Adding value to big acoustic data from ocean observatories: Metadata, online processing, and a computing sandbox
Abstract
Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) operates ocean observatories on all three of Canada's coasts. The instruments produce 300 gigabytes of data per day with over 600 terabytes archived so far. The majority of this data is acoustic, both passive (335 TB) and active (20 TB). This demonstrates the unprecedented capability of cabled observatories to provide unlimited power and data for high bandwidth, continuous data acquisition. Handling this data is a challenge. Metadata, calibration, quality control, and access must be considered. The volume of data is too great for most users to handle. Even if they could store and process it, data transfer to users' computers is a limiting, and perhaps unnecessary step. To address these challenges, ONC has developed a data portal, known as Oceans 2.0, that includes on-demand user-configurable online previewing and processing and a computing “sandbox” where users can upload their own code to process the data. The data portal is now fully accessible by web services. The sandbox is a contained, secure environment with direct access to the data. This paper will present our experience and best practices, including use cases, from acquisition to adding value to the data with these new computing methods.
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Ocean observatories add hundreds of gigabytes every single day, pushing cumulative totals beyond 600 TB.
“while ocean observatories add hundreds of gigabytes every single day, pushing cumulative totals beyond 600 TB (Biffard et al. 2018).”
From Listening forward: emerging roles of bioacoustics in ecology, evolution, and conservation (2026) · cites this paper as Biffard et al. 2018
Increasingly, algorithms have to travel to the data rather than the other way round, with cloud-based sandboxes becoming the norm.
“Increasingly, algorithms have to travel to the data rather than the other way round, with cloud-based sandboxes becoming the norm (Biffard et al. 2018).”
From Listening forward: emerging roles of bioacoustics in ecology, evolution, and conservation (2026) · cites this paper as Biffard et al. 2018
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Listening forward: emerging roles of bioacoustics in ecology, evolution, and conservation
Zsebők, S. (2026) · Biologia Futura · doi:10.1007/s42977-026-00322-5
“Some repositories now hold decades of recordings: one alone stores 52 years and > 100 TB of sound (Truskinger et al. 2018), while ocean observatories add hundreds of gigabytes every single day, pushing cumulative totals beyond 600 TB (Biffard et al. 2018).”
- Authors
- Biffard, B., Morley, M., Hoeberechts, M., Rempel, A., Dakin, T., Dewey, R. K., & Jenkyns, R.
- Affiliations
- Ocean Networks Canada Society (CA)
- Venue
- The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
- Publisher
- Acoustical Society of America (ASA)
- Published
- 2018-09-01
- Volume
- 144
- Issue
- 3_Supplement
- Pages
- 1956-1956
- ISSN
- 0001-4966 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-8524
- OpenAlex
- W2895795529
- Cited by
- 7
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2
- Type
- conference abstract
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geology › Environmental Monitoring and Data Management
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Research Data Management Practices
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Underwater Acoustics Research
- Keywords
- oceanographic station, acoustic data, passive acoustic monitoring, active acoustic monitoring, metadata, data calibration, quality control, data portal, online data processing, cabled observatory, data access, web services, Ocean Networks Canada
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