The Digital Ocean Space - Møre Ocean Lab

The Digital Ocean Space The digital transformation and distributed technologies change our societies as well as the maritime business. The ships are getting smarter, data-driven, connected to the rest of the world and greener with a variety of complex energy systems. The future maritime activity will integrate people, digital technologies, and green solutions to transform how we design, operate, and interact. Such technology development cannot only be tested by studying physical effects in scaled laboratories. Testing in real environments, real weather conditions, real traffic condition, and real situations are needed. The Digital Ocean Space is an arena for the full-scale testing, research, and innovation within: • maritime technologies and operations; • navigation and ship traffic control technology and methods; • search, rescue and safety technologies; • technology for harvesting and cultivation of marine bio resources; • technology for harvesting ocean energies (wind, wave, current); • the impact of the ocean on coastal infrastructure;

Digitalisation and demand for green solutions are drivers for a massive technology development. Interest in autonomous functions and remote supervision and control is growing fast. Enabled by recent developments in sensor technology, connectivity at sea, and analysis and decision support algorithms. The energy transition from fossil fuel to renewable technologies requires a substantial shift in priorities . A reduction of CO2 of 50 % in the shipping industry are set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and will cause major technological developments and raise demand for more effective and efficient ship operations. A full-scale test arena for technology in the ocean space is therefore important for knowledge-based innovation in the ocean-based industries. Such technology development cannot only be tested by studying physical effects in scaled laboratories. Testing in real environments, real weather conditions, real traffic condition and real situations are needed. MOL offers a unique opportunity which in a great extent is geared towards facilitating development of advanced technology for surface ships and floating structures. The idea of MOL is to ad flexible and mobile vehicles (on the water surface and in the air) with a variety of sensor packages. USV platform for measurements: - Sensor package for navigation and autonomy - Sensor package for metocean - Sensor package for water quality and seabed sampling - Sensor package for noise in the sea - Sensor package for surveillances Drone platform for measurements: - Sensor package for metocean - Sensor package for surveillances A large investment, the Ocean Space Centre (OSC), have already been agreed and granted. Møre Ocean Lab (MOL) compliment the overall OSC infrastructure.