Ship-to-Shore Network Monitoring: The Research Vessel Sikuliaq Experience

Real-time network monitoring is essential for ensuring reliable and efficient scientific data transmission and operational continuity during oceanographic research expeditions. This article describes the deployment and operational experience of a perfSONAR-based network performance monitoring system aboard the research vessel Sikuliaq from the U.S. Academic Research Fleet during a cyberinfrastructure training expedition in April 2025. We describe the system architecture, deployment strategies, and integration with contextual environmental data collected using the CORIOLIX data presence framework. We analyze the empirical results from ship-to-shore network tests to assess system performance under varying maritime conditions during the cruise. The article further discusses practical challenges encountered, system adaptations implemented, and future directions to advance resilient cyberinfrastructure support for mobile research platforms, such as research vessels.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Cyberinfrastructure Compass project (NSF Award 2127548) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks/Sikuliaq Oceanographic Technical Services of the U.S Academic Research Fleet (NSF Award 2421881). We gratefully acknowledge the NSF FABRIC Testbed (NSF Award 2330891) for providing infrastructure resources used for this deployment.