Riding the Wave: How the Next Generation of Tech Startups is Powering the New Blue Economy

Advances in ocean and Great Lakes observing and modeling capabilities are accelerating at an exponential rate. What could only be accomplished by large, multi-billion-dollar government agencies like NOAA, NASA, and the Navy a decade ago is now the stuff of tech startups. A summary of some of the most innovative disruptors will be provided, including small business fielding data as a service (DaaS), software as a service (SaaS), uncrewed surface and underwater vehicles (USVs/UUVs), low earth orbit (LEO) constellations of smallsats for environmental monitoring, LEO constellations of smallsats for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), edge computing for remote sensing, and ionospheric tomography for space weather nowcasting and earthquake early warning. Use cases illustrating the economic and societal benefits of these capabilities will be provided, including tropical cyclone and coastal flood prediction, countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUUF), fisheries and hydrographic surveys, marine mammal monitoring, harmful algal bloom detection, coral reef conservation, Alaska native subsistence hunting, natural and cultural resource protection at National Marine Sanctuaries, and improving the safety, efficiency, and decarbonization of the Marine Transportation System (MTS).