GeoGarage blog

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Chinese hackers fish for naval secrets

US Navy defense contractors and subcontractors have reportedly suffered “more than a handful” of disconcerting security breaches at the hands of Chinese hackers over the past year and a half. “Attacks on our networks are not new, but attempts to steal critical information are increasing in both severity and sophistication,” Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer said.

Although the secretary did not mention China specifically, evidence indicates that Beijing is responsible for what is considered a debilitating cyber campaign against the US.

From BBC

Chinese hackers are alleged to have targeted universities around the world in a bid to steal naval secrets.

A total of 27 institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are understood to have been singled out by a cyber-espionage group.

Security research company iDefence says hackers sent malicious emails to their targets.
One expert told the BBC that the attacks were "unsurprising".

A report by the Accenture-owned unit iDefense, first obtained by the Wall Street Journal, claims Chinese hackers carried out a targeted campaign against institutions in the US, Canada and South East Asia.

While the full list of universities has not been revealed, iDefense says they share a common interest in research on underwater warfare technology - particularly the launching of submarine missiles.

The attackers used a technique called "spear phishing", which involved sending emails that were made to look like they had been sent by other universities, but which contained malware that allowed the hackers to access stored research.
"If a university is operating with classified material it should operate to the same standards as the government," Ewan Lawson, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), told the BBC.
"But the reality of a lot of this is that [the hackers] are not necessarily going after classified material. They may be trying to identify who the researchers are, who the key thinkers are."

Many of the institutes targeted had ties to the largest hub of oceanographic research in the US, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
This in turn has strong ties to the US Navy. It is likely that the centre had been breached, according to iDefense.

The analysts behind the report say they have "moderate to high confidence" that the perpetrator of the hacks is a known Chinese group called Mudcarp, which goes by other names including Temp.Periscope and Leviathan.
They came to this conclusion after analysing the malware sent to the universities, and finding indicators associated with Mudcarp's previous activity.
"Any technology or program that involves the delivery or launching of a payload from a submerged submarine, or undersea autonomous vehicles, is of high interest to Mudcarp," the report says.
The group's connection to the Chinese government is not certain.

Chinese officials have not immediately responded to a request for comment from the BBC.
The country has previously denied state-sponsored hacking efforts.
In 2015 it labelled allegations that Chinese hackers had breached the US Office of Personnel Management "irresponsible and unscientific".

This follows a separate investigation by security firm FireEye, which similarly found evidence that a Chinese group - which it calls APT 40 - has pursued information relating to maritime technologies over the course of several years.
FireEye says it has also observed "specific targeting of countries strategically important to the Belt and Road Initiative", including Germany, the US and the UK.
The Belt and Road Initiative is an ambitious plan by the Chinese government that encompasses new global trade routes, across land and water.

According to Mr Lawson, Chinese cyber-espionage efforts to gather information about potential future naval routes is "unsurprising", particularly if the nation is seeking details on the underwater attack capabilities of other countries.
"If you're trying to keep you adversaries from as far as your shores as possible, having some understanding of their abilities to attack you [from] subsurface makes sense."
"Is the West trying to do the same with Chinese military technology? I wouldn't bet my money against it."

Links :

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Ocean life in 3-D: Mapping phytoplankton with a smart AUV

An artist's visualization of Harald in the ocean, detecting and measuring chlorophyll a as an indication of phytoplankton amounts and locations.

Image: David Fierstein and Arild Hareide

From Gemini Search by Nancy Bazilchuk

Phytoplankton form the base of the marine food chain but are notoriously difficult for scientists to account for — a little like trying to identify and count motes of dust in the air.
A truly independent underwater vehicle shows it can do the job.

Trygve Olav Fossum watched an orange, torpedo-shaped instrument slide off the R/V Gunnerus and plop into the coastal waters near the island called Runde.
It was June 2017 and Fossum, a PhD candidate at NTNU, was part of a team of researchers trying to find answers to a vexing problem.

Runde, a triangle-shaped island off the mid-Norwegian coast, is known for its large seabird populations, including Atlantic puffins and Northern Gannets.

In recent years, bird numbers here and in much of the North Atlantic have dropped precipitously.
No one knows quite why.

