Boats collect environmental data every time they navigate. Depth, water temperature, wind and atmospheric pressure help crews plan routes, avoid hazards and understand changing conditions at sea. On most vessels, however, these measurements appear briefly on onboard screens and are then lost.

The data aggregators supplied by Ogyre to Luna Rossa’s chase boats store this information and make it available for scientific use. Routine navigation therefore becomes a form of citizen science, turning each route into an opportunity to monitor the marine environment. Once shared through international data platforms, individual measurements can help build a more accurate picture of the Ocean, improve forecasting and support decisions for its protection.

A chase boat already carries several instruments designed to help its crew read the sea. Sensors record data such as water temperature, while onboard systems monitor wind speed, wind direction and atmospheric pressure.

These measurements have an immediate operational purpose. They help crews decide where to navigate, anticipate changing weather and organise training sessions under suitable conditions. Until now, much of this information has been used in real time and then automatically forgotten by the onboard systems.

The data aggregators installed on Luna Rossa’s chase boats change what happens after each measurement is produced. Instead of remaining isolated on different instruments or disappearing after being displayed, the data are collected, stored and prepared for sharing.

The aggregator does not replace the existing sensors. It connects the information they already generate. This turns the boat into a mobile monitoring point without changing its primary role or requiring the crew to operate a scientific research vessel.

The value of this process emerges through repetition. A single temperature reading describes the water at one location and one moment. Measurements collected over multiple routes and different seasons reveal variation. When combined with observations from other boats and monitoring systems, they can help identify broader patterns.

This matters because marine data remain unevenly distributed. Satellites can observe large areas and measure conditions such as sea-surface temperature, but they cannot provide every type of direct measurement. Research vessels, buoys and fixed monitoring stations offer essential information, yet they are too limited in number to observe every coastal area continuously.

Boats already moving through these spaces can therefore help fill part of the gap. Every route creates a line of observations across the water. Once these readings are stored rather than discarded, daily navigation can contribute to a wider and more detailed understanding of marine conditions.

The project is an example of citizen science (scientific research supported by observations or data collected by people who are not professional researchers). It allows those who regularly navigate and work in the sea to contribute information that might otherwise remain unavailable.

A dolphin seen beside the bow, a patch of floating plastic or a sudden change in water temperature may be observed only once. When that sighting or measurement is recorded, it can support research on species distribution, local environmental conditions and marine pollution.

Luna Rossa’s chase boats apply the same principle to physical marine data. Measurements produced for navigation gain a second function: they become part of a shared scientific resource.

The collected data will be integrated into EMODnet Physics, an international platform that gathers, harmonises and makes freely accessible in-situ marine data (measurements taken directly in the environment being studied), including temperature, salinity, waves, currents and sea level.

By organising observations from boats, buoys, research vessels and citizen science projects according to common standards, the platform creates a denser network of marine data. These datasets can support research, environmental monitoring and the development of weather and climate models, contributing to more accurate forecasts and safer navigation.

This initiative also expands a broader collaboration between Ogyre and Luna Rossa. Since 2022, Luna Rossa has supported Ogyre’s marine and coastal waste collection activities, with a total commitment of 308,000 kg of waste to be collected by 2027. At its Cagliari base, the team has also installed a Marine Bin that continuously intercepts floating waste directly from the water.

Data collection, waste recovery and local interception act at different points of the same challenge. The aggregators improve knowledge of marine conditions, Ogyre’s collection network removes waste already dispersed in the sea and along coastal areas, while the Marine Bin captures floating debris within the base. Together, these actions show how scientific observation and practical intervention can support a more complete approach to Ocean protection.

The data aggregators installed on Luna Rossa’s chase boats connect three processes that are usually separated: navigation, data storage and scientific access.

The instruments already read the sea. The aggregators preserve those readings. EMODnet Physics connects them with observations collected elsewhere. A measurement that once disappeared after helping a crew make an operational decision can therefore remain available for research and monitoring.

Marine knowledge grows through accumulation. One measurement describes a moment; repeated measurements reveal change; connected datasets reveal patterns. When boats begin sharing what they already observe, daily navigation becomes part of a larger effort to understand the Ocean and make more informed decisions about its protection.