RAISE-Ocean is led by our laboratory, with scholars from more than a dozen countries participating as collaborative partners, including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The programme addresses a prevalent global challenge: satellite remote sensing delivers highly efficient global ocean observation with unprecedented open data access; nevertheless, extensive developing countries and coastal communities suffer from insufficient capabilities in big data and artificial intelligence applications, resulting in a widespread "knowledge transformation gap" for massive remote sensing datasets, which prevents such data from being translated into localized, actionable decision-support products.
 

To tackle this problem, RAISE-Ocean will establish a chain-based empowerment system of “Data – Knowledge – Capacity – Action” centred on remote sensing, and explore an innovative paradigm integrating open global remote sensing data, sovereign local datasets and collaborative AI evolution. Leveraging the full global coverage and high-frequency observation strengths of satellite remote sensing, the programme will assist partner institutions in integrating local in-situ observations and community knowledge, conduct regional iteration and validation of pre-trained AI models, and eventually develop customized remote sensing knowledge products tailored to local ecological characteristics. Through the “intelligence empowering local action” mechanism, partners can conveniently access global remote sensing data resources and algorithm ecosystems to independently develop ocean monitoring and decision-support systems that meet their local demands, thereby practically realizing the technical path and value of inclusive ocean remote sensing technology.
 

RAISE-Ocean concentrates on five key research directions: blue carbon monitoring and assessment, intelligent supervision of aquaculture, dynamic perception of fishery resources, health diagnosis of coastal habitats, and land-ocean pollutant tracing. It aims to develop modular digital toolkits and actionable knowledge products for administrative decision-making, delivering scientific support for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and other UN sustainable development goals.
 

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to launch the Science Decade in August 2023, with UNESCO responsible for its implementation. Positioned as a core scientific engine to accelerate the delivery of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Science Decade systematically organizes scientific research and knowledge production to convert political commitments on SDGs into operable and measurable scientific actions. The 17 SDGs, endorsed by all 193 UN Member States, address shared global challenges such as poverty alleviation, climate change, marine conservation and equity.

In terms of implementation hierarchy, the Science Decade adopts three progressive levels: Activities, Projects and Programmes. As the highest-level long-term strategic initiative, Programmes align closely with the core expected outcomes of the Science Decade. Relying on cross-border and interdisciplinary systematic research, they provide pivotal solutions for sustainable development in designated fields and serve as core drivers for global scientific collaboration and profound transformation.

 

This marks the second global Science Decade programme approved under our laboratory’s leadership. In 2025, Prediction of Resilient Ocean Ecosystems for Sustainable Development (PROS-Eco), led by Researcher Wang Yuntao from our laboratory, was selected into the second batch of Science Decade global programmes. The successive approval of PROS-Eco and RAISE-Ocean demonstrates that our laboratory has built a complete innovation chain spanning fundamental research to applied services in ocean satellite remote sensing, numerical simulation and three-dimensional ocean observation, and has mature systematic capacity to lead large-scale international scientific programmes. From satellite remote sensing and numerical simulation to three-dimensional observation and intelligent early warning, our laboratory continues contributing to global marine scientific and technological cooperation on the basis of solid research foundations and extensive international partnership networks.