Features

The marine survey industry has reached an inflection point when it comes to the day-to-day application of autonomous systems, amply evidenced by the growing trial, adoption, and integration of Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs).

As human activity continues to impact the health of our planet, it is vital we harness the power of modern science and technology to safeguard our ocean ecosystems, find new resources, and build futureproof societies.

The most recent technical infrastructure added to the COVE offering is Stella Maris, a multi-sensor seabed test platform with the capacity to host 16 marine sensors and devices for ocean technology firms. Designed, built, and deployed in less than a from conception, nearly 30 organizations collaborated on the development of Stella Maris.

The ocean sector has a clear emerging vision for underwater exploration—uncrewed surface vessels deploying autonomous subsea platforms, all controlled from ashore. The potential to disrupt the industry by drastically reducing the cost of deployment and access to remote regions is catalysing groups in all segments to pursue this dream, from survey companies to research institutes and global navies.

Looking at the landscape of oceanographic companies, one quickly sees something is afoot. The companies of the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, most of which started in the proverbial garage, have been mostly rolled up into larger conglomerate structures.

New technologies have long driven the need to improve the networks that carry data between them. You need look no further than the growth and expansion of commercial Internet and 5G wireless cellular data to find a quintessential example of the network backbone advancing to meet new information demands.