“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
– Benjamin FranklinThe world's oceans cover over 70% of the world's surface, yet man's knowledge of the undersea domain is still remarkably primitive. ThayerMahan's work in autonomous sea systems is responsive to the needs of our community stakeholders and poised to contribute positively to the preservation of marine life through knowledge of the undersea domain. Per our namesake, Alfred Thayer Mahan, we pursue his vision of a safe and secure ocean. Above all else, we set a culture of respect and understanding regarding our oceans as we grow. Alfred Thayer Mahan taught “the tendency to trade, involving of necessity the production of something to trade with, is the national characteristic most important to the development of sea power.”
ThayerMahan believes our growing economic and military activity can coexist with all ocean life. Through industry-leading technology, a team of highly dedicated and knowledgeable members, and continued partnerships with many private and public entities, we are growing closer to perfect harmony between man and ocean. Despite positive changes in recent years, we, as a species, have not found the balance and coexistence of man and ocean. Our company is equipped to continually master new technologies and apply them for maritime benefits. We have a vast amount of experience to enable operations with technological expertise. Lastly, we help you make the right decisions to protect your maritime investments and the ocean environment.
OUR GOALS
Protect Whales from Ship Strikes – Whales often frequent shipping lanes, creating a heightened risk of ship strikes on endangered animals. New construction offshore presents additional risk to vessels. Real-time route clearance information protects whales from ship strikes. In the long term, standardized data reduces the need for commercial shipping speed restrictions.
Accelerate Offshore Renewable Energy – Offshore wind construction could increase the risk to endangered species, increasing scrutiny during the environmental review of proposals. Standardized data will result in simplified review and conditioning of permits, enabling 24-hour, year-round offshore construction.
Enable Scientific Research – NOAA conducts research on the biology, behavior, and ecology of the North Atlantic right whale. Scientists don't have access to data in law enforcement databases. This system allows access to real-time data, which increases the validity and generalizability of critical research.
A GROWING PROBLEM
Lethal collisions between vessels and whales are increasing. Speed restrictions, vessel route modifications, and temporary precautionary zones around whale sightings have a positive effect. Unfortunately, data on whale migration patterns is limited, data standards are inconsistent across small-scope projects. Whale detections can't be localized in real-time, and whales are often not clearly visible to vessel operators on the surface. The U.S. faces increased commercial shipping near marine sanctuaries off New England and California, surging offshore wind construction on the eastern seaboard that will soon spread to the west coast and Gulf of Mexico, oil and gas infrastructure decommissioning, and a string of maritime natural disasters that require comprehensive Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). There is an urgent need for a comprehensive MDA program that provides whale tracking data from an AI-enabled acoustic, electro-optical, and infrared system of systems. Also needed is a program that develops a standard for data that can be deployed nationally.
OUR CUTTING-EDGE SOLUTIONS
ThayerMahan invests heavily in technological research to achieve our core values and oceanic-focused goals. Our technologies include the SeaPicket, a home-grown solution, advanced sensors, and industry-leading optical cameras.
ThayerMahan recently developed the SeaPicket system to detect and report the presence of large sea mammals like whales in real time. SeaPicket is an energy-harvesting, autonomous, long-dwell platform that integrates passive acoustic sonar, AIS, and other sensors. It was developed to track whales for the commercial offshore wind energy market leveraging concepts originally used to provide persistent surveillance services to the U.S. Navy.
“We have a great concern for the North Atlantic right whale. Our technology protects whales and other marine life while maintaining efficient commercial shipping," said Michael Connor, Chairman and CEO of ThayerMahan. The SeaPicket system uses passive acoustic arrays to detect whales, identify what kind of whales they are, and determine if they are in or near a dangerous area. The system's passive sonar array, anchored in a safe location on the seabed, optimizes detection range and enables whale localization. Software allows the company to determine what kind of whale the system has detected.
The passive acoustic array on the seabed is connected via tether to a floating buoy. The moored device uses solar panels to power the system with green energy and transmits information about whales in real-time. They can then use AI to find quiet whales in loud areas and predict where the whales might be going. This is important because it could help reduce vessel strikes.
ThayerMahan has demonstrated cutting-edge autonomous technology that detects, classifies, and tracks whales in real-time, making conditions safe for endangered species like the North Atlantic right whale. Our sensors listen below the surface and watch from above, detecting, localizing, reporting, and tracking whales and vessels. Real-time data is fused and used to clear areas for offshore construction, to show if shipping lanes are clear of whales, to enable precise implementation of Dynamic Management Areas, and to provide access to real-time data for scientists.
We combine extensive maritime knowledge, tested cutting-edge technology, and a local presence to fundamentally change offshore construction into a sustainable, ocean-positive industry.
ThayerMahan's electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) cameras, visual observers, and remote passive acoustic monitoring provide a nighttime monitoring capability exceeding the performance of daytime visual monitoring. We use remote passive acoustic systems to detect a whale and use processing to classify its species and identify its position. We fuse this information with whale blows detected visually using EO/IR. The result is a persistent, real-time whale detection probability that exceeds what a visual observer can do. Our techniques comply with the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act and provide effective detection, classification, localization, and tracking of marine mammals in nighttime conditions.
