About OTN

About the Ocean Tracking Network

The Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) is a global aquatic research, data management and partnership platform headquartered at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

OTN’s mission is to inform the stewardship and sustainable management of aquatic animals by providing knowledge on their movements, habitats and survival in the face of changing global environments.

Since 2008, OTN has been deploying acoustic and satellite tagging systems, oceanographic monitoring equipment and marine autonomous vehicles (gliders) in key ocean locations and inland waters around the world. OTN’s technical capabilities expanded in 2020 with the addition of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and side scan sonar systems.

OTN is changing the way oceans and freshwater systems, and the life that moves within them, are understood. New technologies are providing a window into the underwater world; at the same time, the way this information is stored, managed, shared and visualized is creating and sustaining networks around the globe.

Together, the Network and its collaborators are tracking animals, connecting people and transforming global oceans management.

What we do

OTN and its collaborators track aquatic animals, monitor global ocean and freshwater conditions, connect people, resources and infrastructure, and transform aquatic research and management.

Governance

OTN is guided by external bodies that advise on maintaining and enhancing national and international infrastructure, data management and research priorities.

Funding & partners

Funding for OTN has been provided primarily through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Research Nova Scotia (formerly the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust, NSRIT) the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and other national and international funders and partners.