Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has called the ocean the new economic frontier, and forecasts that the global ocean economy will more than double by 2030 to ~ $3 trillion USD. Canada - with the world's longest coastline and abundant ocean resources - must harness new marine technology to responsibly develop its ocean economy in the face of rapid global climate change. This requires highly skilled personnel to apply advanced ocean observing systems, data analytics and visualization tools for the collection, analysis and communication of ocean data. The Pacific Rim Ocean Data Mobilization and Technology (PRODIGY) training program will bridge the fields of oceanography, geophysics, computer science and statistics, harnessing new ocean observing technologies, data science and visualization tools to support ocean observation, prediction and knowledge mobilization. It will produce three inter-disciplinary cohorts of highly skilled trainees with job-ready skills needed for employment government laboratories, industry and NGO sectors, including positions in the ocean technology sector, environmental consulting, exploration geophysics, aquaculture and fisheries management, among others. The program builds directly on ~ $20M in funding our group has received to support the acquisition of advanced ocean sensors and big data management infrastructure. Partnership with the Millennium Institute of Oceanography in Chile will provide an immersive cross-cultural training experience, and access to comparative ocean study sites across the eastern Pacific Rim, building new international research collaborations and bi-lateral exchanges of trainees between Canadian and Chilean laboratories. Training will be delivered through dedicated course work, workshops and annual one-week summer schools, field-based research in Canada and Chile, and internships with potential employers in the ocean technology, government, NGO and educational sectors. Graduating PRODIGY HQP will gain unique interdisciplinary knowledge and job-ready skills in emerging ocean observing technology and data science, preparing them to support the sustainable development of Canada's future ocean economy.