complex sampling procedures conducted by an Alvin pilot directed by

an observer typically take much less time than the equivalent operation

from an ROV. So the main thrust of our proposed work is to build better

telepresence links for ROV systems.

The technical work plan here requires some redesign of ROV sensor

networks, and a much more effective coupling of them to a 3-D visual

database. Essentially, incoming ROV data needs to feed into a 3-D

environmental database. The sensor nets and display systems used here

are expected to overlap somewhat with the systems proposed for

Roatan reef studies above; both areas, for example, require an accurate

geospatial sense, and the mapping of a visual database around it. The

ROV work will be exercised on several of the expeditions conducted by

the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as soon as systems are field-

ready. As the systems mature, they can be channeled through the “Dive

and Discover” web site (www.divediscover.whoi.edu) and other Woods

Hole outreach channels in order to reach much wider audiences of

classrooms, museumgoers, and academic scientists.


4. Humpback Whale Communication on the Kohala Coast

co-PI: Dr. Ken Kamler, VP Research & Education, Explorers Club

Broad Goals: improved understanding of humpback whale vocalizations

along the Kohala Coast of Hawai’i; audio archives that include correlated

sensor data (GPS, environmental conditions); extension to other species.

IT Challenges: implement hydrophone-based sensor buoy network for

acoustically tracking whales; build archive correlating recorded audio in

concert with affiliated environmental sensor data.

Expeditionary Steps: scouting in year one, two deployments in year two,

for ongoing observation of pods off the northwest coast of the island of

Hawai’i (near the Old Ruins, at 20° 4.925' N; 155° 51.795’).

Understanding animal communication poses intriguing challenges to IT

research. Bioacoustic signals and songs range from low-frequency,

subaudible messages (as in elephants and some whales) to ultrasonic

chirps (as in bats and dolphins). They are used for mating, marking

territory, alarms, and echolocation. The signal lexicon can be

extraordinarily complex: the Superb Lyrebird can mimic the sounds of over

50 different bird species, as well as the sounds of car alarms, chainsaws,

camera shutters and cellular phones. Even if a computer could understand

animal messages like Dr. Dolittle, it would be perplexed by the lyrebird.

People are.

This expeditionary track starts work on bioacoustic animal communication

with studies of humpback whale vocalization using both shore- and

marine-based sensors, with partners from the Explorers Club and from the

Hawai’i Marine Mammal Consortium (HMMC). Whale vocalizations are rich

and varied. They contain signatures characteristic of individual animals as

well as family pods. But whale singers also seem to indicate seasonal

variations. The ocean is a noisy place, particularly with increased boating

traffic, and it is thought (not without controversy) that changes in the

ocean auditory soundscape are reflected by whale singers (Bauer, 1986).

For example, in the presence of vessel traffic their songs appear to be

longer, perhaps akin to people raising their voices in a noisy cocktail party.

But it is also likely that the songs correlate with other events (ocean

conditions, food sources, intruding animals, etc). Until a sufficient base of

environmental data is archived with the audio and location tracks, these

correlations can not be discovered or assessed robustly. But it seems

plausible that changes in singing patterns over time could be indicative of

many sorts of environmental alterations.

The HMMC is engaged in ongoing scientific research that surveys the

population of humpack whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the sanctuary

Explorers Club:www.explorers.org

Hawai’i Marine Mammal Consortium:www.hmmc.org

Marine Mammal Consortium proposal for whaleresearch:www.media.mit.edu/~mike/nsf/ite/HMMC_acoustics.do

Humpback whale breaching off Kohala coast.(see: www.media.mit.edu/~mike/ite/nsf/frankel.pdf)


waters along the Kohala coast off the north shore of Hawai’i. One of the

principal researchers there and the liaison for Explorers Club efforts,

Adam Frankel, has published extensively on the ongoing survey of the

whale pods, which includes shore-based visual scans, acoustic studies,

assessment of population (via photography), etc. In addition to

traditional scientific publishing, these survey activities engage

community and school groups (including the West Hawai’i Community

College) through participation in the survey activities. For example, the

HMMC’s shore station is well known to local residents and lets them

watch and listen to whales. Boat-based visual surveys are also done (e.g.,

photographing and identifying individuals from their flukes). From a

technological standpoint, the current system includes a theodolite with

laptop interface for marking visual readings from the shore, and a small

network of four hydrophones spaced at 1km intervals. The hydrophones

transmit audio to shore-based receivers. Time-of-arrival delays can be

used to reckon animal positions. The cross-correlation procedure can

locate sounds from many different animals, even when several are

vocalizing simultaneously (Clark et al., 1986; Frankel et al., 1989).

