In order to achieve the ambitious goal of mapping the world’s oceans by the year 2030, the combined efforts of marine technologists and scientists from around the world will be needed to develop and deploy the next generation of ocean mapping technology. Responding to this challenge, the Marine Technology Society (MTS) D.C. section and headquarters office held a virtual conference in June about the global Seabed 2030 project and its role within the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Some 600 individuals from around the world attended this virtual event.

Participants in the symposium included experts from the private, nonprofit and government sectors–all coming together to discuss the current state of the art and unmet challenges in ocean mapping.

The conference was moderated by Capt. (retired) Craig McLean, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), acting NOAA chief scientist and head of the U.S. delegation to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

Panelists included:

• Matthias Jonas, secretary-general, International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
• Jake Sobin, MTS DC section chair and manager sciences/Americas, Kongsberg Maritime
• Vladimir Ryabinin, executive secretary of IOC-UNESCO and assistant director general of UNESCO
• Jamie McMichael-Phillips, project director, the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project
• RAdm. Shepard Smith, director of NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey and the U.S. national representative to IHO
• Jyotika Virmani, executive director, Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI)
• Rick Spinrad, past president, Marine Technology Society
• David Millar, government accounts director, Americas, Fugro
• Mike Read, president, Teledyne Marine

A variety of topics were covered, including: “How Nations are Working Together to Address the Seabed 2030 Challenge,” “Private Sector, NGOs and Philanthropic Foundations Joining Together to Tackle Seabed 2030,” “Industry’s Role in Rising to the Seafloor 2030 Challenge” and “Ocean Mapping to Support Transition to a Sustainable Blue Economy.”

A recording of this virtual conference, as well as past MTS webinars, can be freely accessed here.

To learn about and register for upcoming webinars and symposia, check MTS’s regularly updated Events page.