The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) announces the launch of the NMEA Cloud Initiative. This project aims to aggregate existing marine data for safety, conservation and innovation.

NMEA says this initiative “marks a significant step towards revolutionizing the future of maritime safety and security operations while protecting marine life and the oceans.”

The NMEA Cloud Initiative includes several key highlights:

• Privacy First: Participation is voluntary, and all shared data will remain anonymous. The data will not be used for enforcement or surveillance purposes.
• Transforming Vessel Data into Actionable Insights: Peripheral Data from NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 systems, widely used on vessels worldwide, will have consumer options to be anonymized and securely shared to enhance navigation safety and conservation efforts.
• Protecting Endangered Marine Mammals: In collaboration with the Whale and Vessel Safety Taskforce (WAVS), NMEA is leveraging data and technology to prevent vessel strikes on endangered North Atlantic Right Whales (NARW) and other marine mammals.
• Technology: Machine learning and AI tools will transform collected data into actionable insights, which NMEA says will enable faster development of safety and risk-reduction solutions.
• Broad Collaboration: This initiative engages boaters, commercial operators, manufacturers and researchers, which NMEA hopes will create a robust ecosystem for shared knowledge in a collective effort to enhance maritime safety and environmental preservation.
• Initial Goal: By 2026, the goal is to have 200 vessels actively contributing data to build a comprehensive global resource for marine safety and conservation.

NMEA members with NMEA 0183/2000/OneNet certified hardware can contribute by participating in the initiative’s working committees. Automated Data will be collected through vessel connectivity, with no disruption to normal operations. Boaters, industry professionals and “citizen scientists” are encouraged to join and play an active role in marine conservation, ocean preservation and maritime safety.

For information, and to get involved, email NMEA president Mark Reedenauer.