JASCO Applied Sciences and Open Ocean Robotics demonstrate novel, all-Canadian, Marine Mammal Monitoring Service via USV
/The real-time detection of marine mammals from a solar-powered Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV), demonstrated to Defence Research and Development Canada
VICTORIA, B.C.—JASCO Applied Sciences and Open Ocean Robotics (OOR) are pleased to announce the successful initial service trial of JASCO’s OceanObserver system onboard OOR’s Data Xplorer USV, for Innovative Solutions Canada’s ‘Real-time Marine Monitoring Service Via Uncrewed Surface Vessel’ program.
The Data Xplorer USV was deployed with OceanObserver passive acoustic sensor and high-resolution camera system in the first service trial in November 2021, near Victoria, B.C. During the 3-day trial, JASCO and OOR successfully demonstrated the service and showcased sensor to web-portal delivery, acoustic marine mammal detections, and camera imagery to DRDC.
The USV was fitted with a towed array and JASCO’s OceanObserverTM Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) system, capable of on-board, in-situ signal processing by PAMlab INT, the integrated version of JASCO’s PAMlab software suite. OceanObserver successfully detected marine mammal sounds while deployed off the Coast of British Columbia and sent them for verification and validation by acoustic analysts in Halifax, N.S. PortListen was used to deliver detection and contextual information to the analysis team.
PortListen is JASCO’s web-portal information system for enabling stakeholders to visualize, navigate, and share underwater sound detections and measurements. PortListen is a secure and scalable infrastructure with user accounts, protection of client owned information and fully featured data access control mechanisms.
The project plans to demonstrate the utility of directional PAM sensors deployed from the Data Xplorer USV in trials scheduled for Q1 2022 near Nanoose, British Columbia.
For more information, see the media kit below and JASCO’s press page at https:/www.jasco.com/press.
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Quote
“Stakeholders and decision-makers who mitigate harm to marine mammals can now be enabled by real-time, actionable information wherever they are located ashore, in a truly cost-effective manner. Determining if that harm could have been avoided after an incident has occurred, simply isn’t good enough for these precious, threatened, and endangered animals. Scientists located in Dartmouth, N.S. were able to verify real-time detections made aboard the USV near Victoria, B.C.”
“We’re excited to showcase how JASCO and OOR’s innovative technologies can be combined to offer a safe, affordable, and sustainable way of protecting marine mammals. This has the potential to transform how oceans are monitored in Canada and around the world, and we’re proud to be a part of this much needed solution.”
Images
High-resolution images are available below and at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qQe2vCSgDcLXSf6V9
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Backgrounder: About the OceanObserver
JASCO’s OceanObserver™ is an intelligent, real-time multi-sensor ocean observing system. This high-performance platform acquires huge volumes of acoustic and oceanographic data and processes it in real time to detect species of interest, quantify ambient and anthropogenic noise, and derive other information of interest. The results are then transmitted to shore, allowing for real-time decision making.
OceanObserver can be deployed on buoys, cabled observatories, surface and sub-surface vehicles like the Slocum, and other autonomous and uncrewed platforms. It can be used for marine mammal detection, identification and localization, ambient and vessel noise quantification, and underwater noise monitoring for oil and gas exploration and wind and tidal energy development. The onboard processing is done by PAMlab INT, the integrated version of JASCO’s PAMlab software suite.
About Innovative Solutions Canada
Innovative Solutions Canada is a Government of Canada R&D funding program. The program operates two funding streams dedicated to help Canadian innovators who want to start, grow, and get to market. Under the testing stream, the program buys and tests pre-commercial goods and services in real-life settings, and enables government to provide innovators with valuable feedback before innovations are launched into the marketplace.
About JASCO Applied Sciences
JASCO Applied Sciences is a world leader in the science of underwater sound and its effects on marine life. JASCO is Canadian company, founded in Victoria in 1981, with subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. We provide support for all stages of environmental reviews and assessments of underwater sound for the renewable energy, oil and gas, marine construction, shipping, and defence sectors. We design, develop, and manufacture state-of-the-art oceanographic data acquisition systems to meet project demands for quality, endurance, reliability, and performance. We enable our clients to satisfy regulatory requirements by providing scientifically defensible assessments of their projects to government regulators and the public. For more information, visit www.jasco.com.
About Open Ocean Robotics
Open Ocean Robotics is a marine robotics company dedicated to autonomous data collection using its custom solar powered uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs). Based in Victoria BC, the company provides safe, affordable, and sustainable solutions to monitor, protect and operate on oceans. Open Ocean Robotics was ranked as one of the five top global startups impacting the maritime industry by StartUs Insights. For more information, visit www.openoceanrobotics.com.
About Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)
Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) is a national leader in Defence, science and technology that develops and delivers new technical solutions and advice to the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces, and other federal departments. DRDC operates eight research centres across Canada, each with a unique combination of expertise and facilities to carry out world-class science and technology research. DRDC also works with partners in academia, government, and with Canada’s allies.
Learn More
Read more about OceanObserver™
Learn more about JASCO Applied Sciences
Check out previous JASCO news coverage
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