The World Economic Forum included SeaCras among the top global innovators in the field of blue economy sustainability as part of the Regenerative Blue Economy Challenge initiative!
In competition with 200 shortlisted companies, and after multiple rounds of evaluation, our ‘Coastal Intelligence’ project was recognized as one of the most comprehensive and innovative solutions intended for users in coastal tourism, aquaculture, maritime transport and the energy sector.
The participating companies were supposed to offer solutions to problems such as pollution of coastal waters, harm to marine habitats, lack of data on the state of the marine ecosystem, the impact of climate change, uncontrolled maritime traffic, overfishing and restoration of coral reefs.
Coastal Intelligence, as an award-winning project, includes integrated monitoring and surveillance of the state of the coastal waters, a sustainability demonstration application, and the measurement of the performance and recovery goals of the marine environment for ESG reporting purposes.
The Regenerative Blue Economy Challenge by UpLink– World Economic Forum is funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning, led by WAVE and Friends of Ocean Action, with contributions by ecosystem partners: Builders Vision, Fauna & Flora, G20 CORDAP (Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform), Global Fund for Coral Reefs, NCECKSA, Red Sea Global, SVCL, OceanX, AVEVA.
The World Economic Forum presented the winning cohort at the Climate Week NYC 2024 in New York.
Needless to say, we’re extremely proud of this recognition and it drives us forward to continue working on integrated development and monitoring of the state of the sea, and ultimately, more effective environmental protection.
Mario Špadina (CEO) and Stipe Lukin (CTO) of SeaCras recently took part in the Technical and Scientific Workshop at the Digital Ocean Forum 2024 (DOF2024) in Brussels, an event aimed at fostering collaboration and innovation in the marine science and technology sector. The European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EDITO) initiative, a centerpiece of the forum, is a groundbreaking effort aimed at creating a thriving digital ecosystem for marine data.
The EDITO platform is designed to co-create and innovate through community assets, science, and technology, advancing the accessibility and use of marine data across Europe.
SeaCras as a contributing partner is excited about the much-needed launch of the EDITO and the continuous upgrades to the platform, so that together with our partners we can create Croatia’s digital replica of the Adriatic sea.
On the management level, the success of the initiative is largely credited to key partners, including Mercator Ocean International, VLIZ (Flanders Marine Institute), and the European Commission, whose leadership and hard work have been instrumental in bringing EDITO to fruition.
However, despite the progress, several critical questions remain for the marine data provider community. These include:
1) How can data harmonization and interoperability be further improved? 2) What steps can be taken to ensure data accessibility for a broader community of stakeholders? 3) How can high-level intelligence be derived from the existing data sets?
SeaCras is fully aligned with the mission of EDITO, and is committed to actively contributing to the European Digital Twin Ocean through its innovative projects and partnerships. The company is making a significant impact toward creating a more harmonized, accessible, and insightful marine data environment, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of marine data science.
SeaCras has been recognized by the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) in their latest report, with a special mention of CEO, Mario Špadina, in the executive summary. At the EMODnet conference that took place in September, our CEO highlighted SeaCras’s expertise in sustainable coastal water monitoring using high-resolution satellite technology.
The company was recognized for its innovative approach, leveraging EMODnet’s resources and open-source data to reduce R&D costs by calibrating satellite imagery with auxiliary data.
Covering 1,600 square kilometres of coastal waters, SeaCras provides pollutant detection, biochemical monitoring, and seabed mapping, serving port authorities, nature parks, and the coastal tourism and maritime transport sectors.
One of more famous used cases is Croatia’s Telašćica Nature Park where SeaCras data distinguishes between man-made and natural effects, helping to protect vulnerable waters from boating impacts. As a company, we strive to address the gaps in water monitoring by offering data-driven insights into human activity and climate change impacts.
Despite the limitations of field sampling in Croatia, SeaCras is actively pushing for reforms in legal frameworks to incorporate new technologies and better integrate marine data into coastal management practices.
SeaCras technology is ready for immediate deployment and offers the potential to significantly enhance the scope and frequency of data collection. This includes expanding coverage of descriptor D5 and D7 marine data, alongside a broad range of physical marine data, ultimately improving our ability to monitor and manage coastal environments.
By simplifying complex data into user-friendly visualisations, SeaCras ensures that marine information is accessible to non-experts, supporting coastal communities to make better decisions.
We are honoured to have been recognised for having a vital role in the marine data industry and our commitment to innovation and environmental protection.
