SUSTAINABLE
OCEAN MONITORING
Traditionally, coastal and open ocean surveillance has been conducted from fixed assets on shore, satellites, crewed ships or aircrafts. These methods are expensive, polluting, lack resolution, and require significant resources and personnel.
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These challenges result in the inability to make appropriate decisions at significant cost. The oceans are integral to the health of our planet and a $2.5 trillion economy, but to effectively protect, understand and utilize them, a better method of collecting ocean data is required, ideally a system of persistent ocean data and communication.
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​DataXplorer™ provides a safe, affordable, sustainable, and scalable ocean monitoring solution. Powered by the sun, it can travel on the ocean for months at a time collecting ocean and environmental data using its suite of sensors.
Our USVs produce no GHGs, noise pollution or risk of oil spills. They lower GHG emissions by decreasing the use of traditional research vessels, help understand the impact climate change has on oceans through better data collection, and help mitigate the impacts of climate change in numerous ways.
The 3 stages where our technology can help in
mitigating and adapting to climate change are:
UNDERSTAND
REDUCE
MITIGATE
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UNDERSTAND
CLIMATE CHANGE
Oceans bear the brunt of climate change, causing acidification, sea level increases, and changes in temperature and currents, which impacts the health of marine species, ecosystems, and our coastal communities.
Our autonomous boats can measure the changes in our ocean so we can better understand how we can respond. With a suite of environmental and oceanographic sensors, we provide real-time data in regions and over time spans that are otherwise too challenging to monitor.
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REDUCE
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Taking one offshore research vessel off the ocean for a week is like taking 100 cars off the road for a year. Our autonomous boats can replace or augment vessels that use sensors or cameras to observe, protect and understand the ocean, reducing the need for traditional fuel consuming vessels.
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MITIGATE
CLIMATE CHANGE
Our USVs play an important role in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Currently our USVs provide monitoring in sensitive marine protected areas to help increase of biodiversity in these regions and support healthy regions that play a key role in carbon sequestration.
We are also working with partners to create monitoring, verification, and reporting solutions (MRV) for carbon sequestration methods including alkalinity enhancement and macroalgae growth. The oceans are already our largest carbon sink and have the potential to absorb even more and play a critical role in reducing CO2 levels.
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We are also advancing solutions for improved ocean current profiling and weather forecasting to support ship routing and ports. This data we consistently collect in all our missions has the potential to be used to develop data products to enable ships to shorten their routes and port to improve efficiency in ship wait time. Ships produce 1000 megaton of greenhouse gases every year, more than all of Canada emits, and even modest improvements will make substantial impact. By helping ships drive more fuel-efficient routes using real-time information on ocean conditions, they can conserve fuel and reduce emissions.
UN SDG'S
Autonomous boats play an increasingly important role in understanding and protecting our oceans
The Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals are a collection of seventeen interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".
Below are the 6 SDGs that we focus on here at Open Ocean Robotics.
LIFE BELOW WATER
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION + PRODUCTION
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation
CLEAN WATER + SANITATION
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
CLIMATE ACTION
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
SUSTAINABLE CITIES + COMMUNITIES
Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable