Ocean, Atmosphere and Space (OAS) (Code 32)

Note: Visit the "Job Seekers" page for current employment opportunities.

The department consists of two large divisions, Sensing and Systems and Processes and Prediction, of integrated, multidisciplinary programs in naval environments, undersea warfare, and related subjects.

The department focuses its S & T programs in the areas of:

Battlespace Environments - (BSE): Observing, modeling, and predicting both small and large scale processes in the air/ocean/shore environments. It contains the traditional oceanographic and meteorological disciplines and encompasses: Environmental Processes, Sensors/Data, Model Development, Data Assimilation and Information Exploitation, and Validation Studies.

Anti-Submarine Warfare - (ASW): Detecting, localizing, and classifying submarines with active and passive acoustics as well as non-acoustic means. These are enhanced by automated data fusion and coupling with environmental understanding and modeling. Encompasses: Cooperative ASW, Wide-Area ASW Surveillance, and Battlegroup ASW Defense. This investment area includes the Littoral ASW Future Naval Capability effort.
(For platforms or weapons see Engineering, Materials and Physical Department)

Mine Warfare - (MIW): Detecting, localizing, identifying, and neutralizing mines in both the ocean and littoral environment, and improving offensive mining capabilities. Also includes Naval Special Warfare/Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Encompasses: Organic Minehunting (Sensing/Processing), Mine/Obstacle Neutralization, Sweeping/Jamming, Mining, and Advanced Force Operations. This investment area includes the Organic Mine Countermeasures FNC effort.

The department's science and technology interests include:

• understanding and synthesis of littoral and selected open ocean air and/or ocean processes at high resolution of space & time scales as they impact naval operations
• real time environmentally adaptive sensors, processing, systems and strategies
• development and use (e.g. data assimilation) of distributed and autonomous ocean systems
• exploitation of multispectral and broadband sensors, both undersea & remote, for maritime ISR, ASW & MIW
• assimilation of multiple and varied data streams into predictive models and simulations
• innovative approaches that don't require complete or perfect knowledge to model building and to simulations of complex environments including interactions with systems
• innovative ways to evaluate performance of assimilation, model and simulation methods
• lightweight, broadband acoustic sources and volumetric arrays
• space technology for ocean and atmosphere remote sensing
• new classification algorithms providing next generation capability for open architecture systems
• automated target recognition signal processing for highly cluttered undersea environments.

Highlighted Projects:

• Airborne Remote Optical Spotlighting System (AROSS)
• Battlespace Preparation Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (BPAUV)
• Surf Zone Crawler Reconnaissance
• Littoral Remote Sensing (LRS)
• Semi-Autonomous Hydrographic Reconnaissance Vehicle (SAHRV)

Opportunities:

• BAA 04-018: Persistent Littoral Undersea Surveillance. White papers due 18 Jun 2004, full proposals due 20 Aug 2004
• Employment at the Office of Naval Research
• The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program awards about 100 fellowships annually in areas of interest to DOD. They allow the recipients to pursue research opportunities at universities of their own choosing.
• OAS Planning Letter Requests under:
  
  • Broad Agency Announcement
  • Multiple Award IDIQ Task Order Contracts
    
• Special Research Awards in Ocean Acoustics
• Navy SBIR/STTR Database
• ONR Broad Agency Announcements and other funding opportunities

Reference:

• Careers In Oceanography and Marine Related Fields

Additional Resources:

• ONR's "Oceanography" FOCUS Site for Students and Teachers
• ONR Global (ONRG)
• National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP)
  
  • FY03 Annual Project Reports - (those funded by Ocean, Atmosphere, Space)
  • FY02 Annual Project Reports - (those funded by Ocean, Atmosphere, Space)
  • FY01 Annual Project Reports - (those funded by Ocean, Atmosphere, Space)
  • FY00 Annual Project Reports - (those funded by Ocean, Atmosphere, Space)
  • Annual NOPP Program Reports to the U.S. Congress
  • National Oceanographic Partnership Program - Broad Agency Announcements (BAA)
  • Federal Oceanographic Facilities Charter
  • Ocean US Memorandum of Agreement
    
• Research Vessels / Remote Sensor Platforms
• Document submission form
  
  

Documents on this page with a .pdf extension, may require the Adobe Reader.

Points of Contact
Department Head (acting)
Phone: 703-696-4125
E-mail: 32_Contact@onr.navy.mil

Deputy
Phone: 703-696-5123
E-mail: 32_Contact@onr.navy.mil