Sofar Ocean runs a global marine sensor network and ocean intelligence platform, providing real-time ocean data for maritime voyage optimisation and climate research.
Sofar Ocean, founded in 2016, builds and operates an ocean intelligence platform centred on a marine sensor network. The company designs and deploys Spotter buoys - affordable, scalable marine weather sensors - which together form what it describes as the world's largest privately-owned network of marine weather sensors. The network produces more than 1.5 million real-time observations daily, spanning wave, wind and sea-surface conditions, and underpins both an ocean data business and a set of operational products.
On top of the sensing layer, the company works across IoT sensor networks, real-time ocean observation and ocean data analytics. Wayfinder, its voyage optimisation platform, applies data from the Spotter network to plan maritime voyages, with the stated aim of reducing fuel consumption and emissions for shipping fleets. Data from the platform is used by scientists, governments and shipping fleets internationally.
The company operates globally and sells into maritime shipping, maritime logistics, climate research, environmental monitoring, and government and port authority markets. Its stated purpose is to make ocean data openly accessible and to make the ocean as predictable and transparent as land, with an emphasis on affordability, scalability and emissions reduction. Technical work spans hardware, sensing, data infrastructure and applied ocean science.
