Synchro

Imagine if we could monitor the ocean as precisely and dynamically as we do the atmosphere. Synchro aims to make that vision a reality by developing, field-testing, and deploying affordable sensors at scale to accelerate ocean data collection. 

A core focus of the program is gathering input from potential future technology users, like practitioners who analyze data to manage ocean resources, during the iterative design phase. This approach ensures user needs are addressed in the final product. Synchro also offers a no-cost testing program that grants technology developers access to research facilities, moorings, autonomous vehicles, and piers in Monterey Bay and British Columbia, enabling them to better evaluate prototypes. 

Since 2024, Synchro has purchased and distributed emerging technology that collects biological and chemical data for users. This approach helps generate real-world feedback for developers and cultivate future markets for durable, affordable technologies. 

Synchro and other partners are also building a community of people dedicated to developing cost-effective tools and solutions for observing the ocean, known as accessible ocean technology (AOT). AOT considers the entire technology life cycle, including device costs, import fees, logistics, deployment, operations, data storage and processing, and maintenance. Since the technology is affordable, more sensors can be deployed throughout a given area to collect higher-resolution data. The vision is to reduce financial barriers, make tools more user-friendly, and get technology into the hands of decision-makers and communities to monitor and manage their coastlines. 

By advancing prototypes toward widespread adoption, Synchro helps transform promising technologies into impactful tools that improve ocean monitoring and management. 

Explore Synchro  Explore the AOT community