New insight into smart ocean: how is it different from digital ocean?

Abstract

ABSTRACTOceans occupy approximately seventy-one percent of the earth’s surface, and vast regions of oceans are virtually unexplored, especially the deep parts where humans have never been. Therefore, it is urgent to understand our oceans from a number of perspectives. In this paper, the concept of Smart Ocean (SO) is constructed from the perspectives of environmental protection, sustainable development of the blue economy and marine disaster prevention and mitigation. First, a double-funnel structure concept model of SO, including ocean observation infrastructure, data, information, application, knowledge and decision support layers, is put forward. Second, the differences between SO and Digital Ocean (DO) are analyzed. Third, taking the Decision Support System for Emergency at Taiwan Strait as an example, a case study, which has assisted in saving more than 200 people, is introduced. Finally, future research agenda is summarized into seven aspects, including new instrumentation and sensor technologies, ocean big data mining and knowledge discovering, prediction, forecast and uncertainty analysis, ocean environment protection technologies and policy, sustainable use of ocean energy and resource, the influence and response to global changes in the ocean, and interdisciplinary collaboration and public service.