First the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations will establish the structure, staffing and training for its recently created Unmanned Systems (UxS) Operations Program based on recommendations from the institution at the University of California, San Diego.

The Coastal Observing Research and Development Center at Scripps will also design and test an unmanned surface vessel outfitted with a payload for collecting meteorological and oceanographic data in an initial project.

“Innovative use of unmanned systems will benefit many NOAA programs, augmenting data collection often at lower cost, increased safety and reduced risk — especially in remote or extreme environments,” said retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, deputy NOAA administrator, in the announcement.

The 10-year agreement between OMAO and Scripps allows them to collaborate on specific UxS projects and move the technologies into operational platforms for environmental data gathering, said Rear Adm. Michael Silah, who directs the office.

NOAA‘s UxS operation will be based out of a new facility in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The Commercial Engagement Through Ocean Technology Act of 2018 requires NOAA UxS research and development with the Navy, other federal agencies, industry and academia. NOAA received $12.7 million in fiscal 2020 from Congress to create the UxS Operations Program, part of its UxS Strategy document.

“Innovative new technology to observe the ocean and to gather data is essential to understand and predict the ocean,” said Margaret Leinen, director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, in a statement. “Unmanned systems allow us to observe the ocean more regularly and at greater scale.

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The Unmanned Systems Operations Program will reside within the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and cover UxS training, cybersecurity and acquisition. NOAA has operated UxS vehicles for decades, but that use has increased tenfold since 2012, the agency says. The “x” stands for various modes of transportation: aerial, maritime and so on.

“With the creation of this new program, we will be better positioned to transition these technologies into operational platforms that will gather critical environmental data every American relies upon,” said Rear Adm. Michael Silah, director of NOAA’s Commissioned Officer Corps and the OMAO, in the announcement.

For NOAA, the UxS tag applies to any sensor-equipped autonomous or remotely piloted vehicle. The agency uses various kinds to map the seafloor and other habitats, explore the ocean, count marine mammal and fish populations, respond to emergencies and help forecast extreme events like toxic algae blooms.

NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, already handles the unmanned aircraft activities. And a new facility being built by the Mississippi State Port Authority with the University of Southern Mississippi in Gulfport will support unmanned maritime systems.

The program was started with some of the $12.7 million in funds NOAA received from Congress to expand UxS use.

NOAA is also partnering with the Navy to evaluate new UxS tech as part of the Advanced Naval Technology Exercise, a five-year-old program intended to benefit both agencies by testing dozens of systems.

Machine learning is also being considered by NOAA in the collection and evaluation of vast amounts of scientific data by UxS — part of its Unmanned Systems Strategy released in February.

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