Revealing Hidden Depths - the Seabed 2030 Podcast

For Podcast 18, August 2025, Seabed 2030 Head of Partnerships Steve Hall brings an update from our recent attendance at SubOptic 2025 [https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/suboptic/index.stm], a conference and trade show of the global subsea cables industry. We were invited by Alcatel Submarine Networks [https://www.asn.com/], one of the big three subsea cables companies, owned by the French state and Nokia. Alcatel are enthusiastic contributers to the work of the UN Ocean Decade Corporate Data Group [https://oceandecade.org/ocean-decade-corporate-data-group/].  The public don't always realise that the vast majority of international internet traffic is carried on thousands of kilometres of fibre optic cable laid across the ocean floor, not bounced off satellites. As such, the industry is one of the few that conducts bathymetric measurements at global scale - albeit along narrow tracks - and so is an essential source of new, and legacy, data for Seabed 2030 & GEBCO. Indeed from the earliest days of GEBCO, bathymetry supplied by cable layers has formed an important source of data.  In this episode we also introduce our Head of External Relations, Pegah Souri - she has been associated with the project for six years and is a key person for ensuring that the outside world knows about our work.  In the second part of the podcast, Steve runs through the topics covered in his presentation to industry at SubOptic, and finishes with a preview of the imminent publication of the Seabed Mapping Special Edition of the Marine Technology Society and Society for Underwater Technology journal [https://www.mtsociety.org/marine-technology-society-journal-mtsj-], Volume 59 Number 2. Find out more about Seabed 2030 at www.seabed2030.or [https://www.seabed2030.org]g, contact the editor the podcast Steve Hall here [partnerships@seabed2030.org], or Pegah Souri here [externalrelations@seabed2030.org].  Thank you for listening!  Revealing Hidden Depths - the Seabed 2030 Podcast Find out more about our project at www.seabed2030.org [https://seabed2030.org/about/] Brought to you by the Nippon Foundation and GEBCO

In this episode Seabed 2030 Head of Partnerships Steve Hall [https://seabed2030.org/people/steve-hall/] reports on the UN Ocean Conference [https://unocnice2025.org/en/] that was held in Nice in June 2025, with the main podcast going through a summary of what happened during the event, and then a 20 minute appendix where he reads through the Nice Ocean Action Plan [https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2025-06/A-CONF.230-2025-14%20%28Note%20by%20the%20Sect-%20political%20declaration%29.pdf].  Too much happened in the many side events to cover all aspects, so we've focused on the parts where we were present.  As well as Steve's narration, there are short recordings of Nippon Foundation Chairman Sasakawa speaking in Nice during the Global Ocean Data Sharing [https://iho.int/fr/side-event-global-ocean-data-sharing] side event on Monday 9th June, and a clip of Seabed 2030 Director Jamie McMichael-Phillips during his panel session at the Economist World Ocean Initiative [https://events.economist.com/world-ocean-initiative-at-un-ocean-conference/agenda/] event on Tuesday 10th June. Steve also updates listeners on the latest update to percentage of ocean floor mapped, which was announced as 27.3% on World Hydrography Day [https://seabed2030.org/2025/06/21/seabed-2030-announces-millions-of-square-kilometers-of-new-seafloor-data-on-world-hydrography-day/], 21st June 2025.  Revealing Hidden Depths - the Seabed 2030 Podcast Find out more about our project at www.seabed2030.org [https://seabed2030.org/about/] Brought to you by the Nippon Foundation and GEBCO

