Ocean Newsletter
No.593 May 20, 2025
-
Umi-no-Chizu (Map of the Sea) Project: Towards the Reconstruction of Noto
KATO Shigeru (President of the Japan Hydrographic Association)
The Nippon Foundation and the Japan Hydrographic Association have been promoting the Map of the Sea Project since 2022, using ALB (airborne Lidar Bathymetry) to map the shallow waters off the coasts of Japan. As part of this project, we were able to conduct surveys in the northern coastal areas of the Noto Peninsula both before and after the Noto Peninsula earthquake of January 2024. These surveys were the first in the world to successfully obtain detailed seafloor topography data in coastal shallow waters before and after an earthquake accompanied by a large uplift. Furthermore, we conducted additional surveys in some coastal areas after the heavy rain disaster in September of the same year. It is our hope that these results will help with the reconstruction of Noto.
-
Current Status and Challenges of Ocean Visualization
OCHIAI Takeshi (Chief Researcher, IDEA Consultants, Inc.)
In 2001, ocean weather forecasts began, and understanding of ocean conditions, which had previously relied solely on observation, has made great progress. Observation data is essential to maintain the accuracy of ocean weather forecasts, but the number of ocean surveys being conducted by government agencies is on the decline. It is hoped that further significant development of ocean weather forecasts will improve visualization, and that ocean surveys will be expanded through the constant operation of AUVs, ASVs in areas under observation.
-
Digital Transformation of the Ocean and Beyond
NAGATA Yasunori (Deputy General Manager, Corporate Planning Department, Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.)
Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.'s "Ocean 5.0" concept is a vision for the future that aims for both "economic value" and "social value" in the society of 2050. It aims to realize a sustainable marine society by classifying technological innovations from the past to the future as "Ocean 1.0" to "Ocean 5.0." It is also actively involved in co-creation with other like-minded companies and strives to contribute to a new society and new voyages unlike any we have known before.