PHOTO: NOAA/Flickr
OTTAWA — The Government of Canada has announced $3 million in funding to support four Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS) projects over two years. This investment will support the University of Victoria, St. Lawrence Global Observatory, and Dalhousie University in their work to manage and publicly share a range of ocean information and contribute to a better understanding of Canada’s ocean ecosystems.
“Our oceans define us — they are the heartbeat and backbone of our coastal communities. It is essential that we have a strong system to study our marine ecosystems and guide our decisions toward healthy, prosperous oceans,” Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, in a prepared statement. “This improved ocean monitoring system will help Canada make more sustainable and productive decisions on ocean related activities and propel us forward as a global leader in the emerging Blue Economy.”
Each recipient represents one of CIOOS’ three regional associations with the University of Victoria receiving $820,000 for the Pacific region; St. Lawrence Global Observatory receiving $1,020,000 for the St. Lawrence region; and Dalhousie University receiving $820,000 for the Atlantic region. These investments will help support the recipients’ existing regional data sources and accelerate the user engagement with data, resulting in improved regional understanding of ocean ecosystems. Together, they will facilitate access to existing resources, new information and technology, as well as make data accessible and useable for the benefit of all.
St. Lawrence Global Observatory also received $340,000 in funding to continue to streamline data visualisation and sharing amongst the three regions.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada shares CIOOS’ vision of realizing a fully integrated and sustained online ocean observing system by maximizing access to data and information. This funding enables CIOOS and its data users and providers – including government, Indigenous communities, industries, coastal communities, non-governmental organizations, academia – to use and share diverse ocean data. Through this national system, Canada can improve its ocean data and information sharing, leading to better decisions for ocean conservation.
