VENUS Instrument Platform (VIP), Strait of Georgia | Victoria and Region Community Green Map

The Strait of Georgia Central VENUS Instrument Platform (VIP) is the star of the Strait of Georgia Deep Observatory. It hosts sensors measuring marine life and processes that occur in the deep centre of the Straight of Georgia. The VIP is part of the VENUS Observatory, a cabled undersea laboratory for ocean researchers and explorers.

The Strait of Georgia Central VIP is made of a large steel frame supported by four steel legs. It is the deepest instrument platform in the VENUS network, resting at a depth of 300m. The VIP hosts ocean sensing devices that are changed every year. It currently hosts:

A Current Meter
A Turbidity Meter to measure the haziness of the water due to suspended particles
An Acoustic Dopplar Current Profiler (ADCP) that uses 150kHz soundwaves to visualize currents
An Acoustic Water Column Profiler that measures acoustic backscatter returns with ultrasonic frequencies to monitor the presence of marine life (such as fish and zooplankton) and suspended particles in the water
A CTD recorder that measures ocean conductivity (s/m), temperature (*C), depth via pressure (dBar) and calculated values for salinity (psu) and sound velocity (m/s)
An oxygen sensor for measuring dissolved oxygen in the water
Multiple High resolution cameras for capturing videos and photographs

Watch, in the video below, as a juvenile giant Pacific octopus pounces on a passing tanner crap at the Strait of Georgia Central VIP.

Below, a researcher at the VENUS office takes video of a flatfish using the remote-control webcam in the Strait of Georgia Central location.

Watch this YouTube hosted video, taken by Ocean Networks Canada, discussing the structure and role of the Centre VIP in the VENUS network.

Take a trip to the bottom of the ocean! The public can explore the diverse marine environments off the coast of Vancouver Island by viewing live and recorded video feeds, an endless array of vibrant photos, and direct access to real-time scientific data on the Ocean Networks Canada website. Ocean Networks Canada is dedicated to supporting ocean discovery and technological innovation and is a world-leading scientific research facility. The website, where all of the data is contained, is open to the public 24/7! Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) is a not-for-profit at the University of Victoria and it governs both the VENUS and NEPTUNE ocean observatory networks off the coast of Vancouver Island. The observatories gather real-time data, signals, and images that are available online for the public, students, and researchers to explore.

Related sites on the CRD Green Map: