FloatCast Home Page
Contents
About
FloatCast is a software tool that aids control of autonomous, buoyancy- controlled floats used in ocean sampling. FloatCast optimizes float dive commands based on analysis of float trajectory predictions that are informed by surface flow forecasting. This website contains information for active float control derived from outputs of this software. Included below are the results of some ocean surface flow forecasts, float trajectory predictions, and optimized float command instruction files. These outputs are organized by FloatCast running conditions.
This work is ongoing.
Acknowledgments
This work is done in collaboration with Zoltan Szuts, Thomas Curtin, and Trevor Harrison from the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory, and is supported by ONR grant number N000142112343. For questions, please contact Joseph Tolone: jtolone@umd.edu (University of Maryland, College Park). Joseph Tolone is advised by Derek A. Paley from the University of Maryland, College Park Collective Dynamics and Control Laboratory.
How to Use this Website
The most recent float command file(s) for the active deployment are linked below under "Latest Float Commands". These command file(s) are also posted in the historical logs below with some additional prediction plots. In these logs, FloatCast outputs are grouped according to deployment and software running conditions. Prediction plots, suggested float commands, and other information generated by the FloatCast software are available in each link. The posted output plots and files are updated with each use of FloatCast.
Latest Float Commands
The most recent float command file(s) are linked below. Last updated: 03-Nov-2025 19:53:34 (UTC).
Guam: Arcterx2 Deployment -- Optimized Dive Commands
Active from February 2025 to present. This deployment was off the coast of Guam in the Philippine Sea. Optimization of dive commands was performed here, under the constraint that all deep dive depths were set as 2,000 meters.
Guam: Arcterx2 Deployment -- Fixed Dive Commands
Active from February 2025 to present. This deployment was off the coast of Guam in the Philippine Sea. Below are outputs of FloatCast where commands were fixed to 1,000 meter park depth, approximately 4-day dive duration, with deep dive depth of 2,000 meters.