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Advances in Underwater Positioning and Navigation Technology
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Advances in Underwater Positioning and Navigation Technology

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 September 2025 | Viewed by 3296

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Qiuying Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Underwater Acoustic Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: multi-source information fusion; inertial navigation; integrated navigation; indoor positioning; collaborative navigation
Dr. Đula Nađ

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory for Underwater Systems and Technologies (LABUST), Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER), University of Zagreb (UNIZG), Unska ulica 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: marine robotics; underwater navigation and control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The realm of underwater exploration and operations has been transformed by significant advancements in positioning and navigation technologies. This Special Issue is dedicated to capturing the latest research, innovations, and practical applications in underwater positioning and navigation. As the need for precise navigation systems grows in fields such as marine resource exploration, environmental monitoring, and underwater construction, this issue invites contributions from researchers, academics, and industry experts. The focus is on cutting-edge technologies, including acoustic positioning systems, inertial navigation, diver navigation, and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) navigation. It aims to showcase breakthroughs in sensor integration, algorithm development, and real-time data processing to improve precision and reliability. By tackling challenges such as dynamic water conditions, complex underwater terrain, and attenuation and scattering of sound wave propagation, this Special Issue aspires to be a comprehensive resource for enhancing the capabilities and applications of underwater navigation systems worldwide. Through collaboration and the sharing of insights, this Special Issue aims to advance technology, promoting safer and more efficient underwater operations. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Advanced acoustic positioning systems;
  • Inertial navigation technologies;
  • Sensor fusion and integration techniques;
  • Real-time data processing algorithms;
  • Advanced navigation algorithms for AUVs;
  • Advanced navigation solutions for divers;
  • Navigation solutions for complex underwater terrains;
  • Techniques to mitigate environmental interference;
  • Signal processing and attenuation challenges;
  • Machine learning and AI applications in underwater navigation;
  • Collaborative navigation strategies and networked operations among multiple AUVs.

