An Austrian Startup Is Mapping the Ocean
Ocean Maps is making an app out of Florida’s best dive sites
Ocean Maps, an Austrian startup, is the world’s first company to create 3D underwater maps and turn them into an interactive application that can be used by divers and businesses alike. This month, Ocean Maps undertook the venture of mapping the dive sites in Florida, all the way from the Keys through Miami and aims to have the maps in app format by the fall of this year.
Ocean Maps originated from the acquisition of Reef Interactive, a company that pioneered the ocean mapping to app industry. After the merge, Ocean Maps honed and implemented new technologies that expedited the seafloor mapping process. Ocean Maps measures with sonar, satellite and video data to ensure the created maps are as realistic as possible while eliminating the chance of human error.
The app functions both as an imperative tool for businesses that require information about the sea floor as well as a beneficial addition to marine recreational activities. Companies in the electric, drinking water supply or construction industries appreciate the detailed and reliable statistics, which often replace costly and sometimes risky dives. For diving schools, professional divers and amateur divers, it is not about avoiding dives: instead, an interactive 3D map means an improved preparation for each dive which increases the margin of safety. The app features four different modes of, including the “Dive Mode”, which simulates how the actual dive will be. “Our main objective in the development of Ocean Maps is to increase the safety of divers through better preparation – true to our slogan: ‘We want you to dive safely’”, says Thomas Nemetz, CEO of the company.
Ocean Maps has currently mapped the Attersee (Austria), the Kreidesee (Austria) and the Red Sea (Egypt) with international explorations, including Florida, currently in play. A free version of the app can be found in the Google Play and iOS App Store. For more information visit www.ocean-maps.com.
About the Author:
Paige Tyrrell is a native Texan who recently moved to Austria to lead Ocean Map’s marketing sector. With a degree in International Communications from the University of Texas in Austin, she is serving as the Austrian company’s liaison to the U.S. market.