OceanLab

OceanLab, as part of the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre, is an ocean observation and technology testing infrastructure in the Trondheim fjord, consisting of several strategically placed sensor platforms for oceanographic and weather data. A high-resolution operational ocean model for the fjord is under development, while it is covered by an 800m-resolution operational reanalysis from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

The fjord is the also test bed for different other applications, including subsea robotics and a test infrastructure and pilot projects for autonomous shipping. 

These conditions and prerequisites make it an ideal place to test the development of digital ocean twins for different purposes. 

Current twin applications under development include

·       Environmental monitoring of essential ocean variables with feedback loop to the observatory,

·       Pollution monitoring incl. noise, methane, plastic, and backtracking of marine litter from real and what if scenarios,

·       Ocean particle monitoring and water quality assessments,

·       Biomass monitoring including autonomous vehicles guided by the DTO,

while future applications might include ship routing, noise monitoring and mitigation and sea grass monitoring. 

Trøndelag County Council has embarked on a three-year monitoring program of the Trondheim fjord. In collaboration with Trondheim Municipality and others, the program aims to initiate a long-term management collaboration to safeguard the natural values of the fjord. An ocean observatory in the fjord, along with its digital twin, offers exciting opportunities for this purpose. The technologies are instrumental in enhancing understanding of the marine environment, facilitating sustainable management, and support the monitoring program by its own objectives of enabling rapid development and prototyping of marine technologies​​.