Development of a Conceptual Model for the Information and Control System of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Solving Problems in the Mineral and Raw Materials Complex

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper presents a study that can be used as an informational support for the development of a conceptual model for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) tailored for the mineral and raw materials complex. Starting from the analysis of some key elements (such pressure resistance, communication stability, energy efficiency, maneuverability etc.), the proposed model was designed using correlation analysis and expert evaluations to identify critical parameters affecting AUV efficiency and reliability.
The goal of the performed research is to identify the most critical aspects of AUV operation in underwater conditions, by performing a statistical analysis (correlation analysis) to achieve a ranking of the key parameters, highlighting those with the greatest influence/relevance.

Comments, questions and recommendations for the manuscript improvement:
- The conducted research practically carries out an opinion poll (aiming at 48 key parameters) considering a limited group of only 5 experts. Do you think that the number of experts interviewed is sufficient? Are the experts from one country or from all over the world? This last question refers to the fact that the technologies and strategies used in this field can register major differences from one country to another.
- The paper talks about Pareto diagram, Pearson's chi squared criterion, Kendall's coefficient. I think that some references regarding these terminologies would be necessary for a better understanding of the results.
- What does the red line in figure 2 represent?
- The analytical model described by relation (10) presents a lot of equations and notations. I think that each equation must be explained (commented) and the meaning of each notation/variable used in these equations must be clearly specified. In this uncommented form, the model is very difficult to understand.
- The paper states that a conceptual model of the information and control system for an AUV is being developed. What exactly do you mean when you talk about control? Line 274 says "a conceptual model of the AUV control system was constructed". Does this mean that the model also includes the control part? Is this aspect captured in the set of equations (10)? Some details would be useful regarding the control strategy. In other words: does the model include control or is it just an informational support for a next step in designing a control system?

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Authors,

Thank you for this excellent work. Kindly address the attached comments and re-submit. 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

A conceptual model is presented about the AUVs by using the AI methods.  The work is interesting. However, the validation work about their optimized model with the parameter choosing process was not provided. I think the validation must be done to make the presented model convincible. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript was revised according to the reviewers' comments. Some content was better.  I recommend it accepted after the minor Editing with the attention to the format and syns. For example, the characters in Figure 3 should be larger.

Author Response

We sincerely thank you for your constructive feedback and for recommending our manuscript for acceptance after minor editing. We appreciate your suggestions, particularly regarding the formatting and improvements to Figure 3. Below, we address your comment in detail:

1. Figure 3: We have increased the size of the characters in Figure 3 to improve readability. The updated figure is included in the revised manuscript.

2. Formatting and Syntax: We have carefully reviewed the manuscript for formatting and grammatical consistency. Any identified issues have been corrected to ensure clarity and adherence to the journal's guidelines.

We are grateful for your valuable input, which has contributed to enhancing the quality of our manuscript. We hope the revised version meets your expectations.

Thank you once again for your time and effort in reviewing our work.