Raymarine, a leader in marine electronics, has partnered with The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO to support the Seabed 2030 project, which aims to map the entire ocean floor by 2030. This collaboration was announced at the Ocean Floor Explore symposium, an event designed to foster cooperation between industry, technology, and philanthropy to address challenges in deep-sea exploration. Seabed 2030, launched in 2017, is a joint effort by GEBCO and is recognized by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The initiative seeks to compile bathymetric data into a comprehensive map of the seafloor to aid marine conservation, climate modeling, and sustainable resource management.
As part of this initiative, Raymarine will provide crowdsourced bathymetric data collected from vessels using its sonar systems. This data will significantly improve the resolution and coverage of existing seafloor maps, particularly in less-explored coastal and offshore areas. Grégoire Outters, Raymarine’s General Manager, emphasized the company’s commitment to enhancing navigation safety and promoting sustainable practices within the maritime industry.
The Nippon Foundation has been a key supporter of GEBCO’s mapping efforts for over 20 years, helping train more than 100 ocean mappers globally. Currently, only about 25% of the ocean floor is mapped to modern standards, and Seabed 2030 aims to close this gap through collaboration and data sharing. For further details, visit the Seabed 2030 and Raymarine websites.
