Great Lakes

The Inner Space Center supports the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute expeditions with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries aimed at surveying underwater cultural heritage and lake ecology.

The ISC supports these initiatives through:

  • Shipwreck Surveys & Cultural Heritage Mapping: The ISC provides telepresence technologies including data pipeline support for expeditions mapping historic shipwrecks and collecting baseline bathymetry in the Great Lakes including the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary and Lake Erie projects.
  • Under-Ice Autonomous Technology: The Center provides backend support for advanced tech trials in the region, including utilizing Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) equipped with specialized fisheries sonar to study the winter and under-ice ecology of the Great Lakes.
  • Workforce Development: Because limited berthing on ships typically restricts student participation, the ISC uses telepresence tools and technologies to allow teams of university students to work directly with researchers and engineers at sea, developing skills as remote operators and scientific data loggers for Great Lakes cruises.
  • Ocean Accessibility: Telepresence broadens participation in ocean exploration by enabling meaningful remote engagement for individuals who cannot sail due to disabilities, vessel accommodation limitations, caregiving responsibilities, health considerations, or other circumstances. Participants have contributed through live scientific collaboration, data analysis, and remote operation of systems such as ROVs from the ISC.
Research Vessel Laurentian leaving Wisconsin’s Port Washington Harbor for a day of documentation of the Senator shipwreck site during the fieldwork for the Exploring Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary at Scale project in 2026.