As a first step in their search for clues, NTNU researchers had assembled an interdisciplinary team of geologists, biologists, mathematicians, computer scientists and engineers, like Fossum, whose two metre-long autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) would contribute to one of the most unusual pieces of information on the Gunnerus’s week-long survey.

Harald the smart AUV off on its hunt for phytoplankton patches.

Photo: Trygve Fossum, NTNU

Fossum’s AUV, named after the Norwegian oceanographer Harald Sverdrup, would collect information that allowed scientists to make a 3-D map of hot spots of phytoplankton.
These are the tiny single-celled algal cells at the base of the food chain.
Their microscopic size and tendency to collect in patches have made this information nearly impossible for biologists to gather in the past.

The AUV was programmed to think on the go — “seeing” where the phytoplankton were, choosing its own course to zoom in on patches in an area to get a better sample.
Scientists call this “adaptive sampling.” The 3-D maps, in turn, could provide important clues as to why bird populations around Runde were plummeting.

Puffins, photographed on Runde Island during early summer.

Populations of puffins and other seabirds that nest on Runde’s steep cliffs have dropped dramatically in recent years.

Photo: Rick Strimbeck/NTNU

Zooplankton eat phytoplankton.
Little fish eat zooplankton.
Bigger fish eat the smaller fish.
Finally, seabirds like puffins feast on these patches of fish.
If something was changing phytoplankton amounts or distribution, it could set off a chain reaction that could affect the birds.

Having a smart AUV that can be programmed to seek out phytoplankton patches “is a complete game-changer,” says Geir Johnsen, an NTNU biologist is collaborating on the project.
The results from Harald’s tour in the waters off Runde were recently reported in Science Robotics.

The map is a screenshot that illustrates typical boat traffic near the island of Runde, which is indicated with the orange arrow.

Runde island with the GeoGarage platform (NHS nautical chart)

Large areas of unknown, and concentrated patches of fecundity

Marine biologists face a fundamental problem.
The ocean is deep, broad and generally poorly understood.
Some areas are more interesting than others, especially the small, concentrated areas that teem with life, such as coastal waters or the places where currents meet.
To do their job, biologists need to understand what factors make some patches of ocean fertile while others are not.

Biologists describe this situation as, well, “patchiness,” Fossum said.
The patchiness of phytoplankton is related to a number of different biophysical interactions, such as currents, turbulence and mixing, and biological processes, like how many other creatures are eating the phytoplankton.

“That means it’s a very hard question to figure out what controls the patchiness of these organisms in the ocean,” Fossum said.

Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of Ceratium spp., one of the main types of phytoplankton being studied off Runde.

Photo: NTB scanpix Science Photo Library

Even if you are in a place that’s known to be a hot spot, patchiness can make it difficult to accurately quantify marine organisms in the area, especially if you are taking samples from a research boat, says Glaucia Fragoso, a postdoc at NTNU’s Department of Biology who was on the cruise with Fossum.

“If we drop our sampler in the wrong spot, we may undersample and underestimate phytoplankton numbers,” she said.
“Or if we drop our sampler right in the middle of a patch, we can overestimate.”

Why patches are where they are

That’s what makes the adaptive sampling of Harald, the AUV, so unique, Fragoso said.
Given an area to explore, it can make a 3-D map of phytoplankton patches.
And knowing where patches are allows scientists to study other characteristics of that area so they better understand why the patches are where they are.

“Is the (phytoplankton) concentration there because of salinity?” said Fossum.
“Maybe the phytoplankton are concentrated along a temperature or salinity layer, or maybe there is some other physical effect that is keeping them where they are?”

Knowing where and why phytoplankton aggregate and cluster in different ways can help answer questions about creatures that depend on the ocean for food, like the seabirds at Runde.

Seabirds typically nest in areas where they have easy access to food, since they have to feed themselves and their chicks, too.
So figuring out phytoplankton amounts and where they are, in combination with other measurements, may help explain larger trends in seabird populations.
Adaptive sampling for greater detail

Harald was programmed with a sophisticated brain and equipped with a special measuring device called an ECOpuck nestled in its backside.
When Fossum released it into the water that June day, Harald would roam the ocean’s depths in an area bounded by a 700×700 metre box, collecting information to make a 3-D map of phytoplankton.

