NOAA Ocean Exploration Collaboration Tools

Overview of tools available for participation by shore-based scientists.

01 / 05

NOAA Ocean Exploration is dedicated to exploring the unknown ocean through leading community driven, collaborative expeditions that leverage telepresence capabilities.

These initial slides will give a basic overview of the tools utilized by NOAA Ocean Exploration to explore the deep sea. Click the arrow to the right to view the slideshow.

Continue scrolling below for a deeper dive into the tools available to the scientific community to participate before, during, and after remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives.

What to Expect: General

  • Three video feeds streamed to shore
  • ArcOnline Live Operations Map
  • A teleconference connected to the ship to help narrate and guide operations
  • A science chatroom
  • Dive annotations via SeaTube V3
  • Daily dive planning calls the day before a dive
  • Nightly emails from the science leads with the plan for the following day

NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is equipped with the following acoustic sonars:

  • Kongsberg 26 kHz EM 304 Multibeam
    • Operating depths ~250-8,000  m
  • Simrad EK60 & EK80 Split-Beam Sonars (18 kHz, 38 kHz (WBT), 70 kHz (WBT), 120 kHz, 200 kHz)
    • Varies from 10 m to full-ocean depth
  • Knudsen 3.5 kHz Chirp Sub-Bottom Profiler
    • Full-ocean depth; ~80 m seafloor penetration
  • Teledyne Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (300 kHz and 38 kHz)
    • 100 m (300 kHz); 1,300 m (38 kHz)

What to Expect: ROV & Sampling

  • Dual-body system with ~6,000 m depth rating
  • CTD, DO, LSS and ORP sensors 
  • Temperature probe
  • Two manipulator arms
  • Four bio boxes/two rock boxes
  • Five-chamber suction sampler
  • Five Niskin bottles that can be triggered to collect water samples for eDNA analysis
  • Sample priorities are identified in dive plans
    • Opportunity to provide input

Collaboration and Participation Form

To gain access to the tools listed below, and to ensure that you are included in the expedition listserv, please fill out the  Collaboration and Participation Form.  

This form must be filled out each year, and provides options for which expeditions you would like to participate in and receive information about.

Live Videos Streamed to Shore

Full resolution video feeds are available at  https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/livestreams/full-res.html 

Three streams are generally available, providing different views into the ongoing expedition. These video streams are the basis that make shoreside participation possible. The full resolution videos are bandwidth limited and meant for science participants only.

For the general public, lower resolution video feeds are available here:     https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/livestreams/welcome.html 

ArcOnline Live Operations Map

Another tool that provides a near-real-time snapshot of the current operations aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is the Live Operations Map hosted on ArcGIS Hub and maintained through a partnership between NOAA Ocean Exploration and NCEI.

The live operations map updates approximately every 15 minutes, and can be accessed here:  https://hub.arcgis.com/maps/noaa::okeanos-explorer-live-operations-map/ 

Teleconference Line

The primary means to communicate with the vessel during science operations is through a conference call line. The expedition coordinator will provide participating explorers with a 1-800 number and a passcode for the duration of the cruise. To join the call during an ROV dive, dial the 1-800 number and enter the passcode followed by the # key when prompted.

Shore-based participants are highly encouraged to call in and assist in narrating the dives, guide sampling operations, ask questions to the onboard personnel, and provide their expertise!

Science Chatroom

The science chatroom is an instant messaging service where shore-based participants can interact with each other, as well as the scientists aboard the ship to discuss the dive in real time. This chatroom is not broadcast publicly, and allows for discussion within the scientific community. All observations are time-coded, so the resulting record can be correlated to the operations and datasets from the ship.

The chatroom can be accessed via  https://exdata.tgfoe.org/chat 

FTP Site: Products and Data

During the cruise, the ship will regularly transfer raw data and a selection of products to an FTP Site where they can be downloaded and used by shore-side participants. These are products used for day-to-day operations and planning. Similarly, the shore-side team can upload data and products for the ship and other participants.

The FTP site can be accessed via  https://exdata.tgfoe.org/OkeanosCruises/ 

Ocean Networks Canada Seatube V3

OER works closely with Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) to implement SeaTube, a web-based annotation interface for ROV operations on expeditions. SeaTube serves as the digital equivalent to the scientist's logbook. It is used by shipboard and shore-side cruise participants to log real-time observations on a variety of topics.

SeaTube is accessible to authorized participating researchers to add observations during and after ROV expeditions aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. SeaTube enables searching for and editing annotations, as well as browsing video.

More details about how to provide science annotations can be found here:  https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/collaboration-tools/science_annotations/welcome.html 

To access your account for the first time, use the email address that you signed up for the Collaboration Tools with.

Click "Forgot Your Password" and go through the steps to assign a new password to your account.

NOAA Ocean Exploration dives are organized by year, and separated by expedition.

Dives can be followed in real time, or accessed after the dive.

The page for each dive has a suite of customizable widgets to aid in visualization and interpretation of the video data.

Scientists can add annotations to an active expedition in real time and to any expedition since 2017, which allows collaboration to continue beyond the conclusion of an expedition.

Daily Emails

Daily emails are distributed by the Science Leads aboard to help inform the community about any updates to the current expedition. These emails will provide links to the tools discussed above, as well as information about the next day's dive and dive planning call.

Daily Dive Planning Calls

Dive planning calls are generally held the day before each dive to refine the plan for the ensuing dive. These calls are hosted on the teleconference line, and use a live camera feed to display relevant geospatial data to the community. Information about these calls will be provided in the daily email from the science leads.

These are the primary tools in which the scientific community can participate in NOAA Ocean Exploration expeditions. The success of these expeditions relies heavily on the support of the shoreside scientists, and we look forward to continued collaboration!

For any questions about any of these tools, please reach out directly to the Expedition Coordinator for the expedition, or if you are unsure who to contact send an email to ex.expeditioncoordinator@noaa.gov.