Green Technology Helping Map Marine World

by Ted Lund

Residents of the San Francisco Bay area are among the first to benefit from a new program launched with the help of Google, which is changing the way researchers map shorelines and the global sea level rise. But at first glance, it’s obvious the vessel doing the heavy lifting isn’t just any ordinary boat.

“It’s a Google Boat,” says staff scientist for the San Francisco Baykeeper organization, Ian Wren.

The small, remote-controlled catamaran has a number of unique features, including an adaptive hull design that flexes to provide ultimate stability, while utilizing Google’s proprietary camera system to create “bay-level” maps of the San Francisco area. And, it’s powered by the world’s leader in green propulsion systems, Torqeedo.