The ECOpuck doesn’t actually measure phytoplankton itself, but something called chlorophyll a fluorescence.
Phytoplankton use chlorophyll a pigments in the process of photosynthesis, and the substance fluoresces red when exposed to light.
The ECOpuck detects the fluorescence, which can indicate how much phytoplankton biomass is found in the water.

At the start of the AUV’s journey, it takes measurements on the sides of the box and then gradually zooms into the area outlined by the box as it detects the region that seems to have the most chlorophyll a, Fossum says

“It boxes in a volume of water and based on what it sees, it estimates what is inside,” he said.
“Then it plans a route for inside and makes a map of the most interesting region.
What I really want from this is an accurate map, with the accuracy where it is most needed — where the plankton aggregation is high.”

The researchers also relied on other sampling methods to collect even more information about plankton around Runde, including a special camera that took pictures of individual plankton, and counted and identified them automatically to help verify the results from the AUV.
A future for ships and AUVs

In spite of the success of the AUV, Fossum and others explain that biologists still need to gather information from other sources — like research cruises aboard the R/V Gunnerus.

“Oceanography is moving towards combined efforts to collect data, where robotic sampling is an essential part, providing capabilities and resolution that were previously unattainable with traditional methods,” Fossum said.
“The ultimate goal is to effectively measure the impact of climate change in the ecosystem, for example.”

Fossum says there’s a need for much more persistent monitoring of Norway’s coasts, marine protected areas, and fragile habitats.

“The goal is to eventually automate much more of this work, but we are not aiming to replace ships, they are still vital in this endeavour,” he said.

NTNU biologist Geir Johnsen works on a piece of equipment on a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) that was also used on the Runde cruise.

Photo: Glaucia Fragoso, NTNU

The mystery remains

For her part, Fragoso sees the value of having an AUV like Harald to help pinpoint where she and other biologists should conduct more detailed sampling.

“Phytoplankton are just not easy to sample because they are constantly responding to an ever-changing environment,” she said.
“This gives us a lot of additional information about how phytoplankton occur in the water column.
And the more information we have, the better.”

As for the mystery of the birds on Runde, Fossum and Johnsen say scientists need to do more research over a longer period.
For example, the timing of food availability is very important for both fish and birds.

“Birds need to find food especially when their chicks are hatching, and the fish need to be the right species and size for seabirds to survive,” Johnsen says.
“Climate change and pollution are now rapidly altering conditions in the marine ecosystem, and we need to know more.”

“We took a snapshot of that area, which tells us something about the current ecosystem at that time,” Fossum added.
“But we’ll need to go back and get another snapshot to detect changes and identify potential causes to say something about why the birds are declining.”

Check out this video for a look at Runde and Harald the smart AUV’s brother Fridtjof in action :

The island of Runde, off the Norwegian coast near the town of Ålesund, is a well known paradise for seabirds, such as puffins.

But in recent years, seabird numbers here and in the North Atlantic have plummeted.

A team of researchers from NTNU and a smart autonomous underwater vehicle named Harald are on the hunt for clues as to why.

Links :

ScienceMag : Toward adaptive robotic sampling of phytoplankton in the coastal ocean.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Xprize finalists test new technologies for $1M NOAA bonus prize

From NOAA

Unmanned Tools Track Underwater Sources Of Chemical And Biological Signals

As the world’s leader in designing and managing incentive competitions to solve humanity’s grand challenges, XPRIZE announced this week that the three finalist teams competing for the $1 million Bonus Prize sponsored by NOAA, in its Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, have tested their technologies in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

The $1M NOAA Bonus Prize is part of the $7M Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, a three-year global competition challenging teams to advance ocean technologies for rapid, unmanned and high-resolution ocean exploration.
To win the NOAA portion of the prize, competing teams need to demonstrate that their technology can identify and track, or “sniff out,” a specified object in the ocean by tracing a biological or chemical signal to its source.
The development of such technologies can help detect sources of pollution, identify hydrothermal vents and methane seeps, as well as track marine life for scientific research and conservation efforts.
The winning devices could also be used to identify and track signals from sunken vessels including planes, ships, or submarines in the future.

“The NOAA Bonus Prize teams are developing exciting, pioneering technologies that will help us uncover the mysteries of the ocean,” said Jyotika Virmani, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE.
“Having the opportunity to bring these teams, and their technologies, to beautiful Puerto Rico as originally planned is a win-win for everyone involved, and we were delighted to be able to work with our local partners.”

