DNV Aquaculture & Ocean Health Director, Thomas Vogth-Eriksen, and Head of Digital and Innovation, Trude Steinbru Heggstad.
International assurance and risk management company DNV has agreed to purchase technology and intellectual property rights from AquaCloud, weeks after the Norwegian aquaculture data specialist filed for bankruptcy.
As previously reported by WeAreAquaculture, AquaCloud petitioned for bankruptcy in January, citing a lack of financing and insufficient industry backing to carry forward its plans. The board warned at the time that the potential loss of the platform would "set data sharing and interaction in the industry back several years.”
However, with the acquisition, the technology behind the platform is now set to continue under the Norwegian technical assurance group, which has an established aquaculture advisory and certification business. Announcing the deal today, DNV said it aims to secure and further develop the digital tools and standards established by AquaCloud since its launch in 2017, including systems related to fish health, sea lice coordination, data standardisation and production data exchange.
“The aquaculture industry needs common data standards and trust-based infrastructure to meet increasing biological and regulatory requirements," said Thomas Vogth-Eriksen, Director of Aquaculture and Marine Health at DNV.
"The industry faces a number of common challenges, from changes in water temperature and algal blooms to jellyfish and disease, but also new opportunities through the introduction of new technology. The conditions are changing, and the industry must move from being experience-based to becoming knowledge-based to a greater extent. We then need a broad and representative common data base,” Vogth-Eriksen argued.
DNV, which provides assurance, certification and advisory services to the aquaculture sector, argues that access to a broad and representative dataset is essential if producers are to benefit from benchmarking and shared learning. The company said it will seek wide participation from aquaculture operators in order to build a sufficiently robust data foundation.
“We want as many aquaculture companies as possible to see the benefits of sharing their data and have confidence that it can be done securely through the platform," said Trude Steinbru Heggstad, Head of Digital and Innovation at DNV Aquaculture & Ocean Health.
"It is a prerequisite that the data represents a large part of the production in order for the participants to get real value back through better insight, a basis for comparison and cross-learning. We will therefore work towards a broad base and invite dialogue,” Heggstad stated.
Following completion of the deal, AquaCloud’s technology will be incorporated into Veracity, DNV’s cloud-based data platform. The company says Veracity is designed for secure handling and sharing of verified data and is already used in other industries with high regulatory requirements, including shipping.
“Common data standards must be managed in an infrastructure that ensures quality, traceability and trust over time. Veracity will ensure this and facilitate secure data sharing with full control by the actors themselves,” said Mikkel Skou, Director of Veracity at DNV.
"A common platform with accumulated data can become a central foundation for the aquaculture industry. It will provide a better basis for site optimization, more accurate use of technology and increased transparency, while also strengthening the industry's ability to meet new regulatory requirements," Vogth-Eriksen continued.
"Our ambition is to build on the solid work that has already been done, and in close collaboration with the industry, develop a common trust-based data infrastructure that strengthens competitiveness, sustainability and fish welfare in the years to come," he added.
