US-based company Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has become the latest collaborative partner of the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center (CCOM/JHC).
Founded in 1999, the objective of the CCOM/JHC is to develop tools to advance ocean mapping and hydrography and to train the next generation of hydrographers and ocean mappers. OPT will provide the centers with support related to remote sensing using low- and zero-carbon autonomous systems.
Philipp Stratmann , OPT’s president and CEO, said: “This is a tremendous opportunity to collaborate with a leader in ocean mapping research and contribute to the overall advancement of ocean intelligence and data, something that OPT is incredibly passionate about.
“Working closely with the centers and their industrial associates will provide OPT with opportunities to enhance our WAM-V and PowerBuoy solutions to better meet current and future market needs.
“At the same time, our participation benefits students by providing them with hands-on experience with our technology in real-world environments while also growing the collective database of ocean hydrographic knowledge.”
The JHC is a formal cooperative partnership between the University of New Hampshire and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), whose aim is to create a national center for expertise in ocean mapping and hydrographic sciences.
CCOM, a complementary university center, expands the scope of ocean mapping interaction and collaboration with the private sector, other government agencies, and other universities.
According to the JHC, OPT joins a list of industrial associates of the centers, including Fugro, Bluefin Robotics, Teledyne Odom Hydrographic, Norbit, Tyco International, and Saildrone, among others.
“We are very excited about OPT becoming an industrial partner with the center. We believe strongly that our research, our ability to serve our sponsors, and our students benefit tremendously from working with innovative industrial partners like OPT. These sorts of collaborations ensure the relevance of our research efforts as well as expose our students to the realities of real-world applications,” said Larry Mayer , CCOM director/JHC co-director.
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