About SCOOT
Swedish Centre for Ocean Observing Technology
In the current rapid transformation of ocean observations, SCOOT is the Swedish node and enabler. We focus on small and innovative companies in automation, sensor technology, communication and adjacent areas of ocean technology. SCOOT provides ocean expertise and infrastructure (ships, autonomous platforms, instruments, sensors, workshop), to researchers, entrepreneurs and SMEs. Together we create a dynamic environment with collaboration and problem solving!
Behind SCOOT is a consortium consisting of University of Gothenburg, MMT Sweden AB and Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. External funding comes from European Regional Development Fund.
Board
- Sebastiaan Swart (chair), University of Gotheburg
- Anna Willstrand Wranne, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute
- Thomas Mennerdahl, MMT Sweden AB
- Anna Wåhlin, University of Gothenburg
Reference group
- Jessica Hjerpe Olausson, Chalmers Industriteknik
- Mikael Hägg, Research Institutes of Sweden
- Åsa Burman, Lighthouse
- Fredrik von Elern, Swedish Maritime Technology Forum
“Lead Active People In Transformation”
- Technological, operational, scientific, industrial and commercial lead come together.
- It is essential that Sweden takes an active part in the ongoing and rapid transformation of ocean observations.
- The key components are people: entrepreneurs, engineers, technicians, managers, students, researchers.
- Ocean observation is in transformation, automation and robotics are strong drivers.
SCOOT's offer
Are you a researcher, entrepreneur, innovator or belong to small or medium sized enterprise? SCOOT wants to collaborate with you!
#1 Focus on autonomous vessels
We concentrate a lot of our efforts on autonomous vessels for ocean measurements. These are the tools of the future in science, monitoring, inspection, surveillance. Opportunities and challenges include sensor integration, communication, piloting and navigation, data processing and management…
SCOOT has a fleet of autonomous vessels, together with support vessels, technicians and experts. Do you have ideas or needs? Contact us and follow our news and tweets!
#2 Common goals – making it happen!
A continuous focus for SCOOT is to act as a forum and gathering point for people in the field of marine research and innovation. Together we identify common needs and solutions. We define goals and we make them feasible by finding resources, including different types of funding. Do you want to take part in this? Contact us and follow our news and tweets!
#3 Making resources available
We make resources from the consortium available to other parties. For innovation and research projects the resources are made available at low or no cost. The resources page present a non-exhaustive list of what is available: Autonomous and remotely operated vessels, buoyed and moored systems, ships. Do you want to use SCOOT resources? Please contact us!
Ocean Data Factory Sweden
SCOOT is the initiator and coordinator of Ocean Data Factory Sweden, gathering a large consortium from industry, academia and public sector organisations. ODF Sweden is headed by professor Robin Teigland from Chalmers University of Technology.
Since 2019 ODF Sweden functions as Sweden’s national data lab for the marine/maritime domain, open to all who believe that crunching data from the ocean is 1) fun, 2) holds the answers to a sustainable blue economy and 3) gets really productive when different competences do it together!
Info at funder Vinnova.
Contact: Torsten Linders, torsten.linders@gu.se
Chalmers Revere Maritime Platforms
SCOOT helped initiate Maritime Platforms at Chalmers Revere. This energetic group came out of the the innovation project Marine Drones. Chalmers Revere, (REsource for VEhicle REsearch) has worked a lot on autonomous cars and trucks, but that “starts to feel kind of done…”.
Contact: Robert Rylander, robert.rylander@ri.se
Research projects
GROOM II
Gliders for Research, Ocean Observations and Management: Infrastructure and Innovation
This project aims at designing a European Marine Research Infrastructure (MRI) that will transform fragmented research infrastructures into a sustained organisation offering a world-class service to the global population. An important focus is designing a technical and a legal framework for the Glider European Research Infrastructure (GERI) to operate at European level.
Project time: October 2020 – September 2023
More info here!
Contact: Sebastiaan Swart, sebastiaan.swart@gu.se
SO-CHIC
Southern Ocean Carbon and Heat Impact on Climate
The overall objective of SO-CHIC is to understand and quantify variability of heat and carbon budgets in the Southern Ocean through an investigation of the key processes controlling exchanges between the atmosphere, ocean and sea ice using a combination of observational and modelling approaches. A combination of dedicated observation, existing decades- long time-series, and state-of-the-art modelling will be used to address specific objectives on key processes, as well as their impact and feedback on the large-scale atmosphere-ocean system.
Project time: October 2019 – September 2023
More info here!
Contact: Sebastiaan Swart, sebastiaan.swart@gu.se
ROAM-MIZ
Robotic Observations and Modelling of the Marginal Ice Zone
Annually, 18 million km2 of ice grows and melts around Antarctica. We have limited knowledge of the ocean within, and at the edge, of this enormous sea-ice impacted domain of the Southern Ocean. The surface ocean processes are poorly quantified due to a lack of observations made at the right time and space scales. These scale gaps have been recognised by the science community as a key link towards improving our understanding of the sensitivity of the Southern Ocean to climate change. ROAM-MIZ is multi-institutional initiative to observe the full seasonal cycle of the upper ocean in the MIZ near the Greenwich Meridian.
