Marine Monitor is a lower cost radar solution to effectively monitor marine protected areas.
Preserving marine protected areas (MPAs) is challenging since poaching and other activities can occur at night, in the early hours of the morning, and far offshore. Military grade systems for persistent monitoring exist, but cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Marine Monitor (M2) complete system package assists at a fraction of the cost (~$70,000) using off-the-shelf, commercially proven radars integrated with our open-source software. The radar can automatically track over 30 vessels in real-time, depending on vessel size and height, and visibility to targets up to 10nm offshore. M2 can further improve MPA monitoring with the optional integration of a Automatic Identification System (AIS) sensor and high-definition pan-tilt-zoom video camera.
To learn more about M2, check out a brief introductory video and our Marine Monitor (M2) Presentation.
Find out if your location is eligible for a M2 deployment by visiting our Deployment Location Eligibility list.
OTHER MARINE MONITOR RESOURCES
- Marine Monitor Data Sheet
- Marine Monitor Radar System Cloud Viewer Overview
- Marine Monitor Radar Selection Report
- For more information on marine radars please see the Furuno Operator’s Guide to Marine Radars
If you are interested in sponsoring this system for an MPA or you would like additional information, please contact brendan@anthinst.org
How we as humans use the San Francisco Bay has been poorly documented. This system, with radar, video and AIS, will enable us to document one of the predominant uses of the Bay: boating of all sorts. This is incredibly important to assess the risk of ship strikes to marine mammals, as more dolphins, porpoises and whales are entering the Bay, not to mention seals and sea lions! Vessels moving through the Bay also create an acoustic presence, affect the air, and create threats of fuel spills and point-source pollutants. We need a clear picture of how we use the Bay if we want to manage and conserve it.
– Ellen Hines, PhD, Associate Director and Professor of Geography & Environment, Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University