Monitoring marine life

The Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) has selected Boeing to develop technology to monitor and predict marine conditions in the Pacific Northwest region of the US.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the three-year, $8.5m grant to NANOOS, which has chosen Boeing to build the platform for the Data Management and Communication component of the regional system.

NANOOS collects and disseminates coastal ocean and estuary data and products to help monitor and predict ocean conditions, protect coastline and marine ecosystems, warn of public health risks or natural hazards and improve the safety and efficiency of marine operations.

Vic Sweberg, Boeing Advanced Systems director of Network Centric Operations Capabilities and Emerging Markets, said: ‘NANOOS delivers products and services that Pacific Northwest users need to make decisions in the areas of maritime operations, fisheries, ecosystem impacts and coastal hazards.’

The NANOOS team includes oceanographic, modelling and information systems experts from the University of Washington, Oregon State University, the Oregon Health and Science University, and representatives from Washington and Oregon state governments.