Development of a Digital Video/Data Recorder for Monitoring Behavior and Multi-Dimensional Movements of Marine Mammals at Sea

开发用于监测海洋哺乳动物在海上的行为和多维运动的数字视频/数据记录仪

• 批准号: 0216525
• 负责人: Randall Davis
• 金额: $ 21.97万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-08-01 至 2004-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0216525&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Development; Digital; Video; Data; Recorder

Research on the behavioral and energetic adaptations of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii ) to the cold dark Antarctic fast-ice environment have been facilitated by recent developments in animal-borne video systems. The PI has developed a small, analog video/data recorder that can be attached to free-ranging marine mammals to observe their underwater behavior, track their three-dimensional movements, and simultaneously record data on their environment. The current effort will build on this success and advance the technology to the next level. The video/data recorders will be redesigned include the following new features: digital video recording for up to 30 h, a Global Positioning System (GPS) for geolocation at the surface, extended data recording for up to 14 days, and a 50% reduction in size. Development includes specifications for an advanced digital video/data recorder and operating software. The new video/data recorder will be jointly designed and fabricated by Texas A&M University at Galveston and Pisces Design (San Diego, CA). The system will consist of two parts. The first will be a small aluminum housing for the microcontroller and sensors for pressure, swim speed, compass bearing, ambient temperature, ambient dissolved oxygen, ambient light level, tilt, pitch and roll. The use of a 31 gigabyte or larger mini-hard drive for storing compressed, digital video and audio will allow a considerable size reduction from previous designs while retaining full programmability and increasing the recording duration to ca. 30 h. The microcontroller will have at least 8 analog-to-digital converters at 12-bit resolution or greater. This housing will also contain lithium ion batteries that will power the micro-controller, compass, sensors and GPS. The second housing will contain the miniature video camera with near-infrared light emitting diodes (LED) as a light source. The camera will be a low light sensitive, black and white camera. This high-resolution camera is sensitive to visible and near-infrared wavelengths of light. The near-infrared LED light source is designed for imaging in total darkness without disturbing the animal's behavior (near-infrared light is invisible to marine mammals and fishes). This new generation of video/data recorder will be used initially as part of current studies of the foraging behavior of free-ranging Weddell seals in Antarctica and will yield new insights into the activities of animals at sea. This includes the study of general foraging strategies, searching behavior, searching mechanics, modes of swimming, and foraging efficiency for different environmental conditions and prey type. The new instruments will advance the ability to conduct these investigations byproviding high quality digital video recordings, enhancing our ability to track the movements of animals at the surface (with GPS) and while submerged (with three- dimensional tracking), and reducing the size to decrease hydrodynamic drag. In addition to the study of marine mammals, the video/data recorder has broad applicability to a variety of submersible platforms and human divers. The video/data recorder will contribute to the development of new undersea technology and instrumentation that can be used to better understand and protect marine organisms and their habitats.

动物传播视频系统的最新发展促进了威德尔海豹（Leptonychotes weddellii）对寒冷黑暗的南极固冰环境的行为和能量适应的研究。 PI 开发了一种小型模拟视频/数据记录器，可以连接到自由活动的海洋哺乳动物身上，以观察它们的水下行为、跟踪它们的三维运动，并同时记录其环境数据。目前的努力将在此成功的基础上继续推进，并将技术提升到一个新的水平。视频/数据记录仪将经过重新设计，包括以下新功能：长达 30 小时的数字视频记录、用于地面地理定位的全球定位系统 (GPS)、长达 14 天的扩展数据记录以及 50% 的缩减在尺寸上。开发包括高级数字视频/数据记录器和操作软件的规范。新的视频/数据记录器将由位于加尔维斯顿的德克萨斯农工大学和Pisces Design（加利福尼亚州圣地亚哥）联合设计和制造。该系统将由两部分组成。第一个是用于微控制器和传感器的小型铝制外壳，用于压力、游泳速度、罗盘方位、环境温度、环境溶解氧、环境光照水平、倾斜、俯仰和滚动。使用 31 GB 或更大的迷你硬盘驱动器来存储压缩的数字视频和音频将比以前的设计大大减小尺寸，同时保留完整的可编程性并将录制持续时间增加到约 100 倍。 30小时该微控制器将具有至少 8 个 12 位或更高分辨率的模数转换器。该外壳还包含锂离子电池，可为微控制器、指南针、传感器和 GPS 供电。第二个外壳将包含微型摄像机，以近红外发光二极管 (LED) 作为光源。该相机将是低光敏感的黑白相机。这种高分辨率相机对可见光和近红外波长的光敏感。近红外 LED 光源设计用于在完全黑暗的情况下成像，而不会干扰动物的行为（近红外光对于海洋哺乳动物和鱼类来说是不可见的）。这种新一代视频/数据记录仪最初将用作目前对南极洲自由活动的威德尔海豹觅食行为研究的一部分，并将对海洋动物的活动产生新的见解。这包括研究不同环境条件和猎物类型的一般觅食策略、搜索行为、搜索机制、游泳模式和觅食效率。新仪器将通过提供高质量的数字视频记录、增强我们跟踪动物在水面（使用 GPS）和水下（使用三维跟踪）运动的能力以及将尺寸缩小到减少水动力阻力。除了海洋哺乳动物的研究之外，视频/数据记录仪还广泛适用于各种潜水平台和人类潜水员。该视频/数据记录仪将有助于开发新的海底技术和仪器，可用于更好地了解和保护海洋生物及其栖息地。