The second Dialogues with Industry series – organized by the Marine Technology Society (MTS), GOOS, NOAA, and the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) – focused on harmful algal blooms (HABs), exploring market dynamics and identifying barriers and opportunities. The Summary Report is now available, providing a synthesis of insights from across all three Dialogues on HABs and mapping twenty-one action pathways.
Background
The Dialogues with Industry is a strategic engagement series launched through a collaboration between the Marine Technology Society (MTS), the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), and NOAA’s U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). It was born out of a recognition that maturing the Ocean Enterprise, the vast network of public, private, and academic actors engaged in ocean observing, forecasting, and information services, requires intentional coordination across sectors.
The initial Dialogues with Industry were broad in scope, designed as an international forum to explore the challenges and opportunities across the entire Ocean Information Value Chain, from sensing and platforms to data, products, and decision-making. These foundational conversations culminated in the publication of a Dialogues with Industry Roadmap, a strategic blueprint identifying 26 high-priority action pathways to accelerate the growth and impact of the Ocean Enterprise.
The Roadmap’s goals are ambitious and interconnected:
- Ensure the Ocean Enterprise is recognized as essential to lives and livelihoods, not peripheral.
- Position the sector as a visible and valuable contributor to global GDP.
- Cultivate conditions for the ocean observing community to be seen as a distinct market sector that attracts investment.
Why Harmful Algal Blooms?
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) emerged as a priority due to their increasing frequency, economic impacts, and the growing demand for tech-enabled solutions that improve detection, monitoring, forecasting, and response.
The HABs series represents the first in a new wave of topic-specific Dialogues designed to engage stakeholders across science, policy, and industry in identifying:
- Sector-specific barriers to technology advancement and data use
- Opportunities for innovation and new market development
- Pathways for stronger public-private collaboration
Summary Report
The Summary Report provides a strategic overview of current challenges, market opportunities, and shared insights from each Dialogues. It is designed to connect the key outcomes of discussions while mapping back to the Roadmap Challenges.
This report highlights common barriers, emerging opportunities, and actionable insights from across the HABs technology and services landscape. It is designed as a tool for decision-makers, researchers, and solution developers to understand where the market is heading and where coordinated action is most needed.
Key insights across the series include:
- The need for demand aggregation, market transparency, and performance standards
- Business model innovations like data-as-a-service and mission-based partnerships
- Gaps in permitting, risk frameworks, and regulatory clarity
- The critical role of operational observing systems and collaborative pilots
- Opportunities to scale technologies that meet end-user needs
The full Summary Report can be accessed here.