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Spinoff story
Ocean in Motion
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
Under a data purchase agreement with Goddard Space Flight Center, Orbital Sciences Corporation has been able to contract building of the Sea-Viewing Wide-Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWIFS). Orbital Sciences was then able commercialized the data that the satellite produces. These data are used to create daily fish finding maps, allowing fishing fleets to focus on locations where many commercially important surface feeding fish, like tuna and swordfish, congregate. In agriculture and forestry, SeaWIFS' images offer an alternative to direct on-site inspection or expensive serial photography.