It has for some time been desired to couple MIT engineering skills to this

survey and explore broader partnerships (for example, with the Cornell

bioacoustics research program). We will first focus on building an

improved network of sonobuoys. The technology here has aspects in

common with all of the other areas (Crittercam research, environmental

monitoring work for Roatan, and WHOI deep submergence ROV’s). A

significantly improved network of sonobuoys will be built to record,

transmit, and archive audio/image/data streams covering a long period

of time. The need for these steps is easily seen. For example, the current

sonobuoys are not GPS-equipped, but the acoustic data clearly needs to

be georeferenced. The goal in years two and three is begin building a

much enriched data archive that includes not just sound but imagery

and affiliated environmental data so that meaningful correlations

between whale singing and environmental conditions can be

discovered.

This work begins with site visits in Hawai’i in the first year to assess the

current state of the surveying apparatus. We will design and develop a

new implementation of the sonobuoy system in the first year, and will

begin deployment in the second year.

Shore station and sonobuoy locations off Kohala.

Locations of whale singers.


Key Program Components

Explorers Lectures

In April, 2002, GO organized a special institute-wide lecture given by

Bradford and Barbara Washburn. Brad is the founding director of

Boston’s Museum of Science, the cartographer who mapped Everest, the

Grand Canyon, McKinley; and a pioneer of aerial photography. Now in his

90’s, he is one of the world’s greatest living explorers. Barbara, the first

woman to climb McKinley, has worked with Brad since the 1930’s.

The Washburns are living national treasures. Their lecture was given to

an overflow crowd and standing ovation in MIT’s largest lecture hall.

It is seen as a model for what the series of great explorer lectures can be.

We envision two to three such lectures per academic term, given by the

world’s pre-eminent explorers. We have “pre-invited” individuals like

oceanographers Sylvia Earle and Bob Ballard; filmmakers James Cameron

and David Breashears; renowned photographers Frans Lanting and Peter

Menzel. MIT has a special power to convene audiences for such events,

but the lectures, which are for MIT at large, will be opened to the broader

public, and will be standout events for students from every field.

Meetings and Symposia

One research review meeting will be conducted every academic term by the partners, to review ongoing

progress. These meetings will occur in mid-term, and will include a portion focused on MIT originated work,

as well as a portion that engages new groups from other institutions, or new sponsors active in expeditions.

In addition, at the time of each Explorers Lecture, there will be a meeting of the Expeditionary Alliance that

oversees this program in order to check progress, in “board of directors” style. In year three of the program,

MIT will convene a major symposium (1500+ attendees) on world activities in these areas.

Core Staff

Michael Hawley (Director of Special Projects) and Christopher Newell (Expedition Coordinator) will be dedicated

full time to running this program, along with (initially) 1-2 graduate research assistants, and a team of

undergraduates. One special project seminar, on expeditionary technologies, will be conducted ongoing, in

order to continually develop eclectic information technologies for use on various expeditions.


Impact on IT Research and Beyond

New Infrastructures

IT results are expected to include progress in hardware and software for ecological monitoring, animal

behavior understanding, and expeditionary photography. These require implementations that are both

marine and terrestrial, mobile and fixed. The chief software goal is a “sensible” framework that really does

effectively fuse multimodal streams of sensor information (audio, imagery, and environmental information).

Student Careers; Service Learning

MIT is moving to free students from lockstep classwork. The iCampus and OpenCourseware initiatives are

efforts to liberate the curriculum. It should be possible, for example, for MIT students to do fieldwork while

“tuning in” to their coursework online. But MIT, like most schools, depends heavily in classrooms, with few

incentives to embark on fieldwork. A vigorous expeditionary center would clearly impact that mix. Students

need opportunities to be immersed in service-oriented learning. MIT has a startup program in precisely this

vein (web.mit.edu/mitpsc/servlearn/). But looking at the larger picture, consider the Peace Corps (Hawley,

2001). It is now about 10,000 individuals (smaller than in 1965, and a reflection of weaker ties to other

countries), in roughly equal parts medical, educational, and business people. A small demographic sliver

(5%) is “other” and includes engineers and scientists. Not long ago, the New York Times announced “Dot

Com Bust is Peace Corps’ Boom.” Indeed, there has been an upswing in technology activism. But we expect

strong steps in expeditionary sciences will open up a much broader catalog of options for combining

scientific and humanitarian interests.