Dr. Qiuying Wang
Dr. Đula Nađ
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • underwater navigation
  • acoustic positioning
  • inertial navigation
  • diver navigation
  • autonomous underwater vehicles (auvs)
  • integrated navigation
  • real-time processing
  • machine learning
  • signal attenuation
  • collaborative navigation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 1574 KiB  
Article
An Underwater Localization Algorithm Based on the Internet of Vessels
by Ziqi Wang, Ying Guo, Fei Li, Yuhang Chen and Jiyan Wei
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(3), 535; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13030535 - 11 Mar 2025
Viewed by 377
Abstract
Localization is vital and fundamental for underwater sensor networks. However, the field still faces several challenges, such as the difficulty of accurately deploying beacon nodes, high deployment costs, imprecise underwater ranging, and limited node energy. To overcome these challenges, we propose a crowdsensing-based [...] Read more.
Localization is vital and fundamental for underwater sensor networks. However, the field still faces several challenges, such as the difficulty of accurately deploying beacon nodes, high deployment costs, imprecise underwater ranging, and limited node energy. To overcome these challenges, we propose a crowdsensing-based underwater localization algorithm (CSUL) by leveraging the computational and localization resources of vessels. The algorithm is composed of three stages: crowdsensing, denoising, and aggregation-based optimization. In the crowdsensing stage, nodes transmit localization requests, which are received by vessels and broadcasted to nearby vessels. Using concentric circle calculations, the localization problem is transformed from a three-dimensional space to a two-dimensional plane. An initial set of potential node locations, termed the concentric circle center set, is derived based on a time threshold. The denoising stage employs a Density-Based Noise Removal (DBNR) algorithm to eliminate noise caused by vessel mobility, environmental complexity, and the time threshold, thereby improving localization accuracy. Finally, in the aggregation-based optimization stage, the denoised node location set is refined using a centroid-based approximate triangulation (CBAT) algorithm to determine the final node location. Simulation results indicate that the proposed method achieves high localization coverage without requiring anchor nodes and significantly improves localization accuracy. Additionally, since all localization computations are carried out by vessels, node energy consumption is greatly reduced, effectively extending the network’s lifetime. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Underwater Positioning and Navigation Technology)
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19 pages, 7892 KiB  
Article
Horizontal Refraction Effects of Sound Propagation Within Continental Shelf Slope Environment: Modeling and Theoretical Analysis
by Jinci Wang, Bo Lei, Yixin Yang and Jianbo Zhou
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(2), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13020217 - 23 Jan 2025
Viewed by 781
Abstract
Horizontal refraction notably influences propagation characteristics with the variation of the waveguide environment. In this study, the horizontal refraction phenomenon at low frequencies was investigated in a sloping sea region with an incomplete vertical sound speed profile. Using the mode coupling theory, this [...] Read more.
Horizontal refraction notably influences propagation characteristics with the variation of the waveguide environment. In this study, the horizontal refraction phenomenon at low frequencies was investigated in a sloping sea region with an incomplete vertical sound speed profile. Using the mode coupling theory, this research explores the relationship between horizontal refraction and energy exchange among modes, examining the impact of environmental conditions on the horizontal refraction angle. Theoretical derivations and numerical simulations reveal the mechanisms by which the source depth and modal order influence the horizontal refraction. The analysis indicates that the horizontal refraction angle increases with the modal order when the real part of the horizontal wavenumber km at the source position is less than the wavenumber ks. In this situation, the horizontal refraction angle corresponding to the same modal order does not vary with the source depth. However, if the real part of km is larger than ks, then the horizontal refraction angle decreases as the source depth increases. This condition is due to the extremely small eigenfunction value at source depth of the low-order mode, thereby enhancing the mode coupling effect. The mode coupling is intimately associated with the mode excited by the source. Therefore, the source depth exerts a substantial influence on the horizontal refraction. Under these conditions, the modal order has a negligible effect on the horizontal refraction angle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Underwater Positioning and Navigation Technology)
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19 pages, 6184 KiB  
Article
Ghost Discrimination Method for Broadband Direct Position Determination Based on Frequency Coloring Technology
by Mengling Yu, Long Yang, Yixin Yang, Xionghou Liu and Lu Wang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(12), 2182; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12122182 - 28 Nov 2024
Viewed by 711
Abstract
Recently proposed direct position determination (DPD) methods have garnered considerable interest in passive localization due to their excellent positioning accuracy. However, in multiple-target environments, error locations generated by wrong associations between different targets and arrays, called ghosts, may lead to incorrect estimations of [...] Read more.
Recently proposed direct position determination (DPD) methods have garnered considerable interest in passive localization due to their excellent positioning accuracy. However, in multiple-target environments, error locations generated by wrong associations between different targets and arrays, called ghosts, may lead to incorrect estimations of the targets, reducing positioning accuracy. To address this, we propose a ghost discrimination method for broadband DPD that exploits the frequency structure differences between various targets. In the frequency coloring strategy proposed in this study, different RGB values are assigned to the spatial spectrum of different frequencies. Then, an RGB color spatial spectrum reflecting the different frequency structures of the signals is formed, which effectively distinguishes between real targets and ghosts visually and enhances multi-target localization accuracy. The probability of correctly distinguishing between targets and ghosts in the proposed method is evaluated using simulation results. It can effectively distinguish multiple targets even at a low SNR level, a significant improvement compared with the original DPD. Furthermore, the SwellEx-96 shallow-water experimental data set is utilized to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Underwater Positioning and Navigation Technology)
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19 pages, 1848 KiB  
Article
Underwater Network Time Synchronization Method Based on Probabilistic Graphical Models
by Yujie Ouyang, Yunfeng Han, Zeyu Wang and Yifei He
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(11), 2079; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12112079 - 18 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 853
Abstract
In underwater clustering and benchmark networks, nodes need to reduce the rate and energy consumption of acoustic communication while ensuring synchronization accuracy. In large-scale networks, the improvement in the efficiency of existing network time synchronization often relies on the optimization of topological structures, [...] Read more.
In underwater clustering and benchmark networks, nodes need to reduce the rate and energy consumption of acoustic communication while ensuring synchronization accuracy. In large-scale networks, the improvement in the efficiency of existing network time synchronization often relies on the optimization of topological structures, and the improvement in efficiency within local areas is limited. This paper proposes a method to synchronize underwater time using the probability graph model. The method utilizes the positional and motion status information of sensor networks to construct a factor graph model for distributed network synchronization. By simplifying the marginal probability density function of the system clock difference, it can quickly calculate the clock difference parameters of nodes, thereby effectively improve the synchronization efficiency. The experimental results show that the method can complete global time synchronization within a cycle while achieving a clock difference correction accuracy higher than seconds, which significantly optimized the synchronization cycle and efficiency, and reduced the energy consumption of the acoustic communication. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Underwater Positioning and Navigation Technology)
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