The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project has entered into a partnership with ocean exploration company Orpheus Ocean.
This collaboration will enhance understanding of the deep ocean and support the comprehensive mapping of the world’s ocean floor by the end of the decade, the project said.
Orpheus Ocean develops autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and technologies designed for deep-sea exploration and environmental data collection.
Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO), which seeks to inspire the complete mapping of the world’s ocean by 2030, and to compile all the data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map.
The Project is formally endorsed as a Decade Action of the UN Ocean Decade. GEBCO is a joint program of the IHO and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and is the only organization with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor.
Jamie McMichael-Phillips, Project Director of Seabed 2030, said:
“We are thrilled to partner with Orpheus Ocean, whose innovative AUV technology and approach to deep-sea exploration will significantly enhance our efforts to map the entire ocean floor.
“This partnership demonstrates how collaboration and cutting-edge technology can address the challenges of exploring and understanding the planet’s last frontier.”
While Orpheus Ocean Co-Founder and CEO Jake Russell added:
“Collaborating with Seabed 2030 aligns perfectly with our mission to unlock the mysteries of the ocean, and not just map but understand the seabed in all its complexity. We are proud to contribute to this global initiative and look forward to the transformative impact this partnership will have on ocean exploration and stewardship.”
All data collected and shared with the Seabed 2030 project is included in the free and publicly available GEBCO global grid.
In 2023, the Seabed 2030 project underwent a major revamp and rebranding, including the launch of a new website.
At the time, 24.9% of the seafloor had been mapped.
The previous year, the Seabed 2030 Project signed an agreement with the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) to map the bottom of the ocean.
As part of its official partnership with Seabed 2030, the UKHO is providing bathymetric gridded map products to be used by the project within the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) gridded bathymetric data set. UKHO is also sharing and promoting methods and best practices in technological innovation, infrastructure and solutions for ocean mapping and bathymetric data management.
You can find the Seabed 2030 website here.
