The Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI) is a unique consortium of top oceanographic institutions—several graduate degree-granting institutions, an ocean exploration non-profit, and task-specific affiliates. They work as one to advance the core priorities of NOAA Ocean Exploration. Put simply, the OECI is uncovering the potential benefits our ocean has to offer.
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The United States is a leader in ocean exploration and discovery of the intellectual, economic, and social drivers embedded in the ocean realm. Remaining a leader will require more than any one institution, technological system, or ocean-going platform can provide. Through the conduct of its missions, technological innovation and by mobilizing a vast network of scientists and students, the OECI can mount a sustained and concerted effort. The long-term result will be to fully open the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and to widely benefit the nation’s Blue Economy.
OECI’s tasks are organized around four areas of focus:
- Exploring unknown or poorly known areas of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone
- Developing mobile systems deployable from a broad range of platforms in previously unreachable shallows and depths
- Adopting and integrating surface, aerial, and undersea autonomous vehicles into exploration operations
- Improving access to and the utility of mission data for educational, commercial, scientific, and public communities
Members of the OECI are committed to delivering:
- Expertise in scientific disciplines like biology, chemistry, physical dynamics, geology/geophysics, hydrography and ocean mapping, marine archaeology/maritime history, acoustics and telecommunications
- Excellence in engineering remotely operated vehicles and their on-board sub-systems, autonomous undersea powered vehicles, gliders and autonomous surface vehicles, ship board support systems, sensor and instrumentation development, and mapping and exploration applications
- Leadership in communications, including telepresence during ocean exploration, to engage and involve the greater U.S. oceanographic community and to excite, motivate and educate future generations.
OECI’s lasting legacy will be a robust set of new ocean exploration concepts, a wide array of technological capabilities, and a wellspring of scientists, engineers, researchers and support professionals that can employ them to the benefit of the nation.