For episode 16 of the Seabed 2030 Podcast, recorded in April 2025, Seabed 2030 Head of Partnerships Steve Hall speaks to David Parker [https://uk.linkedin.com/in/parkerdavid], who is Head of Hydrographic Programmes at the UK Hydrographic Office, Chair of the International Hydrographic Office Hydrographic Surveys Working Group, and one of the founding senior team for the UK Centre for Seabed Mapping.  David talks about his career, his role at UKHO, how his team work with customers from industry, government and the international community to deliver essential mapping products that ensure safety of navigation, inform marine spatial planning and seabed management, grow the Blue Economy and help deliver the UK's commitments to international programmes such as the UN Ocean Decade of Science for Sustainable Development. He speaks in detail about the role of the new UK Centre for Seabed Mapping, and finishes with a call to industry bodies, Learned Societies and Professional Institutes to get involved. Find out more about the UKHO https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-hydrographic-office [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-hydrographic-office] and the UK Centre for Seabed Mapping at https://www.admiralty.co.uk/uk-centre-for-seabed-mapping [https://www.admiralty.co.uk/uk-centre-for-seabed-mapping] Find out more about Seabed 2030 at www.seabed2030.org [https://www.seabed2030.org] and contact Steve Hall here [partnerships@seabed2030.org].  Revealing Hidden Depths - the Seabed 2030 Podcast Find out more about our project at www.seabed2030.org [https://seabed2030.org/about/] Brought to you by the Nippon Foundation and GEBCO

Podcast 15, March 2025 - apologies for delay with this one - we've all been busy with a series of workshops and conferences, spreading the word about why seabed mapping matters and signing up new partners. This episode focuses on one of those meetings, the Economist World Ocean Summit [https://events.economist.com/world-ocean-summit/agenda/]held in Tokyo on 12th & 13th March 2025. Seabed 2030 [https://www.seabed2030.org] and GEBCO [https://www.gebco.net/] representatives were present, with the Nippon Foundation [https://en.nippon-foundation.or.jp/] playing a key part throughout the event. Nippon Foundation Chair Mr Sasakawa opened the event, and his opening speech in English is featured from 4m44s into this podcast.  We also hosted a 'How to shape global standards for blue data, technology and capacity building?' workshop on the second day, and you can listen to Dr Vicki Ferrini, [https://seabed2030.org/people/vicki-ferrini/] head of our Atlantic & Indian Ocean Center, Amon Kimeli of our Partner the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute [https://www.kmfri.go.ke/]; Børre Pedersen, Earth observation and satellite services specialist, Kongsberg Satellite Service [https://www.ksat.no/] and Jyotika Virmani Executive director, Schmidt Ocean Institute [https://schmidtocean.org/] in the second half of the podcast.  We'll be back in April after the Ocean Business [https://www.oceanbusiness.com/] trade show in Southampton 8-10 April where you'll be able to find us in the long marquee next to the dockside, sharing a booth with our Partners of the Marine Technology Society [https://www.mtsociety.org/] - see you there! Contact Steve Hall [partnerships@seabed2030.org], Head of Seabed 2030 Partnerships with any questions or if you'd like to be featured in a future episode of the Podcast.  With thanks to Emily Boddy for podcast music and intro narration.  Revealing Hidden Depths - the Seabed 2030 Podcast Find out more about our project at www.seabed2030.org [https://seabed2030.org/about/] Brought to you by the Nippon Foundation and GEBCO

For the first episode of 2025 Seabed 2030 Head of Partnerships Steve Hall interviews Matthew Zimmerman, CEO and co-founder of FarSounder, based in Rhode Island USA, & one of our industry partners since Year 4 of the Project. FarSounder specialise in products such as 3D forward-looking sonars that don't only look down to map the seabed, but also scan forwards to enable users to avoid whales snoozing near the surface, or collisions with objects such as containers. FarSounder are very active in supporting Crowdsourced Bathymetry, and in outreach about the importance of seabed mapping for public benefit. Find out more about FarSounder at https://www.farsounder.com [https://www.farsounder.com] and you can contact Matthew via info@farsounder.com [info@farsounder.com] Find out more about Seabed 2030 at www.seabed2030.org [https://www.seabed2030.org] and contact podcast host & producer Steve Hall here [partnerships@seabed2030.org]. You can find on us Social Media as Seabed 2030. With thanks to Matthew for the interview, and to Emily Boddy for Podcast music and voiceover.  We'll be back throughout 2025 with a range of interview, check our webpage for forthcoming events.  Revealing Hidden Depths - the Seabed 2030 Podcast Find out more about our project at www.seabed2030.org [https://seabed2030.org/about/] Brought to you by the Nippon Foundation and GEBCO