University Organization

If successful, this effort will have a strong impact on MIT’s organization, akin to the UROP (undergraduate

research program). Many if not most departments do fieldwork; all of them could benefit from the

synergies of a more active and organized transdisciplinary center for expeditions, especially since few of

them maintain much infrastructure to run expeditions well.

World Exposure

World exposure has several senses. First, the IT teams doing fieldwork are, per force, exposed to radically

different ecologies and cultures. The expeditionary process brings teams and technologies into parts of the

world that are still relatively untouched; and it necessarily exposes regional leaders to the technologies,

people, and inquiries involved. For instance, in Bhutan and Cambodia, we naturally have worked very

closely with royal families, government ministries, academics, business partners and education leaders.

But the presence of an active stable of expeditions, organized as such, also elevates that atlas of activities

for exposure not only to MIT’s local community, but to the greater community of sponsors, industries, and

governments that engage with MIT on its many missions. The information technologies that convey and

pool this expeditionary work, from live field systems to on-campus web channels, are, needless to say,

essential. The meeting schedule, building to the first world symposium on expeditionary technologies in

2004, aims at this kind of world reach. Finally, the engagement of broadcast media partners (National

Geographic being the first, though conversations have begun with NOVA, Discovery, and other partners

like the Boston Museum of Science) builds a process by which results are conveyed to the greater public.


Management Plan:GO and the Expeditionary Alliance; Harnessing the Atlas of MIT Field Work

As part of this effort, MIT is forming an Expeditionary Alliance to advise and direct work. Initially, the alliance

will be composed of expeditionary partners (National Geographic, Explorers Club, Woods Hole, MIT).

We have held preliminary discussions with many others (NOVA, Discovery, American Museum of Natural

History, NASA, etc). MIT’s potential in convening this sort of working group is nonpareil. Each of the alliance

members has significant expeditions underway, and part of the process of working with the alliance involves

pooling the many field challenges to uncover best opportunities for innovative IT applications. We are not

aware of any comparable group or consortium for doing this. Alliance members will review expeditions

underway, and like a board of directors, will work to strengthen these efforts. This is a key step.

Each expedition is championed by a strong external partner, and managed internally by a dedicated

research assistant and/or MIT faculty member. Science, especially in the field, doesn’t always work right the

first time. Not all expeditions succeed. Failures can be disastrous setbacks. The strategy of running different

expeditions with different partners balances the risks. But it also is a means of exercising variations in the

technologies, or simply trying one invention in manifold circumstances. The concurrent expeditionary tracks

are thus important for ensuring robustness.

The combined elements of the program (the Expeditionary Alliance; the Explorers Lectures; the plurality of

expeditionary tracks; the research meetings and symposia; the availability of broadcast impact) and its

transdisciplinary design will make it an exciting and very visible activity at MIT as well as a lively step for the

IT field in general. The GO program is naturally positioned to engage with the multitude of other MIT field

activities. There are certainly many, but there is no coordinative facility for them. Harnessing the larger “atlas”

of MIT fieldwork is an important goal for GO. From the standpoint of IT research, in the end it is likely that a

large number of expeditions will leverage a small number of innovations. Our approach is simply to take

every smart step to build the critical mass of activity that can ensure liberal and vigorous generation and

testing and sharing of IT innovations.

As the program grows, we expect to add more expeditions. For example, industrial sponsors are often

attracted by hands-on work and rugged field tests. These will certainly be added as we progress. The notion

of who participates on expeditions can be flexible. For instance, the catalog of expeditions can be opened to

MIT alumni/ae as a kind of field internship. This model could be self-sustaining. Organizations like

Earthwatch (www.earthwatch.org) have demonstrated a working symbiosis of field science and adventure

tourism: their tours allow travellers to join expeditions as participants. Fees from the travellers in part help to

support the field science. Steps like these could enlarge our expeditionary catalog, effectively pulling the

science, and in particular, the information science, into many new veins.

In the course of running field expeditions, one naturally partners with regional academics who have on-site

expertise. For instance, these have included University of Hawai’i (Prof. Kim Bridges) for work on Tephranet;

and will include the Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA) and local schools in Roatan; the Hawai’i

marine mammal consortium; faculty at Sherubtse college in Trashigang, Bhutan; and others. These

affiliations are vital, and are developed with care on a per-expedition basis.

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