Geospatial Search: Simplifying Ocean Data Access and Management

In today's fast-paced ocean industry, the ability to efficiently manage and locate hydrographic survey and underwater inspection data is crucial. The north.io team has included within its Ocean Data Platform, a geospatial search function designed to transform data accessibility.

The Challenge: Navigating the Data Overload

Ocean and underwater data management often face issues of disorganization and inefficiency. Data acquired from various sensors, such as multibeam echosounders, side scan sonar, magnetometers, and sub-bottom profilers, generate numerous files in various, partly proprietary formats. These files can accumulate several gigabytes, even terabytes or petabytes, making data management complex. Traditionally, finding specific data involved sifting through unclear file names and deep folder hierarchies, a process that was both time-consuming and prone to error.

Internal inefficiencies, such as limited data findability and lack of structured access, further exacerbate these challenges. Data often resides in disparate silo storages—local networks, individual computers, hard drives, various cloud services, and even email attachments—making the search process slow and frustrating. This inefficiency not only slows productivity but also significantly increases operational costs.

The Solution: A Geospatial Search Function

The geospatial search function on north.io’s Ocean Data Platform tackles these challenges directly. Users can now locate and access data in seconds using a user-friendly, map-based interface. By simply selecting the desired area on the digital map, users can view a list of available files, georeferenced and tagged with metadata automatically during file upload. This eliminates the need for manual intervention and uses an intelligent search algorithm to match results accurately based on map inputs.

Commercial Benefits: Efficiency and Cost Savings

• Increased Efficiency: The platform allows users to find survey data sets within seconds, drastically reducing the time previously spent on data retrieval. Sorting results by sensor type, file size, and acquisition date further streamlines the process, enabling quick and easy access to necessary data.
• Significant Cost Reduction: Automated data search alone can reveal cost savings amounting to thousands of euros per month. The equation on searching is xy=cost, (where x = time and y = cost of human resource) applies for every stakeholder and organization handling data (data workflow)* applies universally to organisations handling extensive data workflows. By minimising search time and reducing the need for specialized knowledge, north.io's solution directly reduces expenses each month, enhancing overall productivity and lowering operational costs. Improved
• Collaboration: With data readily accessible, stakeholders can collaborate more effectively, avoiding the delays and missed opportunities associated with traditional, inefficient data management practices. This leads to improved output and faster project completion times.

*Example: x = 8h, y = 50€ search costs = 400€ "z" are opportunity costs, i.e. the hours that could have been sold to a customer instead. Usually the hourly rate is higher than the internal costs. We consider opportunity costs to be z = 200% search costs*200% 400€ * 200% = 800€ for just a single search activity. 

Conclusion: A New Era of Data Management

north.io's Ocean Data Platform, with its advanced geospatial search function, is setting a new standard in marine data management. By addressing the core challenges of data chaos and inefficiency, the solution is empowering users to harness the full value of their data, driving both operational and commercial benefits.

For more information about how our solution allows easier ocean data management visit our product page.

Embrace the future of marine data management with north.io, where data findability meets unparalleled efficiency.