Search Results

Get the ODL Newsletter! Packed full of information on what we're working on, and what others are doing in ocean exploration. Latest news, job and grant opportunities, and more! Email Sign Up Thanks for signing up! Previous Newsletters January 2024 The January 2024 newsletter celebrated the second annual Ocean Exploration Day. December 2023 This full 2023 year-in-review newsletter provided a recap of all of Ocean Discovery League's accomplishments throughout the year. November 2023 The November 2023 newsletter included the launch of our Ocean Technology Co-Design Survey. October 2023 The October 2023 newsletter discussed the workshop we led as part of the Collective Solution Accelerator hosted by the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy (DOOS). September 2023 The September 2023 newsletter included a wrap up of Ocean Discovery League's summer activities, including field deployments in Rhode Island. August 2023 The August 2023 newsletter highlighted our participation in OceanX's Young Explorers Program aboard OceanXplorer , teaching storytelling and other interdisciplinary career topics to undergraduate students. July 2023 The July 2023 newsletter highlighted several recent discoveries during deep ocean expeditions conducted by our partners. June 2023 The June 2023 newsletter discussed our partnership with the Quinault Indian Nation and the Polynesian Voyaging Society. May 2023 The May 2023 newsletter covered our work in accelerating data analysis with Ocean Vision AI. April 2023 The April 2023 newsletter included a celebration of World Creativity and Innovation Day and a round-up of Ocean Solution Fund projects to support. March 2023 The March 2023 newsletter covered a celebration of Women's History Month and ODL's New Partnership with the Polynesian Voyaging Society. February 2023 The February 2023 newsletter included reflections on Black History Month and the launch of a new Ocean Solutions Fund Project. January 2023 The January 2023 newsletter included a recap of our inaugural Ocean Exploration Day event and more information on recent press and opportunities. December 2022 The December 2022 newsletter provided an overview of Ocean Discovery League's biggest accomplishments of 2022 and what we're looking forward to in 2023. November 2022 The November 2022 newsletter featured the paper "Maka Niu: A low-cost, modular imaging and sensor platform to increase observation capabilities of the deep ocean," recently published in Frontiers in Marine Science . October 2022 The October 2022 newsletter featured the Cook Islands Workshop, ODL's participation in the $5M NSF grant for Ocean Vision AI, and several media stories on our recent work. September 2022 The September 2022 newsletter featured the 2022 Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment launch, ODL's work on FathomNet, our new website launch, and Hispanic Heritage Month. August 2022 The August 2022 newsletter focused on the field testing of our first generation camera system, Maka Niu, designed in collaboration with the MIT Future Ocean Lab. The newsletter featured five to six field projects and milestones of these pilots. July 2022 The July 2022 newsletter discussed the United Nations Ocean Conference that occurred in Lisbon, Portugal. The conference's stated goal was to focus on innovative solutions to the many crises facing the world's oceans. June 2022 The June 2022 newsletter highlighted Capitol Hill Ocean Week, Explorers Club World Oceans Week, and NatGeoFest where several of our ocean exploration collaborators were honored. May 2022 In the May 2022 newsletter we featured our newly published open-access article, My Deep Sea, My Backyard: a pilot study to build capacity for global deep-ocean exploration and research. April 2022 The April 2022 newsletter highlighted our new partnership with the Experiment Foundation on the Ocean Solutions Fund, supporting experiments that seek to better understand and improve the health of our world's ocean. March 2022 In the March 2022 newsletter we celebrated Katy Croff Bell's participation the Smithsonian Institution's hosting of the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit, the most women statues ever assembled in one location, at one time in celebration of Women's Futures Month. February 2022 In the February 2022 newsletter we shared a pivotal new paper on creating safe working environments for underrepresented scientists at sea by Diva Amon, Zoleka Filander, Lindsay Harris, and Harriet Harden-Davies. January 2022 In the January 2022 newsletter we kicked off the year with the announcement of the launch of FathomNet , an open-source underwater image database for training, testing, and validating state-of-the-art artificial intelligence algorithms.

NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MOST EXTENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF GLOBAL DEEP-SEA EXPLORATION CAPABILITIES FINDS WIDESPREAD CAPACITY INEQUITIES The 2022 Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment included 186 countries and territories and investigated access to vessels, deep submergence vehicles, data analysis tools, and expertise. (Saunderstown, RI — Sept 15, 2022) On September 12, 2022, the Ocean Discovery League (ODL)—led by oceanographer and National Geographic deep-sea explorer Dr. Katy Croff Bell—released the results of the first Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment (GDSCA) , the most extensive study of its kind ever conducted. The 2022 Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment is a baseline assessment of the technical and human capacity for deep-sea exploration and research in every coastal area with deep ocean worldwide. This assessment, an official activity of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, presents global and regional results related to organizational infrastructure, technical capacity, accessibility to deep-sea tools, satisfaction with those tools, and the most significant deep-sea challenges and opportunities each region faces. The results demonstrate the unique regional and subregional challenges and opportunities facing deep-sea research and exploration in each location. "Ocean exploration is still a significant perpetrator of colonial science because the current tools are expensive, inefficient, and inaccessible," said Dr. Bell. "We need to create inclusive tools, training, and access that open this area of exploration up to everyone worldwide. Equity must be at the core of future ocean exploration." Just how many countries actually have the capacity to access and work in the deep ocean? This knowledge is essential to make deep-sea exploration and science more inclusive and equitable. Exploration and research in the 93% of our planet's ocean that lies deeper than 200 m are typically conducted by only a handful of countries with the required financial and personnel resources. Previous studies on deep-sea exploration capacity underrepresented these capabilities by gathering feedback from a limited set of countries. "The GDSCA is the first comprehensive evidence of persisting and pervasive global gaps in deep-sea exploration and scientific capacity," said Dr. Diva Amon, co-author of the study and marine biologist from Trinidad and Tobago. "Having these inequities laid out in black and white is an essential step in being able to question the adequacy of past and current approaches to capacity development and instead move to meaningful and equitable partnerships that are driven from the start by those who need them most." ​ Key findings of the assessment include: Many who consider deep-sea exploration & research important do not have deep-sea tools & technologies: Respondents for numerous subregions, particularly Micronesia, Melanesia, Western Africa, and Eastern Africa, felt that deep-sea exploration & research was considered important in their location but did not have access to the tools needed to do deep-sea work. In many places, there is expertise but not technology: In every subregion, respondents indicated that the presence of in-country individuals with deep-sea expertise exceeded the availability of deep-sea tools. More access to vessels, DSVs, sensors, and data tools would activate available expertise to conduct locally-led deep-sea exploration and research. More deep submergence vehicles are needed globally: Deep submergence vehicles were the technical capacity that had the lowest presence, access, and satisfaction worldwide. More access to lower-cost, easy-to-use technologies suitable for deep water would be transformative globally. Non-research assets could be available for deep ocean research: While vessels were the technical capacity with the most extensive presence worldwide, in general, vessels were the technical capacity to which respondents had the second-lowest access. Unlocking access to additional vessels for use in research would be transformational. Funding is the top challenge: Survey respondents identified funding as the single greatest challenge, followed by human capacity and knowledge, access to vessels, and access to deep submergence vehicles to undertake deep-sea research. Low-cost solutions are key to increasing access to the deep sea. Prioritizing deep-sea exploration is essential: Many respondents felt that their countries did not consider deep-sea research and exploration important. Making stronger internal cases for why deep-sea exploration is critical in each location could be beneficial in securing support. Tailored strategies are needed for each location: Better understanding of the physical environment can help ensure the greatest return on investment. For example, in Central America, Melanesia, and Western Asia, 75% of all EEZs lie between 200 to 4,000 m, and all African EEZs are less than 6,000 m. Creating deep-ocean technologies and strategies tailored to each location would be more efficient than a one-size-fits-all approach. Detailed research and inclusion matter: The results of this study were more nuanced than expected. The assessment documented previously underreported details, from the available human capacity to possible vessel access. The very act of including and reaching out to people in locations often under-resourced and overlooked in many global studies created a community and a sense of inclusion that made the effort and detail of this report and future studies of its kind valuable in many ways. The research was conducted by a global team representing the regions highlighted in the study. "The Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment