Marport Designing New Technologies & Products for Ocean Science
Enabling technologies support new discoveries and lead to fundamental advances in the knowledge of our oceans. In the 1940s and 50s, the first global scale mapping of the seafloor enabled the discovery of seafloor spreading which has since revolutionized ideas of earth structure. A decade later, the first exploration of mid-ocean ridges using deep-towed vehicles and submersibles resulted in the discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents occupied by forms of life that previously had been unknown. Since then ocean scientists have used a variety of tools to help re-define understanding of the world’s oceans.
Ocean sciences are now on the threshold of another major technological advance as the scientific community begins to establish a global, long-term presence in the oceans. This opportunity arises from the emergence of new remote sensing and communications technologies such as:
- telemetry technology (e.g., acoustic modems, satellites and fibre-optics) that enables real-time telemetry of subsea sensor data as well as interactive control of instruments in even the most remote parts of the deep sea;
- new sensors that make it possible for in situ measurements of physical, chemical, and biological processes;
- computer hardware and visualization software to build realistic models of ocean phenomena;
- data archival systems that can store, manipulate, and retrieve data from arrays of sensors; and
- computer networks that can bring real-time data to the desktop, which could enhance participation of researchers, students, educators. Data widely available via the World Wide Web could also generate significant interest by the general public in ocean research and discovery.
At Marport, we believe that the oceans offer the last great source of protein and energy – particularly in deepwater and pristine arctic regions – resulting in a need for enhanced levels of environmental monitoring and ocean observation systems. Marport scientists and engineers are researching and developing new underwater sensing, data logging and acoustic telemetry products for ocean science. We’re also working with a wide variety of world-class ocean science organizations to understand current and future requirements for Ocean Observation Systems.
As an example, the Global Ocean Observing System is a permanent global system for observations, modelling and analysis of marine and ocean variables to support operational ocean services worldwide. The global market for such systems is being driven by a complex and interrelated set of factors ranging from climate change to the geopolitical, from military to geological.
And the market is expected to be significant.
In a recent study commissioned by the University of Victoria and completed by Douglas-Westwood Limited, the global market for Ocean Observation Systems was valued at some $1.8 billion in 2006 and is expected to grow to $2.2 billion by 2011. With increasing impact of market drivers – in particular the response to global warming – the analysts expect total forecast expenditures for Ocean Observation Systems will grow significantly.
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