Seabed 2030: Mapping of Seafloor

• 07 Dec 2018

The U.N.-backed project, called Seabed 2030, is working to pool data to create a map of the entire ocean floor by 2030. The map will be freely available to all.

• The project was launched in 2017 is a collaboration between the Nippon Foundation (Japanese philanthropic organisation) and Gebco (non-profit association of experts).
• So far, the biggest data contributors to Seabed 2030 have been Dutch energy prospector Fugro and deep-sea mapping firm Ocean Infinity which were also involved in the search for Malaysia Airlines jet MH370, which disappeared in 2014.
• The advanced sonar technology and advent of new technology such as underwater drones and robots is also speeding up the mapping process.

Benefits

• Economic: More than 90% of the world's trade is carried by sea, making safe navigation a key motivator for mapping.
  • It will help the "blue economy", as countries and companies seek to protect or exploit deep-sea resources - from exploring for oil and gas to installing wind farms or laying fibre-optic cables for the Internet.
• Environmental: it would provide a better idea of sea levels as ice melts and warn about impending tsunamis that could devastate coastal communities.

Challenges

• Even after collaboration at a scientific and technical level to share data, countries may use that knowledge against one another in geopolitical spats.
• Few countries are reluctant to give up strategic proprietary data to the Seabed 2030 project, largely due to national security concerns or in areas with sensitive geopolitical tensions, such as the South China Sea.

Conclusion

• The project gains importance in the context of negotiations over UN Sustainable Development Goal ( Goal 14 - to conserve and sustainably use the oceans ) due to be completed by 2020.
• Moreover, the next phase of the project will also encourage data donors and crowdsourcing - not just from exploration vessels, but also from cargo ships, recreational sea-users and fishing boats.