It is no secret that working on, in, and under the ocean means working in a challenging environment. With tides, weather, and currents always changing, the only constant about the ocean is that it is always in flux. Today, CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) is celebrating the United Nations’ Creativity and Innovation Day, and the creativity and innovation that our experienced Operations Department brings every day to addressing our clients’ needs and delivering best-in-class marine environmental consultancy services.
CSA’s staff work in nearshore, offshore, and deep-sea environments, deploying oceanographic and biological equipment around the globe and for several marine industries. To guarantee the best quality scientific data, CSA continues to invest—as it has for over 55 years—in the latest innovative technologies designed and manufactured to operate in the harshest and often most unpredictable environments. Recent equipment acquisitions have focused on technology that is state-of-the-art, unmanned, and capable of real-time monitoring, in response to industry interests looking to maximize data collection efficiency and quality.
Last year, CSA acquired an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), the WingtraOne GEN II, which is capable of photogrammetry, multi-spectral imaging, and light detection and radar (LiDAR). UAVs like the WingtraOne can be used in disaster response scenarios, such as in response to hurricanes, or for gathering baseline data, such as documenting megafauna distributions.
Another recent acquisition is sediment profile imaging (SPI) camera technology, through the acquisition of Tombo Environmental in 2024. Since then, CSA has actively deployed SPI cameras on several jobs, into waters ranging from several meters to several thousand meters deep. SPI cameras allow scientists to observe and analyze profiles of the sediment without having to collect samples that could disrupt the local benthic environment.
It is not just investments in hardware that exemplify CSA’s ongoing commitment to advancing fieldwork. Earlier this year, CSA announced the expansion of its water-column acoustic monitoring capabilities through the acquisition of a licensed installation of Echoview software. Although licenses are often seen as standard in research institutions, in-house licenses remain less common within the commercial consulting sector.
Behind the scenes, creativity is also a skillset of our GIS team, who are experts in analyzing and displaying geospatial data. The GIS team works closely with the science team to best visualize data for any given project. This is combined with the GIS team’s active involvement in the broader GIS community, as they keep abreast of the latest developments in the GIS field.
Since 1970, CSA has operated at the forefront of science and marine operations, and actively applies updated, innovative procedures and technologies to our work. This starts all the way at the proposal stage for any project undertaken, and continues through to field work, data analysis, equipment recovery, and the final deliverables. This helps our clients limit their environmental footprint.
Although science and creativity are not often thought of as complementary, creativity and innovation are equally key to our work. Whether it is designing a field survey for a remote area, or rigging equipment to deploy to the deep sea, creativity and innovation is involved in every step of the way.
Happy World Creativity and Innovation Day!