About Ocean Networks Canada
University of Victoria ocean-observatory research and data infrastructure operating deep-sea, coastal and land-based observatories across Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic environments.
Operating context
Ocean Networks Canada combines sustained ocean observations with engineering and data services. Oceans 3.0 provides access to sensor measurements, video and underwater sound from its Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic networks. A 2026 University of Bath-led study used a decade of Cambridge Bay hydrophone data to compare Arctic sound conditions under ice and during shipping periods, establishing useful environmental baselines without proving a vessel-identification service. ONC also reported engineering a P-ONE deployment frame and 26-connection junction box for integration with NEPTUNE at depths beyond 2,600 metres. A June 2026 shallow-water test preceded the planned offshore mooring deployment. For an industrial partner, the practical questions concern observing access, instrument power and communications, deployment support and data conditions; the scientific infrastructure is not itself a defence surveillance contract.