Photo By Joseph Bullinger | 250513-N-GB257-1005 Charleston, SC (May 13, 2025) Naval Information Warfare Center...... read more read more
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic launched its first in a series of buoys into the Charleston Harbor on May 13 as part of a new prototype effort to advance state-of-the-art technologies for the warfighter in distributed maritime sensing.
It was the first public display of collaboration between the Navy lab and South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) since both organizations signed an agreement earlier this year to bolster joint research and development (R&D) in the maritime domain.
The new partnership will directly impact the research, testing and evaluation of a burgeoning initiative at NIWC Atlantic called Tactical Integrated Data Ecosystem (TIDE). Confined to a small network of buoys for now, TIDE will be a modular and reconfigurable capability with the goal of providing warfighters an alternative form of maritime battlespace awareness.
“Through this new collaboration, research scientists and engineers from both organizations can be exposed to ideas that reveal the art of the possible, especially in the realm of novel sensing and data transmission,” said Capt. Matt O’Neal, NIWC Atlantic commanding officer.
“For NIWC Atlantic, we know that innovative technology solutions developed and delivered to the fleet can increase maritime awareness and warfighter lethality,” O’Neal added. “As the Navy continues leading the Joint Force in operationalizing robotic and autonomous systems, our R&D efforts have deep implications for the data pipelines we develop and the unmanned capabilities from industry that we procure and integrate.”
The buoy now floating in the Charleston Harbor is one of several NIWC Atlantic-designed buoys that will be deployed over the next several months.
NIWC Atlantic plans to research and evaluate assured data backhaul options in the afloat and ashore maritime domains through the establishment of “mesh networks,” which enable data-sharing and communications through a decentralized system of sensors and radio equipment.
From its base in the Lowcountry on James Island, the Marine Resources Division of SCDNR is responsible for the management, research, conservation and routine monitoring of South Carolina’s marine and estuarine resources.
SCDNR plans to leverage its collaboration with NIWC Atlantic to collect and analyze acoustic data from the harbor for marine research, including the movement patterns of red drum.
“From our perspective this is a win-win, demonstrating how military initiatives such as TIDE can be adapted to civilian uses,” said Associate Marine Scientist Joey Ballenger, manager of SCDNR’s Inshore Fisheries Section. “Leveraging the capabilities being developed as part of the TIDE initiative and coupling them with civilian acoustic telemetry technology is allowing for SCDNR to be more responsive stewards of South Carolina’s natural resources.”
Ballenger also noted that, while initially focused on studying the movement ecology of red drum, his hope is SCDNR’s partnership with NIWC Atlantic will lead to additional collaboration in the future.
Wil Gilland, TIDE’s lead engineer at NIWC Atlantic who helped launch the prototype buoy earlier this month, said the partnership mutually benefits both organizations.
“NIWC Atlantic shares a common goal with SCDNR in the maritime domain,” he said. “Navy commanders must collect, process and disseminate critical information at sea, just like SCDNR finds tremendous value in obtaining data that can help preserve natural resources.”
TIDE’s open architecture uses existing R&D investments across the Department of Defense to enable the rapid integration of sensors on a modular buoy system with immediate and distributed connectivity. The future state of TIDE will be an environment of interoperable maritime technologies in which stakeholders can plug-and-play to rapidly integrate systems on the network.
“TIDE platforms offer a scalable and cost-effective solution for expanding system deployments and creating a resilient, far-reaching, line-of-sight communication network,” said Will Fontaine, NIWC Atlantic’s TIDE project manager. “With every new external partnership, we hope to develop realistic simulations of secure information flowing to stakeholders based on need-to-know and privileges.”
With a Charleston workforce of nearly 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers, program managers and support staff, NIWC Atlantic is one of several dozen naval R&D labs that supports national security through the development, testing, fielding and sustainment of existing and emerging technologies.
In addition to its partnership with SCDNR, NIWC Atlantic plans to seek opportunities for collaboration in the maritime domain with other local, state and federal entities in the Charleston area.
About NIWC Atlantic
As a part of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, NIWC Atlantic provides systems engineering and acquisition to deliver information warfare capabilities to the naval, joint and national warfighter through the acquisition, development, integration, production, test, deployment, and sustainment of interoperable command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, cyber and information technology capabilities.
About South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
SCDNR is the state agency responsible for protecting and managing South Carolina’s natural and cultural resources, from fish and wildlife to plants and special places. With over 1,100 employees working across all 46 counties, SCDNR is the principal advocate for and steward of South Carolina’s natural resources.
| Date Taken: | 05.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.27.2025 11:35 |
| Story ID: | 498937 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 245 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NIWC Atlantic, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Partner on Maritime Research, by Steve Ghiringhelli, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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