is a real encouragement and impetus for African countries towards deep-sea exploration," said Otmane Sarti, a participating researcher from Morocco. From 200 to nearly 11,000 meters below sea level, the deep sea encompasses the single largest—and arguably the most critical—biosphere on Earth. Almost two-thirds of all exclusive economic zones (EEZs) combined have water depths between 2,000 and 6,000 meters, making this a particularly critical depth range to access. "It is my hope that the 2022 Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment will provide the information needed to strategically develop, equitably implement, and quantitatively measure the progress of deep-sea exploration and research capacity development throughout the next decade and beyond," said Dr. Bell. ODL will continue to monitor changes in deep-sea capacity over the UN Ocean Decade and beyond by conducting the second Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment in 2025-2026 and a third in 2029-2030. Everyone from marine scientists to machine learning engineers to business leaders has a role in supporting global deep-sea research and exploration efforts. Whether coding new tools, training new deep-sea researchers, or leading an expedition, it will take many skills to achieve these goals. We invite you to visit the Ocean Discovery League at www.oceandiscoveryleague.org to learn more about our current projects. About Ocean Discovery League Ocean Discovery League aims to remove barriers to equity in deep-sea exploration by developing low-cost deep-sea technologies, creating AI-driven data analysis tools, and building capacity with historically excluded communities. With a growing global population and increasing anthropogenic pressures on Earth, the time for innovative initiatives to explore, understand, and share the full depths of the oceans is now. We need to invest in new technologies, research methods, and social systems to transform what it means to explore and discover in the 21st century. By creating a suite of low-cost, distributed tools and supporting a community of explorers around the globe, we will make significantly more progress in understanding our planet than ever before. Follow us online at www.oceandiscoveryleague.org and on Twitter as @OceanDiscLeague. MEDIA CONTACT: Susan Poulton Director, Strategy and Communications Email: susan@oceandiscoveryleague.org Mobile: +1-703-568-6117 Facebook: Ocean Discovery League Twitter: @OceanDiscLeague Instagram: @OceanDiscLeague URL: http://www.oceandiscoveryleague.org ###

< Back Susan Poulton Vice President, Strategy and Communications Susan Poulton is the Vice President of Strategy and Communications at Ocean Discovery League. She has over twenty-five years of digital media, communications, and strategy experience, working with both the for-profit and non-profit organizations to help transform their media and outreach strategies. From ocean to space exploration, her passion is inspiring and awakening curiosity in any audience and moving them to action through creative experiences and storytelling. Most recently, Susan was the Chief Digital Officer of The Franklin Institute science museum in Philadelphia, where she conceived and developed a comprehensive digital strategy for the 8th largest science museum in the country. This strategy included website, social media, mobile app, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence applications and focused on the creation of science content for a global audience to support the educational mission of the museum and transform them into a digital leader among visitors, the community, and cultural institutions. Prior to this, she managed digital and social media strategy and external media relations for Dr. Robert Ballard’s Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) and the Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus, implementing tactics for ocean science communication and storytelling resulting in thousands of viral media stories on ocean exploration and tens of millions of media hits. Susan was Vice President of Digital Media for the National Geographic Society for seven years. In that role she oversaw the development of many of National Geographic’s first online content verticals, resulting in dramatic growth for the Society’s digital presence and monetization capabilities. She then focused on outreach and content strategies for the Society’s non-profit and exploration initiatives including James Cameron’s DeepSea Challenge, The Genographic Project, Big Cats, Freshwater, Oceans, and Explorers portal. Her work on the Genographic and Expedition: Genghis Khan projects developed success tactics for citizen science engagement and resulted in two Webby nominations. While at National Geographic, she spearheaded a personal project to document all remaining space shuttle launches from 2006-2011 and the decommissioning of the space shuttle program. Susan also manages her own digital consulting firm, Door 44 Digital. In that role she develops digital strategies for multiple organizations in both the for profit and non-profit space and also conducts independent research on solutions to our current misinformation crisis and disaster communication tactics. An avid traveler and photographer, Susan spends her spare time volunteering to provide media and digital training to nonprofit organizations around the world, including as an instructor for National Geographic Photo Camp. She is a certified Advanced Emergency Medical Technical (AEMT) and a member of the Red Cross Disaster Action Team providing volunteer support locally as well as in refugee camps overseas. She is currently working on a project to document her attempt to summit the highest points in all 50 states in the United States.

