Underway Geophysics Laboratory |
| Staff Liaison: Adam Klaus |
These were partially prepped and sent to Leg 165. However, the Underway Geophysics (U/W) Laboratory working group thinks that more extensive balancing/weighting is required before shipboard testing/implementation, so the streamers were returned to ODP/TAMU. Upon their return, a manufacturing defect was discovered. The streamers were sent back to the vendor to correct the defect. Once the streamers are returned to ODP/TAMU, they will be balanced and delivered to the ship. Present oil-filled single-channel streamers will be maintained until the new streamers are fully tested and operational.
Presently, there are three GPS systems in the U/W Laboratory (MX1107 and two 8-channel dGPS-capable Omnistar) and one on the Bridge (MX4400). In general, this should suffice for providing a GPS in an emergency. There was also an indication that the bridge/D.P. may want to run WinFrog in the Master mode. However, there is only one license for Winfrog Master (unlimited remote stations are allowed as is presently being used on bridge/DP and elsewhere on the ship) and this would violate the software license as there will always be one Master running in U/W Laboratory. The U/W Laboratory group can further discuss GPS access in emergency scenarios if the managers feel a more detailed and/or documented plan needs to be developed.
Some members of the U/W Laboratory group recommended removal from the ship since the GPS is almost constantly available, and the ADCP is almost never used. In addition, it often does not work (despite numerous trouble-shooting attempts including vendor/technician repair), and the data are often viewed with some skepticism. It has been generally agreed that the system does not work well in deep waters. However, the system may be useful in upcoming shallow-water legs (e.g., Legs 166 and 174A) and should not be removed at present.
Waypoint modification and magnetics chart display bugs have been fixed.
The U/W Laboratory has encountered difficulty handling and backing up the large volumes of navigation data now being collected. To ensure data integrity while retaining data volume, backup procedures are being refined.
D. Dieter (NSF coordinator for P-code use) informed Adam Klaus that four new ships have been added to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) giving permission to obtain P-code GPS (LDEO-Ewing, URI-Endevour, OSU-Wecoma, Hawaii-Moana Wave). The process to modify the MOU with the Department of Defense (DOD) has taken over one year, and it will take some time for these institutions to implement. DOD will then want an evaluation period before considering further changes to the MOU. At present there are no nongovernment-owned ships on the P-code MOU. The government (president) issued a GPS policy statement communicating that the GPS dither will be maintained (the president will consider each year and instruct DOD whether or not to maintain dither). D. Heinrichs has asked D. Dieter to contact DOD with respect to ODP obtaining P-code. Dieter does not expect her contact at DOD to support ODP getting P-code because the JOIDES Resolution is foreign registered and they are hesitant to add any more ships. This suggests that ODP's chance of applying to get on the MOU is still far away. Furthermore, because the ship is foreign registered, it is unlikely ever to be approved. Although P-code itself is "free," considerable costs (time and manpower) would be required to implement and maintain it.
Therefore, if dGPS is still desired after we leave waters adjacent to the continental United States, the U/W Laboratory group must investigate costs and logistics for other potential systems. This will be a major task for the U/W Laboratory group over this coming summer. Preliminary quotes suggest that the costs may be prohibitive.
ODP/TAMU has developed a program to reformat the navigation data into MGD77, and data is being processed with it.
ODP/TAMU is starting to get scientists' feedback suggesting that ODP/TAMU obtain GI-guns. Considering the good service record of the present guns and the present funding climate (seismic sources are expensive), this is not being pursued.