The integrated monitoring system that the researchers will have as a result of project ‘MarinEye’ (a multitrophic prototype for ocean monitoring) will provide information that makes it possible to identify changes in biodiversity.

Until now it was not possible to observe and interpret the different oceanic components (physical, chemical, biochemical, and biological) simultaneously, together with different trophic levels (from microorganisms to marine mammals).

Using advanced technology, the ‘MarinEye’ will make it possible to analyse these components in a synchronised way, both in terms of time and space.

The project is being developed by different Portuguese research groups from the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), project leader, the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering (INESC TEC), the Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (IPMA) and the Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE – IP Leiria).

The four national partners involved in the ‘MarinEye’ will play different roles. CIIMAR is the project promoter and, together with the IPMA and MARE-IP Leiria, they bring in a team of biologists and chemists of different specialties who will be validating the variables obtained with the different modules of the MarinEye.

INESC TEC brings to the project a team of robotics researchers, as well as optical fibre specialists and a team that specialises in data analytics that will be in charge of developing the robotics, sensing and software components to visualise and integrate data, respectively.

Project MarinEye (PT02_Aviso4_0017) is funded by the EEA Grants Program (http://www.eeagrants.gov.pt/), in about 400 thousand euros.

Revista O Instalador, 26 February 2016