..
.. Copyright (c) 2004-2014 Laboratório de Sistemas e Tecnologia Subaquática and Authors
.. All rights reserved.
.. Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto
.. Departamento de Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores
.. Rua Dr. Roberto Frias s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
..
.. For more information please see <http://whale.fe.up.pt/neptus>.
.. 
.. $Id:: intro.rst 548 2014-06-01 13:21:35Z pdias                         $:

.. _sec_introduction:

Introduction
************

Neptus has been developed at Porto University by the |lsts| researcher team, aiming integrated planning, execution and revision of networks of unmanned systems. 
It has been tested and used thoroughly for the operation of AUVs, UAVs, ASVs and heterogeneous teams of the former simultaneously. It is continuously evolving for supporting new sensors, vehicles, maneuvers and new operational concepts.

This manual describes the Neptus operating software and focuses on its application to the control of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).

.. _fig_vehicles:

.. figure:: _assets/vehicles.png
   :scale: 60%
   
   Examples of systems that are supported by Neptus


Conceptual Software Design
==========================

Neptus provides support for different phases of a typical mission life-cycle: :ref:`sec_planning_phase`, 
:ref:`sec_exec_phase` and :ref:`sec_analysis_phase`. 
For a better user experience, it is separated into a **LAUV Console** for planning and execution 
and **Mission Revision and Analysis (MRA)** for data analysis.

.. _fig_neptus_several_windows:
.. figure:: _assets/neptus_several_windows.png
   :scale: 100%
   
   Examples of Neptus interfaces



.. include: : /coreConcepts.rst-i

About this Document
===================

Here, we outline the structure and the conventions used throughout this document.

Document Structure
------------------

This document is organized to reflect the way that a operator uses Neptus software, therefore, it is structured as shown in the table below.


.. tabularcolumns:: |L|L|
.. _table_manual_structure:
.. table:: Manual Structure

===========================================================  ======================
**Chapter**                                                  **Description**
===========================================================  ======================
:ref:`1. Introduction <sec_introduction>`                    Introduces the Neptus software and describes the document focuses, objectives and form.
-----------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------
:ref:`2. Installing Neptus <sec_install>`                    Details on how to install Neptus.
-----------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------
:ref:`3. Quickstart <sec_quickstart>`                        Outlines the steps for quick starting Neptus.
-----------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------
:ref:`4. General Information <ref_concepts>`                 Describes general-purpose information about system communications, Neptus core concepts and main interfaces.
-----------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------
:ref:`5. LAUV Console<ref_lauvconsole>`                      Describes the LAUV operating console interface and its features.
-----------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------
:ref:`6. Mission Revision and Analysis <sec_mra_revision>`   Describes the Mission Revision and Analysis (MRA) console interface and its features.
-----------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------
:ref:`7. Operating Instructions <sec_common_operations>`     Demonstrates the standard operating procedure and instructions. 
-----------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------
:ref:`8. Neptus Elements <sec_neptus_elements>`              In-depth view of the Neptus building blocks, such as: geo-referenced locations, Neptus toolbar and map panel, maneuvers and operating console and MRA components.
-----------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------
:ref:`9. Troubleshooting <sec_troubleshooting>`              Tips on solving problems that may arouse handling Neptus.
-----------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------
:ref:`10. Glossary <sec_glossary>`                           List of Acronyms
===========================================================  ======================


Iconography Used in this Document
---------------------------------

.. alternatively "Conventions Used in this Document" and also noting the bold, italic meaning, etc.

|admonition_note| These are things that you should try to keep in mind while working in Neptus.
Sometimes it’s a random tidbit of information, but more often than not, it’s something that you 
will run into repeatedly and is therefore worth remembering.

|admonition_tip| This icon calls out suggestions that help you work more effectively and save time.

|admonition_warning| This icon doesn't show up often, but when it does, its definitely recommend 
that you pay attention.

|admonition_check| This icon shows up for description of steps to follow.