BEIJING - The BC Government today announced a number of agreements between BC and Chinese organizations and businesses, including a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada and the National Ocean and Technology Centre and State Oceanic Administration, for complementary research activity.

With countries around the planet investing hundreds of billions of dollars in the new “Blue Economy,” the director of ONC’s Innovation Centre, Scott McLean has noted a growing interest in ocean observing technology during a trade mission to China, supported by the BC Government this past September.

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“There’s a growing demand to monitor marine resources, enhance maritime security, and enable natural marine disaster detection, as well as provide ongoing environmental information,” said McLean, who attended the announcement in Beijing.  “Our cabled ocean observatories have the capabilities to process large and complex streaming data sets to support real time informed decision-making using new analytics systems that provide timely, comprehensive information, or what we refer to as Smart Ocean™ Systems."

“This agreement signed today will be instrumental in forging new partnerships between Canada and China that will help make these systems a reality,” added Ocean Networks Canada president Kate Moran.  “We see this as ocean science informing global ocean management and responsible ocean use.”