< Back Katy Croff Bell Board Member Dr. Katy Croff Bell is a deep sea explorer who is passionate about developing new ways to better understand the ocean and make it more accessible to everyone around the world. Bell is a National Geographic Explorer and the Founder and President of the Ocean Discovery League. She is on a mission to break down the barriers to the deep sea by combining low-cost technologies, AI-driven data analysis, and capacity building to make access to the deep sea more efficient and accessible to all, especially those historically excluded in the field. Her background in ocean engineering, maritime archaeology, and geological oceanography, and leadership of dozens of expeditions around that world uniquely position her to create efficient, equitable systems to broaden access to the deep sea. Bell was previously the Founding Director of the Open Ocean Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, which was dedicated to developing programs for low-cost, distributed deployment of new and emerging technologies for ocean exploration and community building. As Executive Vice President of the Ocean Exploration Trust, she led the development of exploration, research, and educational outreach activities for E/V Nautilus, including management of scientists, engineers, educators, and students from 30+ countries working together to conduct telepresence-enabled expeditions around the world. Bell was Vice Chair of the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee in 2017-2019. She was a 2001 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, 2006 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, 2014 MIT Media Lab Director's Fellow, 2017-2020 National Geographic Fellow, and 2019 AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador. Bell holds an S.B. in ocean engineering from MIT, an M.Sc . in maritime archaeology from the University of Southampton, and a Ph.D. in geological oceanography from the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. info@mysite.com 123-456-7890

< Back Jon Ferguson Software Engineer Jon Ferguson is an independent Creative Technologist, working out of Cambridge Massachusetts. He is doing a lot of stuff with computers right now.

Events Past Events JETZON Monthly Open Call: Exposing Inequities in Deep-Sea Exploration and Research March 7, 2023 Dr. Katy Croff Bell presented the results of the 2022 Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment at JETZON's May Open Call. GSO Public Lecture Series: Women in Ocean Science March 7, 2023 Dr. Katy Croff Bell joined Dr. Fenix Garcia Tigreros and Dr. Katherine Kelley in a panel discussion to share their perspectives on how the “leaky pipeline” of gender disparity in marine science can be fixed. AtlantOS Ocean Hour: Democratizing Ocean Observations through low cost technologies & citizen science January 30, 2023 Dr. Katy Croff Bell presented on Ocean Discovery League's work with low cost sensors in a panel discussion about democratizing ocean observation. Ocean Exploration Day: Q&A with Don Walsh and Dawn Wright January 23, 2023 Dr. Katy Croff Bell's recorded live Q+A with ocean explorers Don Walsh and Dawn Wright, where they discuss their expeditions to Challenger Deep. NOAA Central Library: Preview of the Global Deep-Sea Capacity Results June 22, 2022 Dr. Katy Croff Bell and Dr. Maud Quinzin, Capacity Assessment Project Manager presented the preliminary results of the 2022 Global Deep-Sea Capacity Assessment at the NOAA Central Library Series. Slack for Good/Ocean Discovery League Partnership Launch July 22, 2021 To launch the partnership with Ocean Discovery League, Slack hosted an employee Town Hall with Dr. Katy Croff Bell and other leading experts from National Geographic Society and Polynesian Voyaging Society to highlight the opportunities created by diversifying the voices driving climate action. Learn More Dr. Katy Croff Bell Testifies Before Congress June 5, 2019 On Wednesday, June 5, 2019, Dr. Katy Croff Bell testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, & Technology Subcommittee on Environment on the topic of Ocean Exploration: Diving to New Depths and Discoveries. Watch her full testimony below, and read or download her full official remarks here. The Atlantic International Research Centre Summer Series August 27, 2020 Dr. Katy Croff Bell, presented on Deep Sea Exploration: Past + Present + Future at the AIR Center. Deep sea exploration today is inefficient, elite, and expensive. As a result, we don’t fully understand how to wisely use and protect the ocean, so that we may thrive today and into the future. 2019 National Geographic Explorers Symposium February 11, 2019 On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, linguistic anthropologist Sandhya Narayanan, paleoanthropologist and stand-up comic Ella Al-Shamahi, oceanographer Katy Croff Bell, and carnivore ecologist Rae Wynn-Grant—amazing explorers who are pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge and inspiring the next generation—presented on "Expanding the Field of Exploration." Previous Events From 2017 to 2021, the Open Ocean Initiative at the MIT Media Lab hosted several gatherings and pursued multiple project initiatives. In 2021, Open Ocean spun off to become Ocean Discovery League to continue this work. 2018 Here Be Dragons Conference Report In February 2018, we convened 200 explorers, innovators, artists, scientists, and storytellers in collaboration with NGS at an event called Here be Dragons. Our goal was to identify the uncharted territories that still exist in ocean exploration and storytelling. All Hands on Deck, held at the MIT Media Lab, was the 2018 National Ocean Exploration Forum. Its goal was to imagine creative new ways to make the ocean so pervasive in modern culture that everyone has a positive association with the sea. 2018 National Ocean Exploration Forum: All Hand on Deck The Open Ocean Seminar Series was a curated speaker series focusing on new technologies and capacity building approaches for deep sea exploration. Seminars were held biweekly in the spring of 2019 and spring, summer, and fall of 2020. Open Ocean Seminar Series

