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Category: Open Science

Did you calibrate you CTD today?

Posted on June 19, 2024June 19, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
Did you calibrate you CTD today?
Featured, Oceanography for Everyone, Open Science

The first time I went to test an OpenCTD head-to-head against a hand-held commercial CTD, something was wrong. It was early in the OpenCTD development, but we were deep enough into the weeds that we had what we thought was a pretty good calibration process. The OpenCTD looked good against our standards. But the devices … Read More “Did you calibrate you CTD today?” »

I built a DIY hardware store pressure vessel to test ocean science tools from the comfort of my shed.

Posted on June 11, 2024June 11, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
I built a DIY hardware store pressure vessel to test ocean science tools from the comfort of my shed.
Featured, Open Science, Science

I have a problem with the OpenCTD. The OpenCTD is a low-cost, open-source oceanographic instrument that lets you take fundamental water quality measurements for a fraction the cost of commercial alternatives without sacrificing data quality. It’s rated to 140 meters, and we’ve tested that, once, in a bathymetric chamber, and then, occasionally, in the field. … Read More “I built a DIY hardware store pressure vessel to test ocean science tools from the comfort of my shed.” »

I’m on How to Save the Ocean talking about 10 years of Science Crowdfunding Online

Posted on June 3, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
I’m on How to Save the Ocean talking about 10 years of Science Crowdfunding Online
Open Science, Science

I sat down with Andrew Lewin last week to talk about science funding, crowdfunding, and 10 years raising seed funding for high risk projects using Patreon.

Independent ocean science requires local support: testing our mobile OpenCTD factory.

Posted on May 3, 2024May 3, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
Independent ocean science requires local support: testing our mobile OpenCTD factory.
Featured, Oceanography for Everyone, Open Science

What if you could drop an oceanography lab anywhere? Not just the instruments and equipment, but the expertise to maintain the equipment and train ocean knowledge seekers. What if you could deliver an instrumentation factory anywhere it is needed, so that people with the desire and need to study and understand the ocean had the … Read More “Independent ocean science requires local support: testing our mobile OpenCTD factory.” »

Charging the OpenCTD is annoying, so we fixed it.

Posted on April 9, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
Charging the OpenCTD is annoying, so we fixed it.
Open Science

Last month, I wrote a heartwarming little story about how doing a fun weekend hardware project with my daughter led to fixing one of the most annoying non-critical problems with the OpenCTD. After a month of testing, we have fully implemented the new power management system into the next iteration of the OpenCTD. Currently, there … Read More “Charging the OpenCTD is annoying, so we fixed it.” »

The OpenCTD: Open-source Oceanography for Everyone

Posted on November 13, 2023January 4, 2024 By Andrew Thaler
The OpenCTD: Open-source Oceanography for Everyone
Featured, Open Science

Below is a transcript and slides from the above talk, delivered at the October 19, 2023 GOSH Community Call. Good afternoon, good evening, and good morning, and thank you for inviting me. Access to the tools of science is rarely equitable, and nowhere is this inequality of access more pronounced than in the ocean sciences, … Read More “The OpenCTD: Open-source Oceanography for Everyone” »

We want to give you an ROV!

Posted on January 13, 2020January 13, 2020 By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on We want to give you an ROV!
Open Science, Science

If you have access to a small, observation-class remotely operated vehicle to explore the ocean, where would you go? Would you use it to discover something new about marine ecosystems? Would you give students the opportunity to journey beneath the waves and learn about their local waterways? Would you hunt for lost lobster traps, track … Read More “We want to give you an ROV!” »

The next generation of low-cost, open-source oceanographic instruments is here! Meet the OpenCTD rev 2!

Posted on January 7, 2020January 7, 2020 By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on The next generation of low-cost, open-source oceanographic instruments is here! Meet the OpenCTD rev 2!
Oceanography for Everyone, Open Science, Science
Four generations of OpenCTD. Left to Right: Prototype 2, which went through sea trials in Lake Superior, rev 1, rev 1 in the smaller form factor (this one was deployed in Alaska), and OpenCTD rev 2.

