The latest advances in sensor and autonomous technology provide the opportunity to change the way thatfuture inspection and condition assessment of the subsea infrastructure is carried out. The potential forsmart sensors to be an integral or retrofit able part of the infrastructure and the increasing capability ofautonomous vehicles is already promoting discussions. Recent work by standards groups is producing newand robust methods of harvesting sensor data; subsea hardware suppliers are looking at increased in-suiteequipment monitoring and intervention methods; the oceanographic community has developed remoteseabed environmental monitoring systems. These are all significant indicators that show a general trendis towards smarter systems. Some of the more significant challenges that remain in the subsea inspectionarena are changing methods and practices that have been evolved over many years. It is only to beexpected that the introduction of new technology will change the norms and will need to be managed. Keydecision making parameters can be identified by revisiting the type and format of the measurementsrequired to make an acceptable assessment of subsea infrastructure. Early engaging with operators, serviceproviders, sensor manufacturer and standards groups will be essential. This paper aims to set out the keybenefits that can be achieved by embracing the technology and provide a look ahead to show what futureservices might look like.
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