< Back Rafael Anta Board Member Rafael Anta is a Principal Specialist in the Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation Division at the Inter-American Development Bank. He works in the design and supervision of loans and technical assistance projects to support the design of public policies and investments to foster science, technology, and innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean, with most interest in biotechnology, artificial intelligence and bluetech. Previously, he was a senior advisor to IDB’s Executive Vice President for 5 years, scouting for scientific discoveries, emerging technologies and disruptive applications that can contribute to solving development challenges. Prior to the IDB, Rafael was a senior consultant at Accenture, where he designed business technology strategies, led the development and integration of large-scale computer systems, and researched technologies for Telecom, Media and Internet companies. He has a five-year degree in Computer Engineering from Ramón Llull University (Barcelona, Spain), ​​Summa Cum Laude, and executive education training in data science and artificial intelligence. info@mysite.com 123-456-7890

OCEAN EXPLORATION DAY January 23, 2024 #oceanexplorationday Access Social Media Toolkit On this day, January 23, in 1960, Jacques Piccard and US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh reached a record depth of approximately 10,911 meters (35,797 ft) in the research bathyscaphe Trieste in the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench near Guam in the Pacific. Their dive fueled public interest in the deep ocean and opened the door to possibilities never before available. Today, worldwide, we celebrate the wonder of and need for deep-sea research and exploration. ​ From 200 to nearly 11,000 meters (600 to 33,000 feet) below sea level, the deep sea encompasses the single largest—and arguably the most critical—habitat on Earth Great Reads for Kids: Women in Ocean Science These are some of my favorite children's books that have been published about women who have contributed to ocean science. Career Profile: Kylie Pasternak, Lead Maka Niu Project Engineer, Ocean Discovery League Kylie Pasternak is the Lead Maka Niu Project Engineer at ODL, where she provides technical support for the Maka Niu user community. Career Profile: Katy Croff Bell, President & Founder, Ocean Discovery League Katy Croff Bell is the founder and president of Ocean Discovery League, where she oversees the organization's operations and is responsible The deep sea is the planet's life-support system. It feeds the upper ocean, which provides more than half the oxygen we breathe, supplies 20% of humanity's protein needs, and supports a $1.5T global ocean economy. The deep sea is responsible for Earth's habitability because it moderates the surface temperature for the entire biosphere. ​ Despite its indisputable role in shaping Earth's habitable zones, the deep sea is poorly explored, and many details of how it supports our biosphere are not understood. Today, human activities, from overfishing to carbon dioxide emissions, are impacting the deep sea, which will most certainly affect our planet's living space. Dr. Peter Girguis of Harvard University has been studying the deep sea for two decades and notes, "The deep sea is a lot like the basement of your home: It holds all the utilities that keep your house running. If you don't know what's down there, or if you let it go derelict, you have no chance of keeping your home running." Humanity has long been fascinated with the deep sea, from the Polynesian explorers from millennia past to the first humans to visit the deepest spot in the ocean. Those pioneers remind us of our inextricable connection to the ocean and how important it is that we understand our world's life support system. We all have a role to play in exploring—and protecting—this critical biosphere. Deep Ocean Quick Facts: The average depth of the ocean is about 2.65 miles (14,000 ft) deep. [4,000 m] The life forms living near hydrothermal vents, unlike any other life forms on Earth, do not rely on photosynthesis and the sun for their energy but on chemicals coming from beneath the surface of the earth. Of the estimated 500,000 to 10 million species living in the deep sea, the majority are yet to be discovered. Approximately 98% of the ocean’ species live in, on, or just above the floor of the sea. The estimated number of seamounts ranges from 30,000 to 100,000. Seamounts are home to a breathtaking array of species (for example, over 850 species were found on seamounts in the Tasman and Coral Seas). Two-thirds of all known coral species live in waters that are deep, dark, and cold — some live three miles deep and are able to survive in -2°C. Some cold-water corals are 