Skip to main content
Ocean Networks Canada

Ocean Networks Canada

Search form

Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn iconYouTube iconFlickr iconInstagram icon

Menu

  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Jobs & Opportunities
    • Events & Workshops
    • Contact Us
    • Support Us
    • Annual Report 2018/2019
    • Organization
      • Leadership
      • Staff
      • Boards
      • Committees
    • Funders, Associate Members & Partners
      • Funders
      • Associate Members
      • Partners
  • Science
    • Science
    • Active Research
    • Highlights
    • Science Plan
      • Summary
      • Science Themes
    • Publications
      • General Interest
      • Academic
    • Getting Involved
      • Proposals
  • Innovation Centre
    • Innovation Centre
    • About the Innovation Centre
    • Success Stories
    • Contact Us
    • Smart Ocean™ Systems
      • Sensors and Instruments
      • Technology Demos
      • Ocean Observing Systems
      • Earthquake Early Warning
    • Partners & Networks
      • Industry Network
      • Global Partnerships
      • R&D Support
      • Students in Industry
    • Atlantic Partners
  • Learning
    • Learning
    • Learning Blog
    • Learning Highlights
    • Learning Events
    • Partnerships
    • Contact Us
    • Ocean Sense
      • Community Observatories
        • Cambridge Bay
        • Campbell River
        • Kitamaat Village
        • Prince Rupert
      • Teacher Info
      • Student Info
      • Resources & Lessons
    • Get Involved
      • For Students
        • For Undergrads & Grads
      • For Educators
        • Educator Opportunities
      • For Communities
      • Ship2Shore
      • Citizen Science
        • Coastbuster
        • Digital Fishers
      • Youth Science Ambassador
    • Resources
      • Educator Resources
      • Ocean Alive!
      • Oceanography 101
      • About the Observatories
      • Research Ideas
      • Student Reports
  • Observatories
    • Observatories
    • Arctic
    • Atlantic
    • Pacific
    • Mobile Platforms
    • Infrastructure
      • Data Facilities
      • Platforms
      • Devices & Sensors
      • Cables & Connectors
    • Expeditions
      • Wiring the Abyss
      • Expedition Logs
      • Maintenance Processes
    • Notices
      • Information for Mariners
      • Alerts
  • Data & Tools
    • Data & Tools
    • Highlights
    • Data Quality
    • Preview & Download
      • Preview & Visualize
      • Data Download Tools
      • State of the Ocean Plots
      • Ocean Report Card
    • Apps & Services
      • Mobile Apps
      • OPeNDAP Web Services
      • Related Sources
      • Earthquake Data Dashboard
    • Data Help
      • Usage Policy
      • Tutorials & Help Pages
      • Request Help
  • Sights & Sounds
    • Sights & Sounds
    • Terms of Use
    • Video
      • Live Video
      • Video Highlights
      • Video Archives
    • Images
      • Maps
    • Audio
      • Audio Highlights
      • Audio Archive
  • News
    • News
    • Stories
    • Newsletters
    • Calendar
    • Media Relations
      • Backgrounders
      • Downloads
      • In the News
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts

About Us

You are here

  1. Home
Jun 2, 2015

New app helps citizen scientists collect ocean data

CommFishers_CitizenScientists_Jn2​
VICTORIA, B.C. — Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) at the University of Victoria and the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) are teaming up with citizen scientists to increase the quality and range of oceanographic data being collected through a new mobile app called Community Fishers. 

The app, developed by ONC, allows fishers and volunteer citizens participating in PSF’s “citizen science program” to collect data and upload it to ONC’s world-leading data management system, Oceans 2.0. From there, the data is archived, processed and visualized for scientists and the public around the world.

“We’re thrilled that ONC can exercise its ocean innovation muscles to fill this gap in technology,” says Kate Moran, president and CEO of ONC. “This app has the potential to greatly increase the volume of ocean data essential for responsible ocean management.”

The app sits on a tablet or smart phone and collects data any place at any time, which the operator transfers via wi-fi to Oceans 2.0. The citizen scientists include active and retired fishermen, vessel operators from Vancouver Island University, and other local mariners.

