The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project has partnered with Hexagon digital reality solutions to create an immersive digital map of the ocean floor.
Seabed 2030’s mission is to map the ocean floor to understand what is on the seabed–both natural and manmade–to inform choices about resource extraction and protection. For example, mapping the ocean floor can show us what kinds of ecosystems are there and how they contribute to the overall structure and health of the ocean. So far, the initiative has mapped a little more than a fourth of the ocean with modern high-resolution technology–multibeam sonar systems–usually mounted to ships.
Hexagon’s technology can create maps and digital twins, converting data to immersive images. The company has a sustainability business venture R-evolution that uses bathymetric solutions from Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, to promote decarbonization, the protection of coastal ecosystems and the preservation of biodiversity.
The partnership was formalized at a signing ceremony held in Nadi, Fiji. Jamie McMichael-Phillips, Director of Seabed 2030 said, “Hexagon’s advanced digital capabilities and commitment to innovation are invaluable as we work to create a definitive map that will benefit science, industry, and conservation efforts across the globe.”
Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) which, in turn, is a joint program of the IHO and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). The organization seeks to compile all the data about the seabed into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. The Project is formally endorsed as a Decade Action of the UN Ocean Decade.
