2345775
Project Grant
Overview
Grant Description
SBIR PHASE I: FEASIBILITY OF AN L5 GPS-BASED TSUNAMI DETECTION AND ALERTING SYSTEM -THE BROADER/COMMERCIAL IMPACT OF THIS SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PHASE I PROJECT IS IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF AN EFFECTIVE, AFFORDABLE, AND GLOBALLY ACCESSIBLE DETECTION AND ALERT SYSTEM FOR TSUNAMIS ON COASTLINES WORLDWIDE.
TSUNAMIS ARE AMONG THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WAYS IN WHICH THE OCEAN IMPACTS HUMAN CIVILIZATION. WITH THE INCREASING POPULATION DENSITY ALONG COASTLINES AND THE GLOBAL RISE IN SEA LEVELS, THE POTENTIAL FOR TSUNAMIS TO CAUSE UNPRECEDENTED HARM IS HIGHER THAN EVER.
THE PROPOSED PRODUCT PROVIDING ENHANCED WAVE HEIGHT AND ARRIVAL TIME MAPS TO ITS CUSTOMERS COULD PROVIDE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TIMELY ALERTS TO AT-RISK POPULATIONS, PROVIDING THEM WITH ESSENTIAL EVACUATION INFORMATION AND CRUCIAL HOURS TO PREPARE FOR APPROACHING WAVES. THIS COULD HERALD A MAJOR SHIFT IN TSUNAMI PREPAREDNESS AND RESILIENCE.
THIS TECHNOLOGY OFFERS WIDE-RANGING BENEFITS FOR VARIOUS GROUPS AND INDUSTRIES SUCH AS SMALL ISLAND ECONOMIES, DEFENSE OPERATIONS, AND COMMERCIAL PORT OPERATORS. TO DEVELOP THESE CAPABILITIES, THIS PROJECT PROPOSES A BUOY-DEPLOYABLE SOFTWARE PRODUCT THAT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF NEW GENERATIONS OF GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) TO DETECT TSUNAMIS AT SEA, HOURS BEFORE THEY MAKE LANDFALL.
IT WILL USE REVOLUTIONARY ADVANCEMENTS IN GPS TECHNOLOGY, PARTICULARLY IN VERTICAL ACCURACY, TO DETECT, PREPARE FOR, AND MITIGATE THE FORMIDABLE THREAT OF TSUNAMIS. FOR THE FIRST TIME, NEW GENERATIONS OF GPS PROVIDE SUFFICIENT RESOLUTION TO DETECT THE SUBTLE VERTICAL DISPLACEMENT OF THE OCEAN SURFACE CAUSED BY PASSING TSUNAMI WAVES WITH A SINGLE RECEIVER EVEN IN OPEN OCEAN.
THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL METHODS OF SIGNAL CLASSIFICATION USING DENSE NEURAL NETWORK (DNN) AND OPTIMIZE THEM WITH RAPID MACHINE LEARNING (ML) METHODS. THIS IS EXPECTED TO HELP DEMONSTRATE THAT TSUNAMI SIGNATURES CAN BE PERCEIVED IN REAL-TIME BY LOW-COST AND LOW-POWER ON-EDGE PROCESSING CAPABILITIES.
WHEN THIS NEW ON-EDGE TECHNOLOGY IS DEPLOYED ON WIDESPREAD OCEAN BUOYS, IT WOULD FORM A ROBUST TSUNAMI DETECTION NETWORK. THESE BUOYS WILL SERVE AS SENTINELS, CAPABLE OF SENSING DISTINCT SEA LEVEL CHANGES THAT SIGNAL AN IMPENDING TSUNAMI.
THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.
TSUNAMIS ARE AMONG THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WAYS IN WHICH THE OCEAN IMPACTS HUMAN CIVILIZATION. WITH THE INCREASING POPULATION DENSITY ALONG COASTLINES AND THE GLOBAL RISE IN SEA LEVELS, THE POTENTIAL FOR TSUNAMIS TO CAUSE UNPRECEDENTED HARM IS HIGHER THAN EVER.
THE PROPOSED PRODUCT PROVIDING ENHANCED WAVE HEIGHT AND ARRIVAL TIME MAPS TO ITS CUSTOMERS COULD PROVIDE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TIMELY ALERTS TO AT-RISK POPULATIONS, PROVIDING THEM WITH ESSENTIAL EVACUATION INFORMATION AND CRUCIAL HOURS TO PREPARE FOR APPROACHING WAVES. THIS COULD HERALD A MAJOR SHIFT IN TSUNAMI PREPAREDNESS AND RESILIENCE.
