As is often said, the scientific community knows more about outer space than it does about the depths of the oceans. The sheer magnitude of the Earth's oceans—covering more than 130 million square miles of the planet's surface—coupled with the extreme technological challenge of collecting quality data beneath miles of water, makes it difficult for scientists and surveyors to perform truly comprehensive and valuable deepwater exploration. For the most part, ocean exploration has been dominated by surface-ship technology since World War II. Recent advances in the reliability and capability of AUVs, however, have sparked a renaissance in deepwater exploration and survey, giving users access to more valuable data than ever before.
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