ASL Environmental Sciences Integrates AZFP With Open Ocean Robotics DataXplorer USV

ASL Environmental Sciences has announced a collaboration with Open Ocean Robotics under the Air-Sea Ocean Monitoring System project, partially funded by Canada's Ocean Supercluster, integrating its Acoustic Zooplankton Fish Profiler into the solar-powered DataXplorer uncrewed surface vehicle. The integration combines a calibrated multifrequency scientific echosounder with an autonomous mobile platform, providing a more efficient and environmentally friendly approach to ocean monitoring across diverse and remote marine environments.

 

Strategic Context of the ASOMS Project

 

The Air-Sea Ocean Monitoring System project sits within Canada's broader strategy to develop made-in-Canada ocean technology solutions through the Ocean Supercluster framework. The Supercluster has emerged as a key vehicle for catalysing collaborative innovation among Canadian ocean technology companies, supporting the convergence of sensor systems, autonomous platforms, and data analytics into integrated solutions. The ASL and Open Ocean Robotics collaboration is illustrative of how Supercluster funding is being deployed to combine complementary capabilities from different specialists into commercially viable autonomous monitoring systems. By embedding a proven scientific echosounder into an autonomous surface vehicle, the partnership creates a platform with applications spanning fisheries science, ecosystem monitoring, and environmental assessments for offshore industries.

 

Acoustic Zooplankton Fish Profiler Capabilities

 

The AZFP is a calibrated multifrequency scientific echosounder, typically deployed on moorings to provide a continuous time series of acoustic data lasting 12 months or longer. Multifrequency acoustic data is particularly valuable for biological oceanography because different frequencies respond differently to organisms of varying sizes, allowing researchers to discriminate between zooplankton, fish, and other targets within the water column. Long-term mooring deployments have made the AZFP a widely used tool in ecosystem monitoring, but mooring-based deployment confines observations to fixed locations. The integration with an autonomous mobile platform addresses that constraint, allowing the same calibrated sensing capability to be deployed across larger spatial domains and along configurable transects.

 

DataXplorer USV Platform

 

The Open Ocean Robotics DataXplorer is a solar-powered uncrewed surface vehicle designed for sustained ocean monitoring missions. As a solar-recharged platform, the DataXplorer can operate without combustion emissions while on station, reducing both fuel costs and the environmental footprint of monitoring operations. Long-endurance autonomous platforms are increasingly being adopted across scientific, environmental, and commercial applications because they enable persistent data collection at a fraction of the cost of crewed survey vessels. The platform's recent operational use, including in the NOAA Station 46012 deployment in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, has demonstrated that solar-powered USVs can support extended deployments in demanding environments.

 

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Operational Benefits of the Integrated System

 

Combining the AZFP with the DataXplorer USV creates a monitoring system that retains the scientific rigour of calibrated multifrequency acoustic data while extending its operational reach. Mobile deployment allows acoustic surveys to be conducted along transects, around fixed structures such as offshore wind farms, or in response to specific events such as fish aggregations or harmful algal blooms. The autonomous nature of the platform reduces the need for vessel-based survey operations, lowering operational costs and reducing exposure of personnel to the operational risks of long-duration field deployments. The combination is also significant from an emissions perspective, since traditional acoustic surveys typically depend on fuel-intensive vessel operations.

 

Applications Across Fisheries and Ecosystem Monitoring

 

The integrated system has clear applications across fisheries management, ecosystem assessment, and environmental monitoring. Fisheries science depends heavily on accurate acoustic surveys to estimate fish stock biomass and distribution, and the ability to deploy calibrated multifrequency sensors on autonomous platforms could expand the temporal and spatial scope of such surveys. Ecosystem assessments benefit from continuous data on zooplankton distribution and behaviour, which serve as indicators of broader marine ecosystem health. For environmental monitoring associated with offshore wind, oil and gas, or aquaculture activities, the platform provides a way to gather long-duration biological data without requiring continuous vessel presence at the site.

 

Strategic Position in the Ocean Technology Landscape

 

The collaboration reflects a broader trend in which sensor providers and autonomous platform developers are integrating their products into combined solutions rather than competing as standalone offerings. The shift is driven by user demand for end-to-end monitoring systems that minimise integration complexity and deliver data in a form that can be directly applied to operational and scientific decisions. By pairing the AZFP with the DataXplorer, ASL and Open Ocean Robotics are positioning themselves at the front of a maturing market for autonomous biological monitoring systems, where regulatory, scientific, and commercial demand are all driving expansion.

 

Implications for Canadian Ocean Technology

 

The project also reinforces Canada's positioning as a centre for ocean technology innovation. The Ocean Supercluster has supported a growing portfolio of collaborative projects, and the visibility of partnerships such as ASOMS contributes to the credibility of the Canadian cluster in international markets. Canadian ocean technology firms have built strong reputations in segments including marine robotics, sensors, and autonomous platforms, and integrated solutions that combine domestic capabilities are increasingly competitive against established providers from other regions. The continued progression of projects such as ASOMS strengthens the commercial pipeline for Canadian ocean technology exports.

 

Outlook for Autonomous Biological Monitoring

 

The integration of the AZFP with the DataXplorer points to the broader direction of travel in autonomous ocean monitoring, where the combination of calibrated scientific instruments and long-endurance autonomous platforms is opening up new possibilities for high-resolution, low-cost data collection. As regulatory frameworks for fisheries, biodiversity, and offshore industries continue to evolve, demand for credible long-duration biological data is expected to rise. Solutions that deliver scientific-grade measurements from sustainable, autonomous platforms are well placed to meet that demand. The ASL and Open Ocean Robotics collaboration provides one of the more concrete examples of how this convergence is being commercialised, with implications for fisheries management, ecosystem science, and environmental compliance across multiple sectors of the ocean economy.