Register here | Schedule at a glance

The “Digital Ocean” is upon us, as Big (Ocean) Data and the Internet of Things (Marine) are generating data that is increasingly going to be managed by the (Ocean) Cloud.

As digital technologies spread into the seas, more and more data is being collected as companies are wiring their fleets as part of the Internet of Things, e.g. with sensors on “smart ships”. The information on the location, time and behavior of vessels at sea from vessel tracking systems, satellite observations, photography, radar and vessel databases is growing. Gliders, floats, buoys and other instruments deployed by researchers and governments are logging and sending data daily.

In addition, ocean, weather and climate data can and should be collected by the diverse array of commercial ocean infrastructure as well: 90,000 merchant vessels, tens of thousands of ocean platforms and facilities (aquaculture, offshore wind farms, etc.), tens of thousands of ferries and workboats, an estimated 3-4 million fishing boats, 1 million km of submarine cables. The WOC “SMART Ocean‐SMART Industries” program is working to harness the involvement of companies with these vessels and platforms to use them for data collection by hosting or deploying sensors.

This growing wave of “Big Ocean Data” will need the power and ubiquity of Cloud computing. The Cloud is how ocean industries and infrastructure spread across 71 % of the planet can and must connect. An “Ocean Cloud” for hosting and organizing data – collected by instruments on the millions of commercial ocean vessels and platforms – connects and shares information with the international ocean science community and other ocean stakeholders.

The WOC is working to advance a future for ocean sustainable development that benefits from an integration of: 1) the Internet of Things for the enormous number of maritime vessels and platforms at sea, 2) the data on ocean, weather and climate collected from those ships and structures (SMART Ocean‐SMART Industries), and 3) the scope, scale, power and potential of Cloud computing.

The SOS 2018 plenary session on “The Digital Ocean, Big Ocean Data and the Ocean
Cloud: Data Driven Sustainable Development of the Seas” will feature leadership companies that are pioneering this current and future ocean.

This SOS 2018 session will address:
• What are the status, trends and forecasts for the development of the Digital Ocean, Big Ocean Data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the use of Cloud Computing for ocean sustainable development, especially in Asia?
• What are the benefits (economic, sustainability, operational oceanography, maritime security, etc.) from a Digital Ocean that produces Big Ocean Data and harnesses Cloud Computing in support of Agenda 2030, and what are the challenges to achieving these benefits? 
• What are the opportunities for better industry leadership and collaboration in advancing the Digital Ocean, Big Ocean Data and Cloud Computing for the Blue Economy, especially in Asia?

SOS 2018 Schedule at a Glance Now Available!

We are pleased to unveil a more detailed agenda for this year’s Sustainable Ocean Summit (Hong Kong, 14 – 16 November 2018), where the global Ocean Business Community will convene to advance action on ocean sustainable development and the Blue Economy.

Sessions featured in this year’s program include:
• Asian Shipping: Leadership and Challenges in Connecting Asia and the World
• Ocean Investment Platform: Financing Ocean Sustainable Development in Asia
• Shipbuilding for Sustainability: The Role of Shipyards and Vessel Construction in Supporting Ocean Sustainable Development
• Aquaculture: Ensuring Sustainable Production in Crowded Seas
• Biofouling and Invasive Aquatic Species: The GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships Project – Opportunities for Business Collaboration and Implementation
• One Belt, One Road, One Ocean: International Business Collaboration to Help Ensure the Maritime Silk Road Leads to a Sustainable Destination

REGISTER HERE to be a part of the Sustainable Ocean Summit 2018!