ORION-GEOSTAR-3 is a project funded by the European Commission (EC) within the 5th F.P., aimed at the development and functioning of a prototype of seafloor observatory network. The project takes advantage of a multiparameter seafloor observatory, GEOSTAR, built and validated in two previous EC projects: GEOSTAR and GEOSTAR2. ORION-GEOSTAR-3 network is based on the GEOSTAR observatory properly enhanced to act as the main node of the network. GEOSTAR is a two module observatory including a bottom station, hosting scientific and status sensors and systems for the data acquisition and communication, and a dedicated vehicle, that is MODUS, for the deployment and recovery of the bottom station from the sea surface. The secondary nodes of the seafloor network are bottom stations of GEOSTAR-type, to be managed by means of MODUS, with reduced dimensions and limited set of scientific sensors with respect to the main node. The nodes are able to transmit the scientific and status recorded data, also locally stored on hard disks, to GEOSTAR by means of an acoustic communication system with radius of 2–4 km. GEOSTAR, being the gateway node of the network, can transfer data and information by means of a surface buoy, to any land site equipped with a suitable radio and satellite communication systems. The ORIONGEOSTAR- 3 network has been designed in order to be also compatible with an other array of sensors developed within the ASSEM project funded by the EC too. The functionality of ORION network and the technical solutions adopted with respect to sensors installation, acquisition, control and communication systems will be described in detail.
Ocean networking is one of the main objectives of the international scientific and technological research community.
