KONGSBERG Maritime has launched a cloud-based “digital toolbox” that it says enables collection, visualisation, contextualisation, management and distribution of ocean data.
The technology company said Blue Insight provides an open, modular platform for the processing, visualisation and sharing of ocean data.
The core module contains the cloud framework and an application-specific dashboard, teamed with data storage and management functionalities. Additional modules can be added to this framework to suit any project.
Key to Blue Insight’s data-streaming functionality is the concept of sensor fusion, by which data is streamlined from various sensors onboard vessels for transmission into the cloud.
Data can be collected from any platform, ranging from crewed to autonomous surface vessels or underwater vehicles such as AUVs or gliders.
Science Analytics supplies an infrastructure for more in-depth data-handling capabilities, such as the implementation of machine learning and AI-enhanced data analysis on board or in the cloud.
As an example, one of the first delivery projects has seen the module providing a framework on unmanned surface vehicles for the automated onboard classification of fish. The portfolio of modules and support for specific instruments will be continuously expanded, consistent with KM’s aim to provide customers with unprecedently swift access to data, even in heterogenous environments.
One of the first projects to take advantage of the functionality provided by Blue Insight is a collaboration between KM and Akvaplan-niva, gathering meteorological, oceanographic, biological and chemical data from unmanned autonomous glider vehicles. The project has been underway for several years, but recent funding from the oil & gas company ConocoPhillips Norway has focused efforts towards understanding the impact of offshore oil & gas facilities on selected marine species in the North Sea.
The project is continuing to evolve the glider concept into an operational system for research and industry while advancing the digital environment to introduce new, cutting-edge management and analysis features.
“Blue Insight has been an invaluable aid for managing the vast amount of data we collect at sea with our fleet of gliders, often for months at a time,” Lionel Camus, manager for digital solutions at Akvaplan-niva, said.
“This innovative digital toolbox has enabled Akvaplan-niva to deliver professional solutions and to share an unprecedented common experience via the cloud with our customers during each survey.”
