The technique of underwater acoustic localization (UAL) is widely used to track submerged targets. In the present study, we consider UAL in the specific application of locating the Mediterranean slipper lobster, Scyllarides latus (S. latus), for the aim of continuous and long-term investigation of its movement patterns. Since visual inspections only offer a snapshot to the life of these nocturnal crustaceans, we used underwater acoustic tags and deployed the first testbed to track a community of S. latus through UAL. The testbed included 19 acoustically tagged S. latus, as well as a sensor network of four receivers that record the time-of-arrival of detected tag's emissions. The testbed operated for six months, and the data collected were analyzed offline. In this paper, we describe the design details of our testbed. We discuss the considerations in choosing both the type of acoustic tags and the structure of the testbed. We also present our algorithm to time synchronize the receivers, and the localization procedure. Our preliminary results show that, for this long-term deployment, the widely used model of clock offset for the receivers is too simplified, and that time synchronization must consider also the clock's skew. We also show that the tagged lobsters are mostly detected by fewer than three receivers, thereby making localization using traditional trilateration methods highly challenging. Finally, preliminary results for the localization of the tagged lobsters in the deployment area are presented.

中文翻译：

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使用声学标记追踪龙虾：试验台描述

水声定位（UAL）技术被广泛用于跟踪水下目标。在本研究中，我们考虑 UAL 在定位地中海拖鞋龙虾 Scylarides latus (S. latus) 的具体应用，目的是对其运动模式进行持续和长期调查。由于目视检查只能提供这些夜间甲壳类动物生活的快照，因此我们使用水下声学标签并部署了第一个测试平台，以通过 UAL 跟踪 S. latus 群落。测试台包括 19 个声学标记的 S. latus，以及一个由四个接收器组成的传感器网络，用于记录检测到的标签发射的到达时间。试验台运行了六个月，对收集到的数据进行离线分析。在本文中，我们描述了我们测试平台的设计细节。我们讨论了选择声学标签类型和测试台结构的考虑因素。我们还介绍了我们的算法来同步接收器和定位程序。我们的初步结果表明，对于这种长期部署，广泛使用的接收机时钟偏移模型过于简化，时间同步还必须考虑时钟偏差。我们还表明，带标签的龙虾大多被少于三个的接收器检测到，因此使用传统的三边测量方法进行定位极具挑战性。最后，介绍了在部署区域中定位标记龙虾的初步结果。和本地化程序。我们的初步结果表明，对于这种长期部署，广泛使用的接收机时钟偏移模型过于简化，时间同步还必须考虑时钟偏差。我们还表明，带标签的龙虾大多被少于三个的接收器检测到，因此使用传统的三边测量方法进行定位极具挑战性。最后，介绍了在部署区域中定位标记龙虾的初步结果。和本地化程序。我们的初步结果表明，对于这种长期部署，广泛使用的接收机时钟偏移模型过于简化，时间同步还必须考虑时钟偏差。我们还表明，带标签的龙虾大多被少于三个的接收器检测到，因此使用传统的三边测量方法进行定位极具挑战性。最后，介绍了在部署区域中定位标记龙虾的初步结果。从而使使用传统的三边测量方法进行定位极具挑战性。最后，介绍了在部署区域中定位标记龙虾的初步结果。从而使使用传统三边测量方法的定位极具挑战性。最后，介绍了在部署区域中定位标记龙虾的初步结果。