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  • Nova Scotia: Digitally transforming sustainable mobility in oceans

Nova Scotia: Digitally transforming sustainable mobility in oceans

Monday, May 28, 2018

A vital, sustainable ocean is critical for the future of our planet. This sustainability can only be achieved through innovating and transforming how we use our oceans – for food, energy, environmental stability, and perhaps most importantly - mobility.   

Oceans are critical in global transportation, carrying an estimated 90% of the world’s goods and connecting countries in one of the most sustainable ways.

In Nova Scotia, we understand the ocean - the opportunities and the challenges. Whether we are connecting the world, harnessing energy potential, patrolling boundaries, analyzing data, or exploring depths, the ocean shapes our future and drives our economy. The ocean is where we learn, innovate, chart a new course, and win.

View Nova Scotia's Ocean Technology Infographic to learn more.

Why Nova Scotia?

Nova Scotia is a committed partner of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster – an industry-led partnership transforming Canada’s ocean economy into one of the world’s most significant and sustainable economic segments.

Our established and emerging companies accelerate technology solutions, meeting challenges in the ocean economy. We advance the sustainability, operational capability, and connectivity of assets in areas such as:

  • Underwater acoustics, sensing and imaging
  • Marine communication and navigation
  • Satellite technology
  • Remote systems
  • Wireless networks and sensors 
  • Big data, analytics, informatics and artificial intelligence

With one of the highest concentrations of oceans-related PhDs in the world and Canada’s largest centre for oceans-related research, Nova Scotia is home to more than 600 scientists, engineers, and technicians.

Digitally Transforming Mobility

  1. Enhancing routes: As new shipping lanes emerge in the Arctic and global currents change, marine transportation is evolving. Monitoring ice flows and currents is strategically important to navigating these changes. GSTS’ port to port management system provides dynamic route optimization recommendations to vessels. These services will save the environment, emissions, fuel use and time in the maritime sector. GSTS makes use of new big data sets which have only recently come available through the launch of new satellites.
  2. Data transmission: Monitoring the ocean’s health, currents, and characteristics are key in contributing to its sustainability. Xeos Technologies' oceanographic equipment is used in harsh environments, ensuring sound data can always be collected and transmitted to the user even from the most remote locations thanks to its Iridium™ satellite network.
  3. Analyzing data: As marine industries and transportation become more digitally-driven, the processing power of data analytics and efficiencies of artificial intelligence are being harnessed to identify opportunities. At the micro-level, QRA Corp builds tools that verify and validate systems and programs from the earliest stages of development, verifying the design and specification of complex, critical, engineered systems and programs.

Learn more about Nova Scotia's ocean-connected industries.


Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI), was pleased to partner with Movin'On 2018, the World Summit on Sustainable Mobility, held in Montreal, Quebec from May 30th to June 1st. This highly collaborative business conference, created by Michelin and organized by C2, brings together the most influential stakeholders from mobility-related industries, NGOs and government to accelerate the development of sustainable mobility.