The headquarters of the Voice of the Ocean (VOTO) Foundation in Gothenburg (Sweden) hosts the biannual international conference on autonomous marine glider technologies (from English, glider), under the name IUGC2024, with the attendance of nearly 200 delegates representing user groups and operators worldwide, and the leading manufacturers of this type of cutting-edge ocean-observing systems.
The event mainly aims to show the latest advances in marine research through scientific-technical work while promoting international collaboration through dialogue between the community of users of these novel autonomous ocean-observing platforms, promoting information exchange, experiences and the development of good practices, which implies harmonization efforts in the use and application, new technological developments, in addition to the contribution to the global ocean-observing strategy at regional, national and global scale within the framework of GOOS ( Global Ocean Observing System).
The event has an agenda of plenary oral-sessions and working groups related to specific topics on international coordination, applications in extreme environments, data management, good practices, sustainability of observation, new sensors and measurement strategies, training and education, dissemination tools, and the framework strategy of the United Nations Ocean Decade (UN Ocean Decade 2021-2030).
PLOCAN, as leading glider infrastructure (gliderport) for the Eastern Central North Atlantic, actively contributes to the IUGC2024 event by chairing a plenary session on “Flagship glider networks and programs” in which it has an oral presentation, the presentation of four poster works in collaboration with European institutions within the framework of research projects, and the participation in three specific sessions related to new international collaboration strategies in operation and training (PLOCAN Glider School); sustainability of ocean observations; and contribution strategy to the next Ocean Decade by the international glider working group of which PLOCAN is currently chair through theEuroGOOS.
PLOCAN’s glider activity tries to contribute from a regional approach in the Macaronesia area to ocean-observing strategies of international scope channeled through European and national projects, which allows to value the unique capabilities of the ICTS by service of both the scientific community and technology-based companies related to the most advanced marine robotics sector for efficient and sustainable ocean observation for the benefit of society.