5,000–8,500 years old or more, and some grow into beautiful structures that rise up to 35 meters high. Deep-sea corals, sponges and other habitat-forming organisms provide protection from currents and predators, nurseries for young fish, and feeding, breeding, and spawning areas for hundreds of thousands of species. Because deep-sea species live in rarely disturbed environments and tend to be slow growing, late maturing and endemic, they are exceptionally vulnerable to extinction. Many deep-water fish species live 30 years or more. Some, such as orange roughy, can live up to 150 years. Ancient deep-sea corals provide valuable records of climate conditions that may assist our understanding of global climate change. (Source: https://www.savethehighseas.org/amazing-facts/) ​ How You Can Celebrate Ocean Exploration Day: – Celebrate! Share facts and imagery about the wonder of the deep ocean and why it's so important. – Raise awareness. Post updates on your work in the deep sea and how it is critical to the planet. – Host an event! From online events and workshops to in-person meet-ups, we will share a full calendar of events here. Send any events you are hosting to ahoy@oceandiscoveryleague.org . – Learn/Teach. Conduct a deep-sea activity in your classroom or your community. – Share. Share to raise awareness of the importance of the deep ocean worldwide! ​

Low-Cost Sensors and Systems Access to data collection is one of the primary barriers to deep-sea exploration. Traditionally, data collection at depth is conducted from large (and expensive) research vessels accessible to only a select few countries and researchers. ​ We are creating low-cost, easy-to-use deep-sea systems that gather the most critical data to inform environmental decision-making and deployment strategies. The Challenge Today’s deep-sea underwater imaging and sensing systems are typically large, expensive, and challenging to deploy, requiring a ship and onboard handling equipment. Therefore, there are very few of them in existence; as a result, observations are few and far between. Because of their expense, the few existing technologies are owned and operated by wealthy nations and individuals. ​ If we are to truly understand the deep sea, we must create systems that are modular, low-cost, and easy to use. This approach will enable more people, especially those from historically excluded communities, to deploy them and begin to make observations on much finer spatial and temporal scales than ever before—more “eyes” in the water, in more locations worldwide. ​ There has been a surge of interest in the low-cost sensing space in recent years. Most of these efforts, however, have focused on relatively shallow waters (max ~300 m) and cannot be customized to a user’s needs. We propose to address these issues by (1) designing for depth, (2) designing for modularity, and (3) co-designing with users. Our Strategy Katy Croff Bell’s team at the MIT Media Lab, in collaboration with the MIT Future Oceans Lab, developed a new easy-to-use, low-cost deep sea camera and sensor system, which users around the world are testing. This prototype system will be the basis of a low-cost, scalable platform that we will use to image the ocean floor. ​ ​Bell’s MIT Media Lab, Open Ocean Initiative team has gone through an extensive user study focusing on low-cost/low-logistics systems and AI-driven data analysis. Our twenty interview participants are marine professionals representing a broad cross-section of the marine community from eleven countries. Each has different motivations and requirements, and many represent multiple domains, including developing nations/communities, education/outreach, engineering, policy/management, scientific research, and traditional ecological knowledge. ​ This study resulted in recommendations for hardware design considerations, data analysis design considerations, and community involvement. We have been using the results of this study to develop two low-cost, low-logistics camera and sensor systems in collaboration with numerous partners. Users around the world are now testing them. ​ ​We plan to evaluate and iterate on these initial systems using test user feedback. ​The resulting system will be the basis of a low-cost, low-logistics, modular, and scalable platform fleet that will utilize Ocean AI for video and sensor data aggregation, analysis, and archive. We plan to use these systems in 2024 to pilot training workshops with partners worldwide, increasing participation in deep-sea science and exploration and accelerating our understanding of the deep sea. Back to Projects Main "The doors have been so closed on deep sea exploration...low-cost tech could get people excited about their home island.” — Jess Cramp, Executive Director of Sharks Pacific and National Geographic Explorer, Cook Islands Project Gallery Next Project

Industry News Team members at Ocean Discovery League are always on the lookout for articles that relate to our core mission and goals. From unique uses for artificial intelligence and machine learning in exploration and conservation to ocean sensors and system integration, we found these articles from around the world interesting. ​ Note: Articles featured here do not translate to endorsement. Use the scroll bars within each section to navigate to all links. Innovation in Ocean Sensors & Systems Capacity Building & Ocean Equity Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Deep Sea Science Links powered by Raindrop.io.

