Omnitech Electronics designed and manufactured an onboard, distributed magnetic measurement system which was installed on CFAV Quest to monitor the ship's magnetic signature and degaussing coil influence in real-time. The system was installed and operated for data collection and research as part of DRDC's contribution to the international RIMPASSE ship signature management trial [1].

Overview

OMMS consists of an array of seventeen orientation-compensated digital tri-axial magnetometers distributed at monitoring points throughout the ship. Sensors are daisy-chained together in groups and each group is wired to a central data collection and processing unit (DCU) in the ship's science bay or data center. Wherever possible, existing network cabling is used for power and data communications between the DCU and the sensors.

Auxiliary Data

In addition to the magnetic data, OMMS can use auxiliary input modules to measure the current in the vessel’s degaussing coils and other ancillary data sensors. All data is sampled simultaneously and synchronized with UTC via a GPS NMEA-0183 and a pulse per second feed. The DCU can be configured to record ship position, heading, and other data feeds into a single, synchronous datastream thereby ensuring the integrity and completeness required for advanced data analysis.

Data Processing

Data from the OMMS is distributed to processing clients over Ethernet and, as an option, recorded to solid-state storage within the DCU. Processing clients can detect changes in a ship's magnetic influence and/or make real-time compensations through degaussing coils to minimize the ship's signature for heading and geo-location.

RIMPASSE and Other Trials

CFAV Quest participated in RIMPASSE where OMMS collected magnetic measurements at more than sixteen measurement facilities and locations in seven countries. This data was shared with participating nations and approved third party partners.

CFAV Quest was decommissioned shortly after the RIMPASSE trials. The OMMS equipment was removed and has since been installed on two other platforms for collecting magnetic measurement from distributed sensors. The simplifed wiring and installation requirements of OMMS make it a good candidate for quick

References

[1] Z.A. Daya, (2018), The international RIMPASSE ship signature management trial, A close-out report of DRDC engagement in RIMPASSE - ANNEX P" (DRDC-RDDC-2018-D009), DRDC - Atlantic Research Centre