In 2013, Kersey Sturdivant and I embarked upon a quixotic quest to create an open-source CTD — the core tool of all oceanographic research that measures the baseline parameters of salinity, temperature, and depth. We weren’t engineers; neither of us had any formal training in electronics or sensing. And, full confession, we weren’t (and still aren’t) even oceanographers! What we were were post-doc marine ecologists working with tight budgets who saw a desperate need among our peers and colleagues for low-cost alternatives to insurmountably expensive equipment. And we had ties to the growing Maker and DIY electronics movements: Kersey through his work developing Wormcam and me through my involvement with OpenROV. 

We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. 

The very first OpenCTD prototype.

Seven years and five iterations later, we are releasing the long anticipated OpenCTD rev 2 as well as the comprehensive Construction and Operation Manual! OpenCTD rev 2 builds on over half a decade of iteration and testing, consultation with oceanographers, engineers, developers, and makers around the world, extensive coastal and sea trials, and a series of workshops designed to test and validate the assembly process. 

Read More “The next generation of low-cost, open-source oceanographic instruments is here! Meet the OpenCTD rev 2!” »

Get into the spirit of Adventure: 10 Expeditions to follow in 2019

Posted on December 26, 2018December 26, 2018 By Andrew Thaler
Exploration, Open Science

The Aquarius Project: The First Student-Driven Underwater Meteorite Hunt

Pirates! Robots! Meteors! A team of plucky teenage explorers! If this doesn’t end up as a feature film, I’ll eat my red watch cap.

On Monday, February 6, 2017 a meteorite dropped out of space and dropped right into Lake Michigan. Since then, a team of young explorers sponsored by the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium have been combing the lake for the lost meteorite. Catch up with this epic adventure through their podcast and on OpenExplorer. The search continues into 2019.

Iceland’s Shallow Hydrothermal Vents

Not all hydrothermal vents emerge in the deep sea. Of the coast of Iceland, shallow water vent spew forth their hydrothermal plumes in the shallows, where small underwater robots can easy access. You’d think we’d know more about them than their deep ocean counterparts but we actually know less.

Iceland’s Shallow Hydrothermal Vents hopes to fill in some of our understanding of these weird and wonderful ecosystems.

Search for Slave Shipwrecks

On a hot summer day in the murky waters of the man-made Millbrook Quarry in Northern Virginia, a group of about 25 people outfitted in scuba gear take turns going down to a depth of 30 feet, testing their compass reading skills, flooding their masks and practicing emergency ascents without air. The sight is not so unusual since Millbrook is the main training and certification site for scuba divers in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area and often hosts such groups. What might give folks pause, however, is that upon closer look they may notice that all 25 of the divers are African American. And if they chat with this unexpected bunch, they might also find that a majority are certified and qualified to search for, document and help excavate slave trade shipwrecks.

Search for Slave Shipwrecks

Divers with Purpose and the Slave Wrecks Project will be traveling across Africa and the Caribbean documenting the stories of underwater archaeologists working to preserve the history of the Atlantic slave trade buried at sea.

From Search for Slave Shipwrecks.

Read More “Get into the spirit of Adventure: 10 Expeditions to follow in 2019” »

I made a ridiculous Glowing Wall Mount for my OpenROV Trident!

Posted on October 26, 2018 By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on I made a ridiculous Glowing Wall Mount for my OpenROV Trident!
Open Science

Because OpenROV Trident is a work of art and should be displayed as such when not on deployment. This was my first big design project using the Glowforge and integrating LED strips If you have a Trident, you can download the plans and bill of materials right here: OpenROV Trident Glowing Wall Mount. More importantly, if … Read More “I made a ridiculous Glowing Wall Mount for my OpenROV Trident!” »

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