🦾#SOVA - Scientific Ocean Vehicles Alliance - 2024: Thank you to everyone who participated in person and online to promote the sharing of technical knowledge and technologies for underwater ocean scientific exploration through their operational and technological development experiences.🌊

🤝During the #SOVA2024 event, which took place on September 19th and 20th, several of the main national and international players in the scientific ocean vehicle sector were present. This meeting was particularly important as it was the first time, since its creation in 2020, by the hand of the chief mechanical engineer of the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), Jason Williams, that it was held outside the U.S.A. It also allowed the invitation to other European groups and their in-person participation, such as IMAR, #UTM CSIC, KTH (#SMaRC), the University of Gothenburg and INESCTEC (#CRAS). 
 

📍On the first day, the event began at #CIAPS with the presentation of the participants, with special emphasis on the new members, contextualizing the type of work developed as well as the scientific vehicles they own and develop. We ended the morning with a presentation on the strategies for managing scientific data acquired by the vehicles during the missions and the software developed, led by WHOI/SOI, opening the space for discussion and sharing of the different strategies of each one in this regard.
 

⛴️Taking advantage of the fact that #repmus2024 was taking place, where experimentation/collaboration/technology/innovation are also key words, we went to visit the #AUV’s that were part of the exercise and learned about some of their most recent technological developments. This synergy was promoted between   EMEPC and LSTS/FEUP, which is one of the founding institutions of this initiative, started in 2010, and which in recent years has been the largest experimentation exercise with unmanned vehicles in the world. There was also time to show some updates on the latest work/#expeditions/new technologies, from the presentation of REPMUS and its interoperability (FEUP/LSTS), of #ROVSubastian and the plans to acquire an AUV (SOI), of the ROV Luso (EMEPC) campaigns in 2024, and of MBARI's vehicle and vessel updates.
 

🤖On the second day, we presented ROV Luso and its infrastructure, allowing an exchange of experiences on sampling tools, scientific cameras, sampling techniques, challenges of new equipment, etc.
 

🧑‍💻In the afternoon, it was possible to:
• Focus on the development of the AUV software department and its fleet of autonomous vehicles  🇬🇧National Oceanography Centre
• Discover the newest Swedish centre for marine #robotics, SMaRC
• Get a glimpse of the new vehicle concept developed by WHOI #mROV
• See some of the most recent acquisitions (#DRIX) and their importance for the ARDITI group
• Learn a little more about the equipment and vessels of UTM-CSIC (#AUVHugin)
• Get to know better the robotics group of INESCTEC CRAS and its vehicles and developments in underwater technology (#unexmin #hubazul #MarProfundo)
• Discuss some of the latest modifications to #ROVJason and the innovative #nereid (WHOI)
• Learn more about the work of Nautilus Live (#OET) and its mission to promote knowledge and exploration of the #ocean
• Ifremer will showcase the latest developments in its vehicles, the AUV #Ulyx and the ongoing redesign of the ROV #victor6000
#SOVA2024 #REPMUS2024
#SOI #EMEPC #LSTS#FEUP #MBARI #IMAR #UTM#CSIC #KTH#SMARC #UGotemburgo #INESCTEC#CRAS #IFREMER #OET #ARDITI #NOC #WHOI #ROVLuso #ROVSubastian #ROVJason #AUV #ROV #HUGIN
#TECHNOLOGY #VEHICLES #SCIENCE #OCEAN #DEEPSEA