Indian Fishermen Use Smartphones to Map a Vanishing Way of Life
- to stop industry from swallowing life on the lagoon.“I am just a fisherman. I knew nothing about mapping. But I had to learn this so that our livelihoods are not destroyed tomorrow by the government,” said Bharath S. Raji, whose family has trawled Pulicat Lake in Tamil Nadu for generations.Smartphone in hand, Raji navigated the sandy lakeside banks to capture places of special interest - docks, drying areas for nets, shrines to local deities. He pointed out the holes left by the goverment’s latest coastal maps, blank spaces he said are villages brimming with life.With a new government
MTN Lands 45,000km Subsea Cable in S. Africa to Boost Africa's Connectivity
45,000-kilometer subsea cable in South Africa, part of plans to build a subsea network to connect African countries to Europe and the Middle East.Africa's big economies have a fast growing population of internet users, with growth fuelled by rapidly expanding mobile broadband networks and affordable smartphones."Data traffic across African markets is expected to grow between four and five fold over the next 5 years, so we need infrastructure and capacity to meet that level of growth and demand," MTN Group Chief Executive Ralph Mupita said in a statement.The subsea cable project, called 2Africa
Tech File: Dual-Arm AUV Emerges from German Consortium
alias, e.g., for camera or docking positions. In order to complement the innovative interaction technologies, the DFKI Embedded Intelligence research department in Mare-IT has developed a web application that allows the AUV to be controlled and change parameter settings via mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. In addition, the researchers investigated the possible use of artificial, oscillating magnetic fields for localizing the underwater robot.Robust Thruster Drives with Intelligent ControlWITTENSTEIN cyber motor GmbH developed and produced the highly robust thruster drives for the
Smartphone App Aims to Help Commercial Fishing Reduce Bycatch
A new smartphone app created in the U.K. enables the fishing industry to report accidental wildlife catch (bycatch) alongside standard catch reporting and will help to record bycatch of important marine species such as dolphins and porpoises, seals, seabirds, sharks, skates and rays.The app's developer, AST Marine Sciences Limited, part of Applied Satellite Technology Ltd, says it hopes the technology will be used by scientists and the fishing industry to help understand which wildlife species are more likely to be caught accidentally and to reduce instances of bycatch overall.According to AST
Subsea Mining: The Race is On, But Effects are Unclear
, CC BYPowering digital devicesScientists and industry leaders have known that there are valuable minerals on the seafloor for over a century, but it hasn’t been technologically or economically feasible to go after them until the past decade. Widespread growth of battery-driven technologies such as smartphones, computers, wind turbines and solar panels is changing this calculation as the world runs low on land-based deposits of copper, nickel, aluminum, manganese, zinc, lithium and cobalt.These minerals are found in potato-shaped “nodules” on the seafloor, as well as in and around hydrothermal
China Leading the Deep Sea Mining Race
to start mining seabed minerals if the international rules for exploitation are approved next year, the head of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) said.The quest for exploiting seabed minerals, such as polymetallic nodules containing nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese is driven by demand for smart phones and electric car batteries, and the need to diversify supply.The ISA has already signed 30 contracts with governments, research institutions and commercial entities for exploration phase, with China holding the most, five contracts.The body, which was established to manage the seabed resources
Poland Employs New Seismic Tech
on an ultra-lightweight, autonomous measuring unit – a node equipped with integrated seismic data logging systems, GPS and efficient batteries durable enough for several weeks of data recording.Devoid of cables, the nodes can be easily hidden under a thin layer of soil and monitored with the use of smartphones. This novel approach, called ‘lightweight seismic surveying’, enables contractors to use more environmentally friendly means of transport.“Geophysical surveys are always adapted to local environmental conditions, road infrastructure and agricultural activity. It is important
India Plans Deep Dive for Seabed Minerals
to unearth treasures down below, aiming to boost its economy.The floor of the world's seas is scattered with vast beds of black potato-shaped polymetallic nodules comprising copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron and rare earth elements.These natural goodies are key to making modern gadgets, from smartphones and laptops to pacemakers, hybrid cars and solar panels.As expanding technology and infrastructure fuel global demand for these resources - whose supply is dwindling fast onshore - more and more countries, including manufacturing powerhouses India and China, are eyeing the ocean."We have
Hurtigruten Brings Underwater Drones to Exploration Cruising
Unit (IMU) with 3-axis gyro and 3-axis accelerometer; depth sensor; magnetometer; temperature (inside and outside) Payload: Standard fittings for payload on both top and bottom side of drone Software: Remote update of drone software Wireless transmitter: WiFi router for wireless connection to smartphones or tablets; multiple smartphones may connect for a shared live experience Wireless range: At least 30 m Cable length: 75 m Wireless drone controller for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets Blueye App for android/iOS smartphone/tablet Quick charger for charging drone, WSU and drone
February 2024
