Supporting the operations of the NEPTUNE Canada and VENUS cabled ocean observatories

Abstract

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) was created by the University of Victoria (UVic), Canada in 2007 as a not-for-profit agency to oversee the governance and management of the NEPTUNE Canada and VENUS cabled ocean observatories. These observatories are among the first in the world as multi-node, powered, fibre-optic, subsea networks hosting a wide array of sensors and new technologies, and spanning coastal to deep-sea environments. They represent a $100M capital investment by the Canadian and British Columbia governments through infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the BC Knowledge Development Fund. In 2008, both projects will transition from the installation to the operational phases, building on the successful deployment of the Saanich Inlet line of VENUS in 2006. While regional in location, the two observatories are addressing many fundamental oceanographic questions of interest to ocean scientists and ocean industries worldwide. To date, only modest funding has been secured to support the on-going operating and maintenance costs, estimated at $15M per year. This paper describes the strategic planning underway to fulfill the four-fold mandate of ONC: supporting transformative ocean science; contributing to public policy; creating commercial opportunities; and promoting public education and outreach. The rationale and sine qua non for building and sustaining the observatories is driven by the research user groups. Central to the plan, therefore, is recruiting and retaining research users from universities, science-based government departments and agencies (SBDAs), and private sector R&D units with the aim of maximizing the shared benefit of these national facilities through integrative S&T across sectors. Government agencies that support university-led research will remain of fundamental importance with the current challenge being the creation in Canada of an improved federal funding policy and program for major science initiatives. Assuming success on that front, in the near term, there will remain an onus on ONC to seek and secure partner funding to match and/or augment government grants to support the observatory programs over their projected 25-30 year life-span. ONC's planning includes fostering collaborative partnerships with new observatories that are being planned or built in the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, Europe and elsewhere and an invitation is extended to other observatories, institutions, corporations, and agencies to develop partnerships and collaboration for mutual benefit at this formative stage in the wiring of the oceans.