Beneath The Waves and Hexagon win Geospatial World Leadership Award for advancing Blue Carbon research in The Bahamas

The award recognises pioneering research about The Bahamas coastal seagrass ecosystem and its carbon mitigation potential.

(Heerbrugg, Switzerland, 4 May 2023) Hexagon today announced that it has received the Geospatial World Leadership Award with its partner Beneath The Waves for advancing sustainability with the Blue Carbon initiative in The Bahamas. The award recognises and celebrates individuals and organisations that champion innovation, pioneer cutting-edge solutions and advance technologies in the global geospatial industry.

The award in the Advancing Sustainability category honours the collaboration between Hexagon’s sustainability business venture R-evolution, the sensor and software company Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, and the non-profit organisation Beneath The Waves. Their joint project in The Bahamas uses Hexagon’s bathymetry solutions to produce multidimensional, intelligent maps to assess the density of the seagrass ecosystem and its carbon storage potential. To develop that innovative and scalable method, the teams integrated data from various sensors carried by sharks, divers, marine vessels and aircrafts.

The abililty to map the sea fields accurately and establish their contribution to mitigation is essential to protect the seagrass meadows and enable sustainable business models. At COP27 in November 2022, the Prime Minister of The Bahamas announced the unique Blue Carbon programme for his country, highlighting how these novel technologies realise The Bahamas’ value as the ocean’s largest natural carbon sink.

David Harris, Director of Blue Carbon Operations at Beneath The Waves said, “We have already mapped 340,000 hectares, and we are targeting to pass one million hectares in 2024. With this project, we could show how our collaborative effort pushed the boundaries of what’s possible, and that marine science will make a real, positive impact on the world. We’re proud and humbled to see everyone’s work and commitment to sustainability recognised by this Geospatial World Leadership Award.”

“At Hexagon, we believe that innovation and cutting-edge technology can tip the scale toward solutions that drive a more sustainable future. We’re thrilled to provide the technology and expertise that underpins The Bahamas’ Blue Carbon programme,” said Erik Josefsson, CEO of R-evolution, powered by Hexagon. “We're honoured that the award recognises the partners’ dedication to sustainability and hope that it will inspire more cutting-edge research and cross-segment collaboration for the planet.”

To find out more about the project visit: https://r-evolution.com/r-initiatives/oceans or watch this video.

Hexagon
Hexagon is a global leader in sensor, software and autonomous solutions. We are putting data to work to boost efficiency, productivity and quality across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, safety and mobility applications. Our technologies are shaping urban and production ecosystems to become increasingly connected and autonomous — ensuring a scalable, sustainable future.

Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 24,000 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 5.2bn EUR. Learn more at hexagon.com and follow us @HexagonAB.

Beneath The Waves

Founded in 2013, Beneath The Waves is an ocean NGO using cutting-edge science to advance scientific discovery and catalyse ocean policy. Led by a group of established and emerging leaders in the marine conservation world, their work has generated nearly 100 scientific publications, numerous first-ever discoveries, and they have been involved in the study and conservation of nearly 1 million square kilometres of marine protected areas.