A modified A* algorithm combining remote sensing technique to collect representative samples from unmanned surface vehicles.

Ensuring representativeness of collected samples is the most critical requirement of water sampling. Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) have been widely adopted in water sampling, but current USV sampling path planning tend to overemphasize path optimization, neglecting the representative samples collection. This study proposed a modified A* algorithm that combined remote sensing technique while considering both path length and the representativeness of collected samples. Water quality parameters were initially retrieved using satellite remote sensing imagery and a deep belief network model, with the parameter value incorporated as coefficient Q in the heuristic function of A* algorithm. The adjustment coefficient k was then introduced into the coefficient Q to optimize the trade-off between sampling representativeness and path length. To evaluate the effectiveness of this algorithm, Chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) was employed as the test parameter, with Chaohu Lake as the study area. Results showed that the algorithm was effective in collecting more representative samples in real-world conditions. As the coefficient k increased, the representativeness of collected samples enhanced, indicated by the Chl-a closely approximating the overall mean Chl-a and exhibiting a gradient distribution. This enhancement was also associated with increased path length. This study is significant in USV water sampling and water environment protection.