THIS TECHNOLOGY OFFERS WIDE-RANGING BENEFITS FOR VARIOUS GROUPS AND INDUSTRIES SUCH AS SMALL ISLAND ECONOMIES, DEFENSE OPERATIONS, AND COMMERCIAL PORT OPERATORS. TO DEVELOP THESE CAPABILITIES, THIS PROJECT PROPOSES A BUOY-DEPLOYABLE SOFTWARE PRODUCT THAT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF NEW GENERATIONS OF GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) TO DETECT TSUNAMIS AT SEA, HOURS BEFORE THEY MAKE LANDFALL.
IT WILL USE REVOLUTIONARY ADVANCEMENTS IN GPS TECHNOLOGY, PARTICULARLY IN VERTICAL ACCURACY, TO DETECT, PREPARE FOR, AND MITIGATE THE FORMIDABLE THREAT OF TSUNAMIS. FOR THE FIRST TIME, NEW GENERATIONS OF GPS PROVIDE SUFFICIENT RESOLUTION TO DETECT THE SUBTLE VERTICAL DISPLACEMENT OF THE OCEAN SURFACE CAUSED BY PASSING TSUNAMI WAVES WITH A SINGLE RECEIVER EVEN IN OPEN OCEAN.
THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL METHODS OF SIGNAL CLASSIFICATION USING DENSE NEURAL NETWORK (DNN) AND OPTIMIZE THEM WITH RAPID MACHINE LEARNING (ML) METHODS. THIS IS EXPECTED TO HELP DEMONSTRATE THAT TSUNAMI SIGNATURES CAN BE PERCEIVED IN REAL-TIME BY LOW-COST AND LOW-POWER ON-EDGE PROCESSING CAPABILITIES.
WHEN THIS NEW ON-EDGE TECHNOLOGY IS DEPLOYED ON WIDESPREAD OCEAN BUOYS, IT WOULD FORM A ROBUST TSUNAMI DETECTION NETWORK. THESE BUOYS WILL SERVE AS SENTINELS, CAPABLE OF SENSING DISTINCT SEA LEVEL CHANGES THAT SIGNAL AN IMPENDING TSUNAMI.
THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.
Awardee
Funding Goals
THE GOAL OF THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, "NSF SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR)/ SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAMS PHASE I", IS IDENTIFIED IN THE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.NSF.GOV/PUBLICATIONS/PUB_SUMM.JSP?ODS_KEY=NSF23515
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding / Funding Agency
Place of Performance
San Clemente,
California
92673-6230
United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Hyperkelp was awarded
Project Grant 2345775
worth $274,694
from National Science Foundation in June 2024 with work to be completed primarily in San Clemente California United States.
The grant
has a duration of 7 months and
was awarded through assistance program 47.084 NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships.
The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity NSF Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Programs.
SBIR Details
Research Type
SBIR Phase I
Title
SBIR Phase I: Feasibility of an L5 GPS-Based Tsunami Detection and Alerting System
Abstract
The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in the development and deployment of an effective, affordable, and globally accessible detection and alert system for tsunamis on coastlines worldwide. Tsunamis are among the most significant ways in which the ocean impacts human civilization. With the increasing population density along coastlines and the global rise in sea levels, the potential for tsunamis to cause unprecedented harm is higher than ever. The proposed product providing enhanced wave height and arrival time maps to its customers could provide significantly more timely alerts to at-risk populations, providing them with essential evacuation information and crucial hours to prepare for approaching waves. This could herald a major shift in tsunami preparedness and resilience. This technology offers wide-ranging benefits for various groups and industries such as small island economies, defense operations, and commercial port operators.
To develop these capabilities, this project proposes a buoy-deployable software product that takes advantage of new generations of Global Positioning System (GPS) to detect tsunamis at sea, hours before they make landfall. It will use revolutionary advancements in GPS technology, particularly in vertical accuracy, to detect, prepare for, and mitigate the formidable threat of tsunamis. For the first time, new generations of GPS provide sufficient resolution to detect the subtle vertical displacement of the ocean surface caused by passing tsunami waves with a single receiver even in open ocean. The project will focus on the development of novel methods of signal classification using Dense Neural Network (DNN) and optimize them with rapid Machine Learning (ML) methods. This is expected to help demonstrate that tsunami signatures can be perceived in real-time by low-cost and low-power on-edge processing capabilities. When this new on-edge technology is deployed on widespread ocean buoys, it would form a robust tsunami detection network. These buoys will serve as sentinels, capable of sensing distinct sea level changes that signal an impending tsunami.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Topic Code
ET
Solicitation Number
NSF 23-515
Status
(Complete)
Last Modified 5/21/24
Period of Performance
6/1/24
Start Date
1/31/25
End Date
Funding Split
$274.7K
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$274.7K
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
2345775
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
Small Business
Awarding Office
491503 TRANSLATIONAL IMPACTS
Funding Office
491503 TRANSLATIONAL IMPACTS
Awardee UEI
DZAFQK2E2911
Awardee CAGE
91VW1
Performance District
CA-49
Senators
Dianne Feinstein
Alejandro Padilla
Alejandro Padilla
Modified: 5/21/24