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These Autonomous Subs Are Collecting Data For ‘Google Earth of the Oceans’

Autonomous Subs Are Collecting Data For 'Google Earth of the Oceans'

More than 80 percent of our oceans remain unmapped and unexplored.

Terradepth is a USA-based establishment located in Austin, Texas, which aims to send its sovereign submarine, Abraham, out to delve into the oceans. It is crazy how only 20 percent of the total have been mapped — in a bid to democratize knowledge of the world’s oceans, a report from Forbes explains.

This exceptional idea was pictured by two ex-Navy SEALs. Their main goal was to build an empire that would add unknowing facts and knowledge about the secret and deep-seated ocean. An autonomous submarine that could operate out at sea for 60 days.

The two founders came up with this mind-blowing idea at the time when space exploration was at its peak and innovation was all people could talk about. This was the time they set themselves to build an organization that would be as rowdy as SpaceX in terms of ocean discoveries.

“Diesel light,” is the existing exemplar used by Terradepth’s however, it intends to use a hydrogen fuel cell on the ultimate production model.

A Terradepth’s prototype submarine in Lake Travis in Texas has undergone its first trials and the results were issued in March this year. After the successful completion of its first stage, it will now move to the Gulf of Mexico in the upcoming months.

In a press publication, the company explained that the initial phase one tests  “conclusively demonstrated that the company’s unmanned submersible could collect underwater data, process the data, understand features of import, and automatically retask itself with no human intervention.”

Terradepth wants to enable better environmental decision-making

Artificial intelligence would soon take over all human chores and responsibilities would not be an understatement. This Texas-based firm’s main arena also work on these lines i-e they would make use of the artificial intelligence and machine to examine the data it gathers. “We’ve put that historically human analysis and object recognition on the robot itself,” Judson Kauffman, co-founder, and co-CEO of Terradepth told Forbes.

A cloud-based ocean data management system would be created comprising the elementary data gathered by submarines and it would be accessible to everyone using it. People can take a look at it and get to know the secrets of deep-seated oceans around the globe. Kauffman compared this cloud-based management system to “a Google Earth of the oceans,” in an interview with Fast Company. 

In recent times it is very important for us to shield our environment and take better care of it. This initiative also aims at it and founders of the company are an advocate of the idea that our understanding and awareness of the oceans via ventures like theirs will eventually support us to make better decisions leading to better and brighter future.

This is definitely not as easy as it sounds! Mapping the ocean is no joke obviously. Terradepth’s other co-founder and co-CEO Joe Wolfel says that it is expected to take a decade and billions of dollars of investment in order for it to work. The company has at present raised $8 million in funding and is eyeing more partners to collaborate with. 

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