boat_adaptive

ROS 2 workspace for adaptive sampling on the R/V Karin Valentine. The laptop runs the GP planner and MAVROS over the telemetry radio (or WiFi to the on-boat Odroid); the boat publishes pose + sonde + ping; the planner sends setpoints back. Originally ported from the SITL workspace at ~/workspaces/aquatic_mapping_mavros/.

Layout

boat_adaptive/
├── README.md                                  ← this file
├── docs/
│   └── boat_hardware.md                       ← udev rules, USB port order, sensor wiring
└── src/
    ├── boat_bringup/                          ← launches, URDF, RViz, glue nodes
    │   ├── launch/
    │   │   ├── exact.launch.py                    ← SITL (stationary planner)
    │   │   ├── nonstationary_exact.launch.py      ← SITL (Gibbs kernel)
    │   │   ├── boat_exact.launch.py               ← real boat (stationary)
    │   │   ├── boat_nonstationary_exact.launch.py ← real boat (Gibbs kernel)
    │   │   └── boat_preflight.launch.py           ← pre-flight only, no planner
    │   ├── scripts/
    │   │   ├── radial_field.py …               ← SITL simulated fields
    │   │   ├── mavros_tf_bridge.py             ← /mavros pose → TF
    │   │   ├── sonde_field_adapter.py          ← sonde_data → /gaussian_field/boat/temperature_noisy
    │   │   ├── ping_safety_node.py             ← shallow-depth auto-loiter
    │   │   └── preflight_checker.py            ← pre-mission health checks
    │   ├── urdf/r1_rover.urdf
    │   └── config/rviz/{default,boat}.rviz
    ├── info_gain/                             ← stationary RBF planner
    ├── nonstationary_planning/                ← Gibbs-kernel planner
    ├── ping_sonar_ros/                        ← Ping1D depth sensor driver
    ├── sonde_read/                            ← YSI ProDSS sonde driver
    └── winch/                                 ← FT232H winch controller (off in v1)

Six ROS 2 packages, one workspace, one colcon build.

Build

cd ~/workspaces/boat_adaptive
colcon build --symlink-install
source install/setup.bash

Pre-reqs: ROS 2 Jazzy, ros-jazzy-mavros, GeographicLib datasets. See docs/boat_hardware.md for the FTDI / udev / USB setup that the sensor drivers depend on. Never use --break-system-packages for Python deps — venv only.

Run the SITL sim

Bench-test the planner without the boat:

# Terminal 1
cd ~/PX4-Autopilot && make px4_sitl gz_r1_rover

# Terminal 2
cd ~/workspaces/boat_adaptive && source install/setup.bash
ros2 launch boat_bringup exact.launch.py field_type:=radial trial:=1

Outputs land in data/trials/exact/radial/trial_NNN/.

Real-boat workflow

1. Field-day pre-flight (always run this first)

ros2 launch boat_bringup boat_preflight.launch.py

Brings up MAVROS + ping1d + sonde + the adapter + safety node + the preflight checker. Watch /preflight/status (String). On full pass, /preflight/passed latches to Bool(True). Checks:

1. /mavros/state connected, healthy
2. /mavros/local_position/pose publishing
3. sonde_data publishing, temperature parses sane
4. /ping1d/data publishing, depth plausible
5. Setpoint round-trip + OFFBOARD toggle (no arm)

Optional ARM dry-run — DANGEROUS

ros2 launch boat_bringup boat_preflight.launch.py preflight_arm_test:=true

Prompts at the terminal, then arms for ~1 s and disarms. Props must be physically removed or the boat blocked / out of water. Default is off.

2. Mission

Stationary planner:

ros2 launch boat_bringup boat_exact.launch.py \
    field_origin_x:=0 field_origin_y:=0 \
    field_size_x:=25 field_size_y:=25 \
    max_samples:=100

Non-stationary (Gibbs kernel):

ros2 launch boat_bringup boat_nonstationary_exact.launch.py \
    field_origin_x:=0 field_origin_y:=0 \
    field_size_x:=25 field_size_y:=25 \
    max_samples:=100

Launch graph: MAVROS → TF bridge → RViz → sensors → sonde adapter → ping-depth safety → preflight checker → planner. The planner blocks in WAIT_PREFLIGHT until /preflight/passed is True, then runs the offboard handshake itself (stream setpoints → set OFFBOARD → arm), visits three fractional initial waypoints inside the configured box, then runs the greedy MI acquisition until max_samples is reached.

Sampling box

The box is anchored at the MAVROS local ENU origin (set by PX4 EKF at power-on / first GPS fix). field_origin_{x,y} shifts the box relative to that origin; field_size_{x,y} sets its size in meters. For repeatable trials launch from the same shore reference.

Waypoint tolerance

waypoint_tolerance:=1.5 (boat default). The planner considers a waypoint reached once it's within this many meters AND a fresh sonde reading is available. 1.5 m accounts for drift in wind/current.

Live reconstruction in RViz

/info_gain/reconstruction (MarkerArray, CUBE_LIST). One cube per candidate cell, colored by GP mean temperature, alpha proportional to confidence (1 − normalized variance). Updates every sample. Tune recon_temp_min / recon_temp_max if your expected range is far from 10–35 °C.

Outputs

data/trials/<planner>/boat/trial_NNN/:

• samples.csv, decisions.csv, decisions.json
• figures/progress.png (updated each step)
• summary.json
• lengthscale/ (NS planner only) — per-step Gibbs kernel snapshots
• Kac-Rice hotspot analysis runs on the final GP posterior (no ground truth needed)

Operator-side notes

• RC override is always live. Flip the mode switch on the transmitter and the pilot takes over instantly. This is the primary safety layer.
• Kill switch overrides everything; use it if anything goes wrong.
• QGC can run on the same laptop in parallel for params, GPS, battery, and mode monitoring. PX4 supports multiple GCS clients. QGC is not required for the mission.
• Ping depth safety: if depth < min_safe_depth + mount_offset for safety_consecutive consecutive samples, ping_safety_node calls SetMode → AUTO.LOITER and latches SHALLOW_HOLD on /boat_safety/state. Does not auto-disarm or auto-recover. Calibrate mount_offset at the dock with a known-depth pole.
• Winch is off by default. The winch package's node listens for /mavros/mission/reached, which OFFBOARD setpoints don't emit. Pilot raises / lowers manually in v1.

SITL parity (sanity check before any field run)

The SITL launches still work in this workspace:

ros2 launch boat_bringup exact.launch.py field_type:=radial trial:=1

Use this to confirm a build hasn't broken baseline behavior before committing to a real-water trial.