Technical paper

How innovations in mapping will help support the Ocean Decade

Published

01 May 2021

Authors

Millar, D.

DOI

10.4031/MTSJ.55.3.7

A wholly mapped ocean is one of the foundational goals of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, a global initiative spanning 2021 to 2030.

This multifaceted initiative aims to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and facilitate improved conditions for sustainable ocean development worldwide. Achieving this ambitious objective will require significant innovations in marine geodesy, ocean observation, and hydrographic survey technologies.

The following commentary explores how advances in satellite positioning, high-resolution satellite imaging, remote operations, autonomous surface and underwater vehicles, robotics, advanced analytics, and cloud-based automation are contributing to safer, more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable marine survey and mapping solutions in support of the Ocean Decade. Real-world innovation examples from Geo-data specialist company Fugro are provided to illustrate the practical implementation of these technologies.

How innovations in mapping will help support the Ocean Decade