Terms and Conditions Last updated: September 03, 2022 Please read these terms and conditions carefully before using Our Service. Interpretation and Definitions Interpretation The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural. Definitions For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions: Affiliate means an entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with a party, where "control" means ownership of 50% or more of the shares, equity interest or other securities entitled to vote for election of directors or other managing authority. Country refers to: Rhode Island, United States Company (referred to as either "the Company", "We", "Us" or "Our" in this Agreement) refers to Ocean Discovery League, Inc., P.O. Box 182, Saunderstown, RI 02874. Device means any device that can access the Service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet. Service refers to the Website. Terms and Conditions (also referred as "Terms") mean these Terms and Conditions that form the entire agreement between You and the Company regarding the use of the Service. This Terms and Conditions agreement has been created with the help of the TermsFeed Terms and Conditions Generator. Third-party Social Media Service means any services or content (including data, information, products or services) provided by a third-party that may be displayed, included or made available by the Service. Website refers to Ocean Discovery League, accessible from https://www.oceandiscoveryleague.org You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable. Acknowledgment These are the Terms and Conditions governing the use of this Service and the agreement that operates between You and the Company. These Terms and Conditions set out the rights and obligations of all users regarding the use of the Service. Your access to and use of the Service is conditioned on Your acceptance of and compliance with these Terms and Conditions. These Terms and Conditions apply to all visitors, users and others who access or use the Service. By accessing or using the Service You agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. If You disagree with any part of these Terms and Conditions then You may not access the Service. Your access to and use of the Service is also conditioned on Your acceptance of and compliance with the Privacy Policy of the Company. Our Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your personal information when You use the Application or the Website and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You. Please read Our Privacy Policy carefully before using Our Service. Links to Other Websites Our Service may contain links to third-party web sites or services that are not owned or controlled by the Company. The Company has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third party web sites or services. You further acknowledge and agree that the Company shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such web sites or services. We strongly advise You to read the terms and conditions and privacy policies of any third-party web sites or services that You visit. Termination We may terminate or suspend Your access immediately, without prior notice or liability, for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation if You breach these Terms and Conditions. Upon termination, Your right to use the Service will cease immediately. Limitation of Liability Notwithstanding any damages that You might incur, the entire liability of the Company and any of its suppliers under any provision of this Terms and Your exclusive remedy for all of the foregoing shall be limited to the amount actually paid by You through the Service or 100 USD if You haven't purchased anything through the Service. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall the Company or its suppliers be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages whatsoever (including, but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, loss of data or other information, for business interruption, for personal injury, loss of privacy arising out of or in any way related to the use of or inability to use the Service, third-party software and/or third-party hardware used with the Service, or otherwise in connection with any provision of this Terms), even if the Company or any supplier has been advised of the possibility of such damages and even if the remedy fails of its essential purpose. Some states do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or limitation of liability for incidental or consequential damages, which means that some of the above limitations may not apply. In these states, each party's liability will be limited to the greatest extent permitted by law. "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" Disclaimer The Service is provided to You "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" and with all faults and defects without warranty of any kind. To the maximum extent permitted under applicable law, the Company, on its own behalf and on behalf of its Affiliates and its and their respective licensors and service providers, expressly disclaims all warranties, whether express, implied, statutory or otherwise, with respect to the Service, including all implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title and non-infringement, and warranties that may arise out of course of dealing, course of performance, usage or trade practice. Without limitation to the foregoing, the Company provides no warranty or undertaking, and makes no representation of any kind that the Service will meet Your requirements, achieve any intended results, be compatible or work with any other software, applications, systems or services, operate without interruption, meet any performance or reliability standards or be error free or that any errors or defects can or will be corrected. Without limiting the foregoing, neither the Company nor any of the company's provider makes any representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied: (i) as to the operation or availability of the Service, or the information, content, and materials or products included thereon; (ii) that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free; (iii) as to the accuracy, reliability, or currency of any information or content provided through the Service; or (iv) that the Service, its servers, the content, or e-mails sent from or on behalf of the Company are free of viruses, scripts, trojan horses, worms, malware, timebombs or other harmful components. