Friday, September 23, 2016

Esri To Power Maps For Ocean XPRIZE

Redlands-based Esri, the developer of mapping and GIS tools, has linked up with Marina Del Rey-based prize competition operator the XPRIZE Foundation, to use its tools as part of the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE. The two said that Esri has donated its ArcGIS software for use in mapping efforts in the prize, which is aimed at creating autonomous, deep-sea mapping technology. As part of the partnership, teams competing in the prize will be required to submit their mapping data in ArcGIS format. The $7M in prizes will go to award a team that creates technology to map the seafloor at high resolution. Another, $1M bonus award is coming from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), if that team includes additional underwater sensing technology to detect and track a biological or chemical signal to its source.

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