Citation: Chen, J.; Liu, H.; Lv, B.; Liu,
C.; Zhang, X.; Li, H.; Cao, L.; Wan, J.
Research on an Extensible
Monitoring System of a Seafloor
Observatory Network in Laizhou Bay.
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10, 1051.
https://doi.org/10.3390/
jmse10081051
Academic Editors: Jacopo Aguzzi,
Giacomo Picardi, Damianos
Chatzievangelou, Simone Marini,
Sascha Flögel, Peter Weiss, Sergio
Stefanni and Daniel Mihai Toma
Received: 30 May 2022
Accepted: 26 July 2022
Published: 30 July 2022
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Journal of
Marine Science
and Engineering
Article
Research on an Extensible Monitoring System of a Seafloor
Observatory Network in Laizhou Bay
Jie Chen
1,2
, Hailin Liu
1,2
, Bin Lv
1,2
, Chao Liu
1,2
, Xiaonan Zhang
1,2
, Hui Li
1,2
, Lin Cao
1,2
and Junhe Wan
1,2,
*
1
Institute of Oceanographic Instrumentation, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences),
No. 2, Huiying Street, Shanghe Demonstration Area, Qingdao 266318, China
2
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ocean Environmental Monitoring Technology, No. 2, Huiying Street,
Shanghe Demonstration Area, Qingdao 266318, China
* Correspondence: wan_junhe@qlu.edu.cn
Abstract:
An extensible remote monitoring system for a seafloor observatory network in Laizhou
Bay was established to realize long-term, continuous and on-line monitoring for a marine ranching
environment. This paper deals with data communication, device management and data quality
control. A control model is introduced that is structured into four layers, enabling bidirectional infor-
mation flow. Based on the control model, the standardized communication protocol and device object
model-oriented dynamic management method are designed as plug-and-play, for data processing and
control of a large number of devices . An improved data quality control method is proposed to reduce
the data error rate. The monitoring system was developed based on socket network programming,
MySQL database technologies and modular ideas. The seafloor observatory network was successfully
deployed in Laizhou Bay marine ranching. The experimental results demonstrate that the monitoring
system obtains better performance. The proposed algorithms can also be used in many other similar
systems with adaptive requirements.
Keywords:
marine ranching; seafloor observatory network; remote monitoring; data communication;
device management; data quality control
1. Introduction
Marine ranching is an important way to realize the harmonious development of ecosys-
tems [
1
]. Building a system of automatic monitoring and early warning and forecasting
of the key factors of the marine environment is the basis of studying marine ranching [
2
].
Smart ocean observation mainly includes sea-based observation based on survey ships,
submarines and buoys, and space-based observation based on satellite remote sensing [
3
].
Cabled seafloor observatory networks play an important role in realizing long-term, con-
tinuous, on-line monitoring for marine ranching [4].
Many countries have carried out research on the key technologies of seafloor obser-
vatory networks. The United States started early in cabled seafloor observatory research
and successfully established networks such as the Long Term Environment Observatory,
which will be operated at 15 m (LEO-15) [
5
], Monterey Accelerated Research System
(MARS) [
6
], Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) [
7
,
8
], Sound Surveillance Underwater
System (SOSUS) [
9
] and Hawaii-2 Observatory (H2O) [
10
]. NEPTUNE, operated by Ocean
Networks Canada (ONC) [
11
], is equipped with various instruments that can be used in
different applications, such as a seismograph to monitor earthquake activity, bottom pres-
sure recorders for real-time tsunami monitoring systems around the world, and specialized
hydrophones to track marine mammal activity [
12
] and investigate how it is influenced by
human activities. The European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and Water Column Observatory
(EMSO) [
13
] consists of a system of regional observatories located at key sites around
Europe. The EMSO infrastructure range runs at the European scale from the coastal area to
the deep sea and open ocean, operating with both stand-alone observing systems and nodes
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10, 1051. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10081051 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jmse
