How innovations in mapping will help support the Ocean Decade

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.