River Eye

Program Manager: Ms. Khine Latt

Early entry maritime forces need maps of morphology, water depths, and currents in complex riverine/estuarine environments for mission planning and execution. This information is critical for route planning, sensor placement, rendezvous determination, vulnerability assessments, and for determining objective assault engagement/disengagement strategies. For uncharted and/or denied areas, present methods are inadequate for obtaining the necessary information. Reliable remote sensing methods do not exist that produce bathymetry and water current data in waters that are sediment laden (bottom is not visible) and/or sheltered (swell and significant wind waves are not likely). The goal of the River Eye program will provide a new capability to predict or assess, in real time, river and estuary conditions to enable special operations mission planning and execution. New techniques will be developed to indirectly determine current speed and direction by remotely sensing advection of scene features. Using advanced modeling techniques, indirectly sensed current data will be used to extract bathymetry data. Forward circulation models will use the bathymetry data to predict future currents and water heights in a mission planning decision support tool.