As part of the US-Canada Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, the PSF is leading Canadian efforts in the Strait of Georgia to understand the causes of declines in coho and chinook salmon. It has rigged nine small privately owned boats with wi-fi enabled instruments to continuously measure water variables such as temperature salinity and oxygen content throughout the Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca Strait.

Ocean Networks Canada built the app to automatically handle time synchronization, GPS location tracking, simple wireless transfer of data, and much more. The cost of developing the app was shared between PSF and ONC.

“To understand what’s limiting Pacific salmon abundance in the Salish Sea, we need a large amount of very detailed data over an extensive period of time and covering a large geographic area,” says Brian Riddell, President and CEO of PSF. “This partnership will provide the professional collating and processing of data essential to the success of our program.”

 “Canada has by far the longest coastline in the world, yet Canada owns and maintains only a handful of dedicated research vessels to monitor this vast region,” says Eddy Carmack, a retired scientist from Fisheries and Oceans Canada who conceived the app idea. “This app will help automate many of the steps involved in data collection, making the process much simpler for volunteers.”

The app was recently chosen as one of the top 12 submissions in The Economist’s Ocean Innovation Challenge, which asked for ocean solutions to help alleviate the tension between growth and sustainability. Community Fishers won the online competition, earning ONC a complimentary seat at the 2015 World Ocean Summit in Portugal this month.

ONC is a world-leading organization supporting ocean discovery and technological innovation. ONC operates innovative cabled observatories that supply continuous power and Internet connectivity to various scientific instruments located in coastal, deep-ocean and Arctic environments.

To Learn More:

  • Salish Sea Marine Survival Project

                                                                   —30—

Media contacts:

  • Leslie Elliott, Ocean Networks Canada – 250.472.5357 or elliottl@uvic.ca
  • Elayne Sun, Pacific Salmon Foundation – 604.664.7664 X 123 or esun@psf.ca

Download video & imagery:

  • VIDEO: What is Community Fishers? 
  • IMAGERY: Citizen scientists using Community Fishers App to collect oceanograhic data in the Salish Sea.

Community Fishers | citizen science | Pacific Salmon Foundation

Printer-friendly versionPDF version

Related Stories

Your new Digital Fishers mission (should you choose to accept it)…
Nov 20, 2017

Sablefish study reveals citizen scientists are expert observers
Jun 2, 2017

Sablefish Countdown Redux
May 21, 2014

Digital Fishers: New Sablefish Campaign
May 21, 2014

Teen Spots Hagfish-Slurping Elephant Seal
Jan 23, 2013

Digital Fishers: New Mission
Jun 6, 2012

Super Digital Fisher Contributes 10000 Annotations
Mar 25, 2012

Calendar of Events

December 2019

  • « Prev  
  •   Next »
S M T W T F S
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
 
ArcticNet 2019
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
 
Marine Mammal Science Conference
 
 
 
AGU 2019
 
 
 
 
 
 
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Events for Thursday, December 12, 2019
AGU 2019

Marine Mammal Science Conference

View All Events

Newsletter

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter:

 

Tweets Follow @Ocean_Networks

 

 

Highlights

  • Audio
  • Data
  • Learning
  • Science
  • Video

Reading Room

  • Active Research
  • Backgrounders
  • FAQs
  • Glossary
  • News Briefs
  • News Stories
  • Newsletters
  • Publications

Cool Stuff

  • Apps
  • Digital Fishers
  • iBooks & e-Pubs
  • Live Video
  • Maps
  • Images
  • State of the Ocean

Data & Tools

  • Apps
  • Data Plots
  • Data Search
  • Data Policy
  • Data Help
  • OPeNDAP Web Services

Opportunities

  • Calendar
  • Educator Opportunities
  • Global Partnerships
  • Industry Network
  • Jobs
  • Staff List
  • Technology Services

Sites & Instruments

  • Arctic Sites
  • Northeast Pacific Sites
  • Salish Sea Sites
  • Notice to Mariners

Follow Us

Facebook iconTwitter iconLinkedIn iconYouTube iconFlickr iconInstagram icon

Sign up for our newsletter

Feedback

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

                              

About Us | Contact Us | Media Relations | Legal Notices

©   Ocean Networks Canada. All rights reserved.  2474 Arbutus Road, Victoria, BC, V8N 1V8 | 1.250.472.5400