In early 2011 ONC signed a collaboration agreement with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) to complete a feasibility study on installing an Ocean Observatory in Canada's Arctic.  Led by the Ocean Networks Canada Innovation Centre with partners from ASL Environmental Sciences, Golder Associates and Coastal and Ocean Resources, a team of industry experts completed a detailed study on using technologies developed on VENUS and NEPTUNE Canada to establish a permanent, 24/7 monitoring capability in Canada's High Arctic. These technologies are based on infrastructure using  electro-optic cables, supplemented by mobile assets (autonomous underwater vehicles), moored buoys, and satellites.

The study, now completed, focused on Cambridge Bay, the site of...