'We operate fleets of smaller, lower-cost assets that are centrally controlled and highly scalable': How tiny uncrewed vessels are mapping the ocean and delivering instant marine data at scale

A pair of Uncrewed Surface Vessels undergoing maintenance by engineers at XOCEAN's Rathcor Tech Centre.

While many tech companies are looking to planetary bodies and the stars as the next frontier of exploration, there is one much closer to the shiny blue marble we call home that has been largely unexplored.

According to a 2025 study by Science Advances, humanity has visually explored just 0.001% of the ocean, and much of this has been relatively close to shorelines. But while our visual exploration of the ocean sits as a minute proportion its overall size, militaries and private industries have developed innovative ways to gather ocean data. Sonar, echosounding, and magnetometery all play their parts.