“XPRIZE represents the rapid scientific progress that can be gained through successful public-private partnerships,” said United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
“Moreover, this competition plays a dual role: potentially providing NOAA with invaluable tools to oversee the health of our oceans, while also demonstrating the resilience of local Puerto Rican communities in the aftermath of the tragic hurricanes of 2017.”

The final field test fulfills XPRIZE’s commitment to Puerto Rico, after initial plans to host its round one field tests for the Ocean Discovery XPRIZE were cancelled due to the destruction and devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017.
Between January 20 to February 2, the finalist teams showcased their technologies by trying to detect and track a plume from two sources in a test zone established off the south coast of Ponce.

Advancing blue economy

“New technologies that can detect and trace chemical and biological signals in the ocean is another stunning achievement in expanding the blue economy,” said retired Navy Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, Ph.D., acting under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at NOAA.
“This great public-private partnership supports NOAA’s critical mission to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.”

For this final field test, XPRIZE partnered with the Government of Puerto Rico, the Port of Ponce Authority, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and its Department of Marine Science in La Parguera, the United States Coast Guard, the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CARICOOS), Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club, and multiple other government, nonprofit and commercial organizations to provide additional support technology, vessels, and logistical assistance.

“We are committed to providing the infrastructure and logistics to support the demonstration of new and exciting technologies, and at the same time show the scientific world the many benefits Puerto Rico offers as an attractive destination for research and innovation,” said Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló.
“Puerto Rico’s privileged location in the Caribbean makes it the ideal destination to carry out world-class research.”

The NOAA Bonus Prize finalists who opted to compete for this Prize were initially chosen by an independent judging panel of seven experts as semi-finalists for the Ocean Discovery XPRIZE.

Team Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers, one of the finalist teams competing in Puerto Rico for the $1M Bonus Prize sponsored by NOAA, in the $7M Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE

(Photo: Business Wire)

Teams in the final round include:

- BangaloreRobotics (Bangalore, Karnataka, India) – Led by Dr. Venkatesh Gurappa, this international team of students and enthusiasts from across the world share the common interest of making the world safe for human and other life forms through technology.
BangaloreRobotics’s goal is to create intelligent and autonomous robots that can replace human presence in hazardous areas.
The team is developing innovative and low-cost Underwater Swarm AUVs.

- Ocean Quest (San Jose, CA, United States) – Led by Danny Kim, Quest Institute has a long track record of taking on the most challenging endeavors in science and technology for the purposes of education and inspiring the next generation of leaders.
Quest is looking to innovate in the deep oceans arena to help foster not only new technology and techniques, but make ocean exploration and education accessible to the students around the world.
The team endeavors to design a marine STEM platform for students worldwide to enable project-based learning with new technology and techniques.

- Tampa Deep Sea X-plorers (Tampa, FL, United States) – Led by Edward Larson, the Tampa Deep-Sea X-plorers are an LLC registered in the state of Florida for the purpose of competing in the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE.
The team seeks to harness the talents and resources of Central Florida's academic and business communities to design and build a viable solution to win the competition.
The team is using existing technology and side scanning sonar on multiple AUVs.

In addition to announcing its field test operations in Puerto Rico, XPRIZE also formed a new partnership with Ocean Infinity, the seabed survey and ocean exploration company that is credited for finding ARA San Juan, the Argentine Navy submarine which was lost on November 15, 2017.
The partnership will provide XPRIZE with the highest-resolution ocean seafloor maps of the competition area.
Combined with data from XPRIZE partner Fugro, these maps form the baseline against which teams’ technologies will be judged for the Grand Prize of the Ocean Discovery XPRIZE.

The winners of the NOAA Bonus XPRIZE as well as the Grand Prize winner(s) of the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE will be announced by June 2019.

For more information, visit oceandiscovery.xprize.org.

About XPRIZE

XPRIZE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the global leader in designing and implementing innovative competition models to solve the world’s grandest challenges.
Active competitions include the Lunar XPRIZE, the $20M NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, the $15M Global Learning XPRIZE, the $10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE, the $7M Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, the $7M Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE, and the $5M IBM Watson AI XPRIZE.
For more information, visit xprize.org.

Links :