Blue tech and innovation
Ocean Decade’s new Technology and Innovation Informal Working Group is bridging the technology gap to tomorrow’s world
As the UN Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development progresses, an informal working group for technology and innovation has just been formed to leverage innovating scientific and technological capabilities. Interactions invited co-chairs Dr Jyotika Virmani and Justin Manley FIMarEST, member Prof Ralph Rayner FIMarEST, and the IMarEST’s Ambassador to the Ocean Decade Prof Stephen de Mora FIMarEST, to share their goals
Great Expectations
With so many of the inaugural Ocean Decade events happening online last year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the IMarEST’s Ambassador for the Ocean Decade, Prof Stephen de Mora, is very positive about the year ahead and how this new Technology and Innovation Working Group will “undoubtably contribute to the Ocean Decade.”
Dr Jyotika Virmani, Executive Director of Schmidt Ocean Institute, and co-chair of the Working Group, is equally upbeat about the Working Group as she explains how this international group of experts have their finger on the pulse of technological innovation, and will be unlocking new discoveries, and providing the information to sustainably care for the ocean. “We aim to provide expertise and knowledge to the Ocean Decade team to strengthen the science - technology nexus for innovative solutions.”
Co-chair of the Working Group, Justin Manley FIMarEST is the founder of Just Innovation
Co-chair Justin Manley FIMarEST, and founder of Just Innovation, agrees and is looking forward to facilitating dialogue within the working group of innovators and technologists and the broader ocean technology community.
Prof Ralph Rayner FIMarEST is co-chair of the IMarEST Operational Oceanography Special Interest Group and Professorial Research Fellow, Centre for the Analysis of Time Series at the London School of Economics – as well as being a member of the Working Group. He is equally fired up about this opportunity to ensure that emerging technological capabilities for observing and measuring the ocean are used to deliver ocean science with the support responses it needs. “It’s a chance to influence how new capabilities for acquiring ocean data might contribute to harnessing ocean resources for economic growth,” he says, “while protecting ocean health and ensuring social equity.”
Hitting the ground running
Manley’s ambitions for the Working Group in 2022 are modest, as the group will begin listening to the insights of the global ocean technology ecosystem. Later in the year, the group will start to make recommendations to advance technology and innovation themes within the Ocean Decade.
By the end of 2022, Dr Virmani hopes the Working Group will produce a Technology & Innovation Ecosystem Map - a living document, as well as that Ocean Science 2030 Vision Statement.
Before then, Dr Virmani is looking forward to attending the virtual Ocean Sciences meeting 2022 this March 3, where in addition to a plenary session where the Technology & Innovation Informal Working Group is introduced, there will also be multiple breakout groups.
Dr Jyotika Virmani, Executive Director of Schmidt Ocean Institute, is co-chair of the Working Group
Exploiting great ideas
Fostering ideas and making connections will be essential for the Working Group, if it is to tap into innovation and encourage collaboration. Innovation is all about exploitation of successful ideas, according to Prof Rayner: "And one of the best ways of stimulating innovation is through connecting those seeking the solution to new ocean observation needs with those able to come up with novel technologies for addressing these needs.”
With the technological landscape evolving at an exponential scale, Dr Virmani believes collaboration is also necessary to “democratize the use of marine technology so all countries which have marine assets know what is in their territorial waters, but hidden out of sight. The faster we can do this, the faster we can ensure global sustainable management and conservation of maritime resources.”
The tech to track
Justin Manley is very active in robotics and instrumentation and he highlights uncrewed vessels taking on roles in monitoring marine protected areas, and delivering real value to many markets, as the ones to watch, as well as new sensors that monitor the carbon exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere.
Dr Virmani also identifies robotics, AI, and sensors, and name-checks Saildrone, Mayflower Autonomous System, and SeaKIT. “The ability to gather data at scale, at reduced costs, with a lower carbon footprint will really enhance our understanding of the ocean, particularly in regions where humans have traditionally found it difficult to make in situ observations.”
Dr Rayner points to the increased use of autonomous surface and underwater vehicles as platforms for ocean observations, sensors, the revolution in biological observations using environmental DNA techniques, and the application of machine learning and AI in observing systems and the analysis and interpretation of ocean data.
Prof Ralph Rayner FIMarEST is co-chair of the IMarEST Operational Oceanography Special Interest Group, and member of the Working Group
Global reaching blue tech
Justin Manley makes a case for clusters from an investment point of view explaining that these geographic imbalances develop around key technologies, for example in Massachusetts, where there is a concentration of marine robotics companies. “While they are geographically concentrated, their market impact is truly global. This natural cluster effect is a powerful one.”
Dr Virmani is a champion of an evenly-spread geographical distribution of knowledge. “The ocean is global and we need to ensure that scientific and technical capacity is also global. 95% of coastal nations have very limited ability to explore their own deep waters which is problematic, not only for those nations to be able to understand and manage their own resources, but also for global understanding of the connectivity of the deep-sea.”
Continued IMarEST participation
Prof de Mora thinks that alongside technology transfer, ocean literacy amongst early-career scientists, technologists and engineers is key. And given the IMarEST’s strong reputation in mentoring its student members, he believes this is a great way for the IMarEST members to contribute to the Ocean Decade. He encourages all IMarEST members to continue to participate through the Institute’s structures including Special Interest Groups such as Operational Oceanography, and suggests members ensure IMarEST programmes and opportunities are registered on the Ocean Decade Actions website.
Words / Marine Professional