Autonomous platforms are in the water. Follow live progress here!
Contact: Sebastiaan Swart, sebastiaan.swart@gu.se
Tarsan
Thwaites-Amundsen Regional Survey and Network Integrating Atmosphere-Ice-Ocean Processes
Both long-term continuous and short-term regional observations will be used to record the environmental conditions and ice shelf’s responses simultaneously. Atmosphere-ice-ocean multi-sensor remote autonomous stations (AMIGOS) will be installed on the ice shelves for two year providing sub-daily observations of concurrent oceanic, glaciological, and atmospheric conditions. Ocean properties on the continental shelf and in the sub-ice shelf cavities will be measured using gliders, ship-based surveys and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). The data gathered will be supported by observations from mooring and CTDs.
More info here!
Contact: Anna Wåhlin, anna.wahlin@gu.se
Innovation projects
PLAN-SUBSIM
a national implementation of a PLatform for ANalysis of SUB-Sea IMages
This project will leverage existing methods, knowledge, and infrastructure in the field of subsea image analysis and implement these for applications in marine resource management. Specifically, we will develop seamless linkage between existing data archives, thematic eLabs for data processing, HPC infrastructure, and data portals and thereby make valuable data and data products available to societal end users. The suggested activities (work packages) will include i) formulation of user specification, ii) implementation trials, and iii) scaling operations.
Project time: December 2021 – November 2023
Info at Formas coming soon.
Info at Formas coming soon.
Contact: Matthias Obst, matthias.obst@gu.se
Seacat
Seacat – risk minimization during inspection from the sea surface
This project is a continuation of the Marine Drones project. Inspection and monitoring of marine facilities (e.g. ports, fish farms, wind farms) both above and below sea level is an integral part of the facilities’ operation, and the focus on safety means that the need is increasing. However, working at sea near solid objects entails great risks for personnel and therefore becomes expensive and weather-sensitive. With the Port of Gothenburg as the most important need owner, the Seacat project will complete a surface-going drone, which can perform inspections both above and below the surface in all weathers.
Contact: Robert Rylander, robert.rylander@ri.se
SeaFlipper
SeaFlipper – autonomous cost-effective measurements in coastal waters
SeaFlipper is operated by a person completely without a ship and makes measurements from surface to bottom. SeaFlipper is propelled forward at the surface with propeller. At the bottom, SeaFlipper can lie for a long time between measurements, using only friction against the bottom to stay still, with minimal energy consumption.
Project time: April 2020 – July 2021 (closing extended)
Info at Vinnova.
Contact: Sverker Skoglund, info@oceanorigo.se
AutoMonIn
Autonomous Monitoring of marine Invasive species
The challenge driving this project is the development of a sustainable strategy to significantly limit the spread of marine invasive species. Today invasive specie s are the main threat to biodiversity. The suggested solution is an early warning system for invasive species based on DNA- methods, tailor-made to find species on alert-lists. Shipping is the large st vector for spread of invasive species why ports and fairways are optimal for monitoring. Early detection is crucial in aquatic environments where mitigation else might be come very costly or even impossible.
Project time: April 2019 – March 2020
Contact: Lena Granhag, lena.granhag@chalmers.se
Find Me
Find Me
Today, a cost-effective and easy-to-use technology is lacking to locate and identify fishing gears. We propose a cost-effective and passive technology to accurately identify and locate fishing gear under water, based on our expertise in microelectronics and sensor systems together with our knowledge in marine science. Our system offers simultaneous identification and localization and is more cost effective, compared to existing systems on the market today.
Project time: November 2018 – December 2019
Contact: Cristina Rusu, cristina.rusu@ri.se
Marine Drones
Marine Drones stage 2:
Go to innovation project Seacat
Marine drones with extreme endurance for more vigorous monitoring of the marine environment
The project aimed to demonstrate the flexibility of the existing autonomous platforms, operating on the surface of the water, and how these through intelligent and innovative solutions can be developed to greatly increase our ability to monitor the marine environment. Different platform capabilities allow us to develop and demonstrate multiple conceptual actions, including scientific measurements and environmental monitoring, monitoring of facilities and areas, efforts in which drones assists other drones, efforts with the drones in the heavily trafficked waters, etc. The Marine Drones kickstarted a lot of the innovation environment in and around SCOOT:
- Chalmers Revere lab started with maritime platforms,
- RISE Maritime Research became a close ally,
- SeaCat, the 1 tonne autonomous surface vessel constructed during the project, remains a useful platform for testing new ideas.
Project time: May 2018 – June 2019
Info at Vinnova.
Contact: Robert Rylander, robert.rylander@ri.se