Professional Diploma in Underwater Gliders and Persistent Ocean Observation
This professional diploma prepares you to understand, plan and operate missions with underwater gliders, autonomous vehicles that travel the ocean for weeks or months on very little energy. You will study their variable-buoyancy principle, the oceanographic sensors they carry, mission planning and piloting, near-real-time data processing and their role in the persistent observation of the ocean.
Prior knowledge check
These are the skills this program gives you. Tick the ones you already master and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is for you.
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What is the Professional Diploma in Underwater Gliders and Persistent Ocean Observation?
This professional diploma prepares you to understand, plan and operate missions with underwater gliders, autonomous vehicles that travel the ocean for weeks or months on very little energy. You will study variable buoyancy and glide dynamics, deep and wave-powered surface gliders, and sensors such as CTD, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence, passive acoustics and current profilers. You will then learn dead-reckoning navigation and satellite communications, design routes and sampling strategies using ocean forecasts, follow deployment, remote piloting and recovery procedures, and process, quality-control and publish the data.
What sets this diploma apart: an established technology, since gliders are already a standard tool in oceanography; the full path from deployment to data, covering planning, piloting, recovery and data management; sensors in detail, including CTD, oxygen, fluorescence, acoustics and more; open data, using international glider data repositories; and a practical case in which you design a complete observation mission.
Program highlights
- Established technology: gliders are already a standard tool in oceanography.
- From deployment to data: planning, piloting, recovery and data management.
- Sensors in detail: CTD, oxygen, fluorescence, acoustics and more.
- Open data: use of international glider data repositories.
- Persistent observation: currents, ocean heat, oxygen, blooms and hurricane monitoring.
- Practical case: complete design of an observation mission.
Syllabus of the Professional Diploma in Underwater Gliders and Persistent Ocean Observation
8 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Fundamentals of underwater gliders
- 1.1. Origin and evolution of gliders
- 1.2. The variable-buoyancy principle
- 1.3. Glide dynamics
- 1.4. Types of glider
- 1.5. Deep gliders
- 1.6. Wave-powered surface gliders
- 1.7. Energy and endurance
- 1.8. Comparison with other vehicles
Sensors and payload
- 2.1. Conductivity, temperature and depth sensors
- 2.2. Dissolved oxygen
- 2.3. Fluorescence and turbidity
- 2.4. Nutrients and chemical sensors
- 2.5. Passive acoustic sensors
- 2.6. Current profilers
- 2.7. Sensor integration
- 2.8. Calibration and drift
Navigation and communications
- 3.1. Dead-reckoning navigation
- 3.2. Satellite positioning at the surface
- 3.3. Satellite communications
- 3.4. Correcting for currents
- 3.5. Altimeters and seabed avoidance
- 3.6. Energy management
- 3.7. Limitations of navigation
- 3.8. Safety in traffic areas
Mission planning
- 4.1. Scientific objectives of the mission
- 4.2. Designing routes and transects
- 4.3. Profiles and sampling frequency
- 4.4. Using ocean forecasts
- 4.5. Adaptive sampling
- 4.6. Planning for several gliders
- 4.7. Permits and coordination with authorities
- 4.8. Risk analysis
Deployment, piloting and recovery
- 5.1. Preparation and ballasting
- 5.2. Pre-deployment tests
- 5.3. Deployment operations
- 5.4. Remote piloting
- 5.5. Responding to incidents
- 5.6. Recovering the vehicle
- 5.7. Post-mission maintenance
- 5.8. Recording lessons learned
Data management and analysis
- 6.1. Near-real-time data flow
- 6.2. Formats and metadata
- 6.3. Quality control
- 6.4. Sensor corrections
- 6.5. Visualizing sections
- 6.6. Calculating derived variables
- 6.7. International repositories
- 6.8. Publishing open data
Applications of persistent observation
- 7.1. Monitoring currents and eddies
- 7.2. Climate and ocean heat studies
- 7.3. Biogeochemistry and oxygen
- 7.4. Monitoring blooms
- 7.5. Marine mammal acoustics
- 7.6. Support for ocean forecasting
- 7.7. Hurricane monitoring
- 7.8. International glider networks
Practical case: designing a glider mission
- 8.1. Defining objectives
- 8.2. Selecting the vehicle and sensors
- 8.3. Designing the route
- 8.4. Piloting plan
- 8.5. Risk analysis
- 8.6. Data management plan
- 8.7. Budget and logistics
- 8.8. Presenting the mission
Duration and format of the Professional Diploma in Underwater Gliders and Persistent Ocean Observation
It is 800 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Professional Diploma in Underwater Gliders and Persistent Ocean Observation
Career opportunities after the Professional Diploma in Underwater Gliders and Persistent Ocean Observation
Questions about the Professional Diploma in Underwater Gliders and Persistent Ocean Observation
The program is online: you work with planning simulations and data from real missions; it does not include piloting vehicles of your own.
No. Deployment and recovery procedures are explained step by step.
Yes. You work with glider data available in open international repositories.
Yes. They are presented alongside underwater gliders and their uses are compared.
The complete design of a glider mission: objectives, sensors, route, risks and data.
Fully online, through a virtual campus available 24/7, with live sessions that are recorded and tutorials with the teaching staff.
The professional diploma comprises 800 hours of study across 8 modules of about 100 hours each and ends with a practical case. You can progress at your own pace within the schedule set when you enroll.
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Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at graduates in marine science, physics or engineering who wish to specialize in ocean observation, oceanographic center technicians who operate or want to operate gliders, marine technology engineers who develop vehicles or sensors, environmental consultants who need continuous oceanographic data, and researchers who want to add gliders to their projects. A degree in marine science, physics, engineering, environmental science or a related field, or professional experience in oceanography or marine technology, is recommended.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a camera for live sessions and project presentations.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.