The year 2019 was noteworthy for the University of
Rhode Island’s Inner Space Center (ISC). Not only was it the
tenth anniversary of the facility, it was also the first time
live, interactive broadcasts were conducted from both the
Arctic and the Antarctic. To augment the missions of ISC’s
two main partner vessels, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer
and Ocean Exploration Trust’s E/V Nautilus, mobile tele-
presence units (MTUs) were installed on a record six
additional vessels throughout the year: research ves-
sels Atlantis, Neil Armstrong, Connecticut, Endeavor, and
Laurence M. Gould, and the icebreaker Oden. MTUs provide
vessels of opportunity with the technology that enables
those aboard the ships to establish a relatively high band-
width Internet connection to stream live video and audio.
The MTUs are customized for each project, installed, and
supported by ISC engineers.
As a leader in the application of telepresence technology
to connect scientists remotely to missions of exploration,
this year the ISC focused on using this same technology to
boost public engagement and broader impacts through
live, two-way broadcasts from the vessels to various audi-
ences around the world. In March 2019, aboard R/V Atlantis,
ISC staff provided live streaming and production capabilities
directly from the vessel to the BBC’s London studios through
a dedicated transmission link. The ISC facilitated collabora-
tion among Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI),
Verizon (the satellite and network service provider), the
ISC, and the BBC to coordinate, configure, and connect
the existing satellite antenna system aboard Atlantis to the
high bandwidth link. Blue Planet Live engaged audiences by
bringing them into five highlighted sites around the globe
in real time. Operating off the coast of California, the broad-
casts involving Atlantis showcased the human-occupied
From Pole to Pole:
Connecting Explorers Across the Globe
By Colleen Peters, Dwight F. Coleman, and Alex DeCiccio
vehicle Alvin as it dove beneath the sea to explore a recent
discovery by E/V Nautilus in Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary called the “octopus garden” (Figure 1).
Hosting live interactions from the ISC rather than
directly from the vessel allows staff to quickly manage
transmissions from shore when challenges disrupt a clear
connection to the ship. The shoreside host can keep the
conversation flowing while standing by to reestablish
connectivity. The host can spontaneously bring in guest
expertise, and the production team can easily retrieve
relevant video to visually demonstrate answers when the
host takes questions from the audience. This capability not
only ensures the audience will always receive a planned
program, it also adds value to the broadcasts by showing
additional video content.
In July, three ISC staff members joined a team of scien-
tists and students aboard the Swedish icebreaker Oden to
explore the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. One aspect of
the expedition led by the ISC was the execution of 39 live
broadcasts from inside the Northwest Passage to class-
rooms and informal science education centers via Skype,
Zoom, and Facebook Live. Using social media platforms
with direct links to the Smithsonian (Washington, DC), The
Exploratorium (San Francisco, California), and the Alaska
SeaLife Center (Fairbanks, Alaska), the onboard team cov-
ered topics about seabirds, marine mammals, the Arctic
ecosystem, and the physical aspects of the Arctic Ocean.
FIGURE 1. Images from the 2019 E/V Nautilus expedition to the
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary “octopus garden.”
(left) ROV Hercules image shows an octopus hatchling escap-
ing a predatory shrimp and (above) octopuses (Muusoctopus
robustus) in the brooding position.
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