This award to University of Miami in Florida provides support for the acquisition of a Ku-band satellite communications antenna, related modems and transceivers, to provide full time Internet connectivity to R/V Walton Smith while underway conducting research. The instrumentation will be operated by the ship's personnel, using a ground station at the University of California San Diego, through a system called HiSeasNet. In addition, the award provides support for acquiring a spectrum analyzer and routers/firewalls to support secure shipboard network operations over the new satellite communication system. Funds are provided for similar spectrum analyzer and routers/firewalls for use with the HiSeasNet C-band communications system on R/V Seward Johnson, for which University of Miami provides the technical support at sea. R/V Seward Johnson is operated by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) research fleet. Funds are also provided to acquire new echosounder systems for use on both vessels, as well as five other UNOLS vessels and two spare units. This acquisition should provide a substantial improvement in the capability available to marine scientists using these research vessels during 2007 and future years. ***
