The URI Inner Space Center (ISC) supports the NOAA Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) program—a major deep-sea coral habitat restoration initiative in the Gulf of America—by providing telepresence systems and engineering support and science communication expertise. Operating through the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI), the ISC’s involvement focuses on two main pillars:

• Ship and Shore Connectivity: The ISC equips seagoing MDBC project vessels (such as the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster) with specialized hardware, including Mobile Telepresence Units and high-speed Starlink Maritime terminals. This specialized infrastructure allows vessels to maintain VPN tunnel connectivity, sync real-time data files, and live-stream deep-sea footage back to shore for remote scientific collaboration and outreach.
• Education, Outreach, and Public Engagement: The ISC leverages its multimedia production facility to translate complex coral restoration science for the public. The team manages live ship-to-shore educational broadcasts, curates a multimedia library for project partners, and produces high-quality multimedia content.