VENUS at a glance
There are five components to VENUS: an array of scientific instruments connected by power and fibre optic cable to a central node; power and fibre optic cable linking the node to shore; a shore station relaying power and two-way communication to the instruments; a data management, archive and distribution centre; and a network operations centre at UVic.
The broad goals of VENUS researchers are: full-time monitoring of oceanographic conditions; documentation of ocean change; studying how species adapt in natural and altered conditions; capturing rare and significant oceanographic events; assessing ocean dynamics and stability; and developing new techniques for ocean study.
VENUS is a sister project to NEPTUNE Canada, a seafloor observatory that will install
800 km of cable and instruments off the outer coast of British Columbia, starting in 2007. NEPTUNE Canada is also led by UVic.
Together, VENUS and NEPTUNE Canada are building a common data management and archive system to reside at UVic. This archive of continuous, long-term ocean data will be a legacy for future ocean researchers.
The VENUS Project is a testbed for the ocean technology industry and features ocean technological designs developed in B.C. Over its 20-year lifespan, VENUS will generate jobs in information technology, engineering, and research and support services.
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