Impactful Implementation of Next-Generation Ocean Data Infrastructure through Scalable Community and Stakeholder Engagement Programs

The bottleneck for big-data in the ocean lies in the power supply. Currently, there is no cost-effective power solution for off-grid, small-scale applications at sea. This issue is exacerbated by the necessity for expensive specialized oceanographic operations to maintain small-scale power infrastructure at sea, resulting in a lack of accessibility to critical ocean data for communities in need. Therefore, the challenge associated with marine data accessibility and big-data in the blue economy is not only a data problem, it is also an energy problem. The project aims to leverage an existing advanced ocean wave energy device as a foundational technology to build a big-data platform for ocean data gathering. The solution will be offered through an innovative business model to significantly lower the cost for impacted communities and stakeholders. Based on iterative community and stakeholder feedback, this project will investigate big-data-enabling hardware design and development for impacted communities and the broader blue economy. The project will involve a network of partners, including community-trusted project partners, scientific partners, impacted communities, and commercial pilot partners, to explore a novel business model to deliver this innovative big-data infrastructure at a reduced cost. This Phase I project aims to (1) Conduct agnostic assessments of community ocean data needs. (2) Based on community feedback, leverage existing ocean wave power technologies to meet identified needs. And (3) Based on continued iterative community feedback, conduct system design study and preliminary demonstration. In the future, as this project is carried into Phase II and beyond, it will benefit multiple agencies and disadvantaged communities’ ocean observing objectives. This technology will meet power demands in ocean observation and make emerging big-data capabilities in the blue economy accessible to impacted communities. These capabilities will also directly support internationally coordinated, multi-decade, ocean-focused efforts.