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain types of warranties or limitations on applicable statutory rights of a consumer, so some or all of the above exclusions and limitations may not apply to You. But in such a case the exclusions and limitations set forth in this section shall be applied to the greatest extent enforceable under applicable law. Governing Law The laws of the Country, excluding its conflicts of law rules, shall govern this Terms and Your use of the Service. Your use of the Application may also be subject to other local, state, national, or international laws. Disputes Resolution If You have any concern or dispute about the Service, You agree to first try to resolve the dispute informally by contacting the Company. For European Union (EU) Users If You are a European Union consumer, you will benefit from any mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which you are resident in. United States Legal Compliance You represent and warrant that (i) You are not located in a country that is subject to the United States government embargo, or that has been designated by the United States government as a "terrorist supporting" country, and (ii) You are not listed on any United States government list of prohibited or restricted parties. Severability and Waiver Severability If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable or invalid, such provision will be changed and interpreted to accomplish the objectives of such provision to the greatest extent possible under applicable law and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect. Waiver Except as provided herein, the failure to exercise a right or to require performance of an obligation under these Terms shall not effect a party's ability to exercise such right or require such performance at any time thereafter nor shall the waiver of a breach constitute a waiver of any subsequent breach. Translation Interpretation These Terms and Conditions may have been translated if We have made them available to You on our Service. You agree that the original English text shall prevail in the case of a dispute. Changes to These Terms and Conditions We reserve the right, at Our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material We will make reasonable efforts to provide at least 30 days' notice prior to any new terms taking effect. What constitutes a material change will be determined at Our sole discretion. By continuing to access or use Our Service after those revisions become effective, You agree to be bound by the revised terms. If You do not agree to the new terms, in whole or in part, please stop using the website and the Service. Contact Us If you have any questions about these Terms and Conditions, You can contact us: • By email: admin@oceandiscoveryleague.org Community Policy Social Media & Community Engagement Policy Our community is welcome and encouraged to engage, share stories and memories, discuss viewpoints, and ask questions on our social media platforms. Ocean Discovery League is committed to maintaining an accessible, informative, and civil space. Therefore, we reserve the right to hide, delete, limit or restrict distribution on our social media platforms of comments containing any of the below, and to block or ban users who post such content: ​ Hateful or discriminatory messages of any kind, including ones that attack or demean a person’s race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability, as well as any personal attacks, threats, or trolling directed at any other community member. Messages that include violent, vulgar, or explicit content, and any message that encourages illegal activity. Messages that contain false or misleading information. Messages expressing opinions in uncivil, disrespectful or unnecessarily provocative terms or about specific individuals. Advertisements, solicitations, endorsements, or commercial content. Spam or messages posted by fake accounts. Messages that infringe on copyrights. Personally identifiable information of any individual, including community members or Ocean Discovery League staff members. Messages impersonating an Ocean Discovery League representative or claiming to speak on behalf of the organization. As a valued member of our community, we ask that you also be aware of the following: ​ By engaging on our social media channels, you are agreeing to comply with the guidelines imposed by the particular social media platform you are utilizing. Please protect your own privacy by refraining from sharing sensitive personal details. Ocean Discovery League is not responsible for conversations about our posts that take place on another account’s page. By posting content or tagging Ocean Discovery League’s accounts, you are giving us permission to use your content for educational, promotional, or standard non-commercial purposes. The views expressed by users are their own and may not represent the views of Ocean Discovery League, its followers, or its affiliates.

Annual Reports & Financials Download Report Ocean Discovery League has not yet published its first annual report, but you can review our 2022 Strategic Overview here. This document includes: ​ Our vision and mission An overview of our top projects 2022 strategic objectives Financial Documents Ocean Discovery League, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3), tax exempt nonprofit organization. All donations to Ocean Discovery League are considered tax deductible as guided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States. ​ ODL EIN: 84-1827384 ​ We hold a Platinum transparency rating on GuideStar by Candid. Ocean Discovery League is committed to strategic and fiscal transparency in all aspects of our work. If you have any questions about our financials or auditing, please contact ahoy@oceandiscoveryleague.org . 990 IRS Tax Filings 2022: Ocean Discovery League 2022 Full 990 2021: Ocean Discovery League 2021 Full 990 2020: Ocean Discovery League 2020 Form 9 90 - N Audited Financial Statements 2022: Ocean Discovery League 2022 Financial Audit Previous Reports From 2017 to 2021, the Open Ocean Initiative at the MIT Media Lab hosted several gatherings and pursued multiple project initiatives. In 2021, Open Ocean spun off to become Ocean Discovery League to continue this work. 2018 Here Be Dragons Conference Report In February 2018, we convened 200 explorers, innovators, artists, scientists, and storytellers in collaboration with NGS at an event called Here be Dragons. Our goal was to identify the uncharted territories that still exist in ocean exploration and storytelling. All Hands on Deck, held at the MIT Media Lab, was the 2018 National Ocean Exploration Forum. Its goal was to imagine creative new ways to make the ocean so pervasive in modern culture that everyone has a positive association with the sea. 2018 National Ocean Exploration Forum: All Hand on Deck The overarching focus of our work was to advance not only technologies, but also to bring new communities of people together to build a global—and equitable—community for deep-sea exploration. This report summarizes our work over the course of 2017 to 2021. 2021 Open Ocean Initiative Full Summary Report