Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE
The GEBCO-Nippon Foundation Team registered as participants for the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE on 15 July 2016 following discussions amongst alumni at the Forum for Ocean Floor Mapping held in Monaco in June 2016. The Nippon Foundation / GEBCO Training Program alumni-led this international team of ~80 people from 22 countries that included advisors and industry partners, and it was this global collaboration that contributed to the team’s success.
The preliminary phase included a written description of the alumni teams’ proposed solution and discussions with judges in San Diego submitted in December 2016 with 32 Teams from 25 countries involved. It was announced on 16 February 2017 that the GEBCO-Nippon Foundation Alumni Team was through To Round 1.
Round 1 requirements were to map 100 km2 in 16 hours in a waters depth of up to 2,000 m, with only 48 h for data processing and product development. 21 Teams from 13 countries started Round 1. The Technology Readiness tests for our team occurred from 20-24 November 2017 in Horten, Norway at the Kongsberg Facilities. It was announced on 7 March 2018 that the team was one of 9 teams that made it through to Round 2.
Round 2 requirements were to map >250 km2 in 24hrs in a waters depth of up to 2,000 m, with only 48 h for data processing and product development. The team was one of 6 teams that took part in the final field trials from 5-12 November 2018 that were held in Kalamata.
The GEBCO-NF Alumni Team was awarded the Shell Ocean Discovery Grand Prize winners on the 31st of May 2019 at the award ceremony held at the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco.
The Teams success is attributed in part to the education alumni received through the Nippon Foundation / GEBCO Training Program at the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, UNH that helped build the team’s vision, commitment, and passion. The diversity of our global team and the shared commitment of the Team (and all industry partners) to map our oceans were also key factors to our success. Finally, the Team was innovative in how we integrated existing technology – developing new technology only when there were identified gaps. Simplicity was key in terms of our solution, with all planning and logistics, mission planning and surveying kept as simple as possible.
