Raymarine has announced a new strategic partnership with The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, a global initiative aimed at mapping 100% of the world's ocean floor by 2030.
The collaboration was unveiled at the recent Ocean Floor Explore symposium, organised by Map the Gaps and COAST, which highlighted cross-sector cooperation to address challenges in deep ocean exploration.
Initiated in 2017, Seabed 2030 brings together The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans) as part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The project seeks to compile bathymetric data into a publicly accessible map of the global seafloor, aiding efforts in marine conservation, climate modeling, tsunami forecasting, and sustainable ocean resource management.
Raymarine's sonar contribution
Through this collaboration, Raymarine provides a unique dataset of crowdsourced bathymetric recordings
Through this collaboration, Raymarine provides a unique dataset of crowdsourced bathymetric recordings. This data, collected from thousands of vessels equipped with Raymarine sonar systems, will expand the resolution and scope of current seafloor maps, focusing on less-surveyed coastal and offshore areas.
Grégoire Outters, General Manager at Raymarine, commented, “We’re proud to support Seabed 2030 in its mission to accelerate the complete mapping of the world’s oceans. This collaboration reflects our commitment to safer navigation, better science, and a more sustainable future for the maritime industry.”
Impact of crowdsourced data
Jamie McMichael-Phillips, Director of the Seabed 2030 Project, emphasised the significance of Raymarine’s contribution, stating, “Raymarine’s contribution of crowdsourced bathymetric data is a powerful example of how industry can accelerate our understanding of the ocean floor. We welcome their support and look forward to the impact this data will have on our global mapping efforts.”
The Nippon Foundation, a philanthropic organisation based in Tokyo, has been the core funder of GEBCO’s mapping and capacity-building activities for over twenty years. Its initiatives include supporting Seabed 2030 and the GEBCO-Nippon Foundation Training Program at the University of New Hampshire, which has educated more than 100 ocean mappers from over 45 nations.
Progress and goals
Currently, only 27.3% of the world’s seafloor is mapped to contemporary standards. Seabed 2030 aims to bridge this gap by 2030, leveraging international collaboration, open data sharing, and impactful partnerships such as the one with Raymarine.
Raymarine, a global pioneer in high-performance marine electronics, recently entered a strategic collaboration with The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project – an ambitious global initiative to inspire 100% of the world’s ocean floor mapped by the year 2030.
Raymarine and Seabed 2030 announced the collaboration at the recent Ocean Floor Explore symposium hosted by Map the Gaps and COAST. Ocean Floor Explore brings together industry, technology and philanthropy to promote cross sector collaboration to overcome the obstacles of deep ocean discovery.
Launched in 2017, Seabed 2030 is a collaborative effort between The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans), and is an officially endorsed program of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Raymarine sonar systems
The project aims to compile all available bathymetric data into a freely accessible map of the global seafloor, supporting marine conservation, climate modeling, tsunami forecasting, and sustainable ocean resource management.
As part of this collaboration, Raymarine is contributing a unique dataset of crowdsourced bathymetric recordings collected from thousands of vessels equipped with Raymarine sonar systems. This data, gathered from real-world usage across the globe, will enhance the resolution and coverage of existing seafloor maps, particularly in under-surveyed coastal and offshore regions.
“We’re proud to support Seabed 2030 in its mission to accelerate the complete mapping of the world’s oceans,” said Grégoire Outters, General Manager at Raymarine. “This collaboration reflects our commitment to safer navigation, better science, and a more sustainable future for the maritime industry.”
Crowdsourced bathymetric data
“Raymarine’s contribution of crowdsourced bathymetric data is a powerful example of how industry can accelerate our understanding of the ocean floor,” said Jamie McMichael-Phillips, Director of the Seabed 2030 Project. “We welcome their support and look forward to the impact this data will have on our global mapping efforts.”
The Nippon Foundation, a private philanthropic organisation based in Tokyo, has been the principal funder of GEBCO’s capacity-building and mapping initiatives for over two decades. Through its support of Seabed 2030 and the GEBCO-Nippon Foundation Training Program at the University of New Hampshire, it has helped train over 100 ocean mappers from more than 45 countries.
To date, only 27.3% of the world’s seafloor has been mapped to modern standards. Seabed 2030 aims to close this gap by 2030 through international collaboration, open data sharing, and innovative partnerships like this one.
