Alphabet launched Tidal, which comes from its X division project hindering one goal in mind – Preserving the ocean’s ability to sustain the oceanic life and help feed the human race in a sustainable manner. Tidal’s initial goal was laid out in a blog post from the General Manager Neil Dave as he quotes, “Humanity is pushing the ocean past its breaking point, but we can’t protect what we don’t understand.”
To achieve such a steadfast goal, Tidal utilizes an underwater camera system that is coupled to a computer vision system that is riddled with an AI that bases the data of thousands of individual fish and their surrounding ecosystem. The electrical systems had to be understandably developed to withstand the extreme cold and crushing pressures of the ocean’s unforgiving environment.
The system will log certain factors such as eating patterns and environmental data like temperature and oxygen levels that will further push farmers to make logical decisions about managing their pens, according to Dave.
The Financial Times reported that Tidal was under development for three years before it could be deployed into existence. Tidal began their journey by deploying their test gears in Europe and Asia to help track varieties of fishes such as salmon and yellowtail. “There may be an opportunity there to relieve some pressure on wild fishing if we made aquaculture very compelling from an operational and environmental perspective,” quotes Dave.
”Fish have a low carbon footprint relative to other sources of animal protein and they play a critical role in feeding 3 billion people today,” continues Dave, “so helping fish farmers could prove critical both for humanity and for the health of the ocean.”
While Alphabet is already known for utilizing their team to make sure that our planet is a more sustainable living place as it steers the world clear of approaching global warming, this project further adds to Alphabet’s efforts to cement their legacy.