Rockland Scientific

What Rockland Scientific does

Rockland Scientific International Inc. is a Canadian marine instrumentation company headquartered in Victoria, BC, with an additional operational hub at COVE in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The company manufactures and sells microstructure turbulence measurement systems used to characterize the smallest scales of turbulent mixing in oceans, lakes, estuaries, and laboratories. Its hardware portfolio spans ship-board vertical microstructure profilers (VMP-250, VMP-500, VMP-6000 — the latter rated for full 6000 m ocean depth), moored systems (Nemo, Wirewalker), and modular sensor payloads (MicroRider, MicroRider-G, MicroPod, MicroPod-EM, FloatRider) designed to integrate with third-party autonomous platforms including Slocum and Sea Gliders, AUVs, profiling floats, and moorings. Core sensing is built on proprietary high-frequency shear probes, piezo-accelerometer vibration sensors, pressure transducers with 0.1% absolute calibration accuracy, and co-located CTD/fluorometer/optical-backscatter instruments, all processed through the proprietary ODAS Matlab Library 4.0.

The business model combines capital-equipment sales (the dominant revenue stream), professional services (technical training, measurement services, consulting on measurement-campaign design), and workshop events such as the OMG (Ocean Microstructure Glider) Workshop series. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; workshop fees were $1,650 USD per attendee at the 2019 OMG event. The go-to-market is sales-led with global direct sales, an agent network across regions, and event-driven demand generation at conferences such as the Ocean Sciences Meeting and Ocean Business. Customers are primarily universities, national oceanography centers, and government research laboratories in North America, Europe, and Asia, with selected applications in tidal energy (OERA, Innovate UK, EMEC, FloWave TT, Black Rock Tidal Power) and defense (DRDC IWAKE 2024 UUV wake-detection project). The company also resells JFE Advantech ocean and river instruments and offers dual-use technology products (WISKER, Rockland ITB).

Name

Rockland Scientific

Legal name

Rockland Scientific International Inc.

Website

https://rocklandscientific.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rockland Scientific designs, manufactures, and sells proprietary microstructure turbulence measurement instruments and software for oceanographic research institutions, universities, and government laboratories worldwide, with related services in technical training and measurement campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oceanographic Instrumentation

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Naval Sensors & Sonar Systems (IMABAKAD)

Keywords

• Oceanographic instruments
• Marine turbulence measurement
• Microstructure profilers
• Ocean sensing equipment
• Underwater measurement systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Victoria

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Oceanographic Instrumentation Sales: Rockland derives revenue primarily from the sale of marine turbulence measurement hardware including profiling systems (VMP-250, VMP-500, VMP-6000, MicroCTD), moored systems (Nemo, Wirewalker), and modular systems (MicroRider, MicroPod, FloatRider, MicroRider-G, MicroPod-EM). These are sold as complete instruments or modular sensor payloads to research institutions and oceanographic organizations worldwide.
2. Technical Training and Workshops: Revenue generated from technical training programs including the OMG (Ocean Microstructure Glider) Workshop series, data processing seminars, and on-site instrument training. Workshop fees range up to $1,650 USD per participant for multi-day training events.
3. Measurement Services: Rockland provides field measurement services assisting with technical questions and consulting on the design of measurement campaigns, experimental instrumentation, and data collection and processing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rockland Scientific designs, manufactures, and sells microstructure turbulence measurement instruments for oceanographic research, including ship-board vertical microstructure profilers (VMP-250, VMP-500, VMP-6000), modular sensor payloads for autonomous platforms (MicroRider, MicroPod, FloatRider), and moored systems (Nemo, Wirewalker). The company also provides the ODAS Matlab Library data processing software, technical training, measurement services, and turbulence workshops.

Product overview

Rockland Scientific is a marine turbulence measurement technology company offering a portfolio of vertical microstructure profilers (VMP-250, VMP-500, VMP-6000), modular sensor packages (MicroRider, MicroRider-G, MicroPod, MicroPod-EM, FloatRider) designed to integrate with third-party autonomous platforms (gliders, AUVs, floats, moorings), and moored systems (Nemo, Wirewalker). The core instruments measure turbulence microstructure, CTD, and oceanographic parameters using shear probes and temperature sensors. The VMP series are ship-board profilers for different depth ranges from coastal (VMP-250/500) to full ocean depth (VMP-6000). The MicroRider series provides modular turbulence payloads for glider and AUV integration, while the MicroPod and FloatRider enable profiling float deployments. Services include technical training, measurement services, and OMG (Ocean Microstructure Glider) workshops. The company also resells JFE Advantech ocean/river instruments and offers the WISKER dual-use technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OMG (Ocean Microstructure Glider): Ocean Microstructure Glider - a system combining Rockland MicroRider-1000 Turbulence Module with glider platforms for autonomous ocean turbulence measurements
• ODAS Matlab Library
• VMP (Vertical Microstructure Profiler)

Products and services

• VMP-250 Vertical Microstructure Profiler rated for coastal deployments, measuring turbulence microstructure, CTD, and oceanographic parameters using shear probes and temperature sensors. Sold to oceanographic research institutions.
• VMP-500 Vertical Microstructure Profiler for mid-depth ocean turbulence microstructure measurements, with simultaneous CTD and shear probe data acquisition.
• VMP-6000 Full ocean-depth (6000m) robotic vertical microstructure profiling system for abyssal ocean turbulence, CTD, and oceanographic parameter measurement. The only commercially available profiler of this depth class.
• MicroCTD High-resolution CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) instrument co-located with microstructure shear probes on VMP profilers for combined oceanographic and turbulence measurements.
• Nemo Moored turbulence measurement system for sustained time-series observation of ocean microstructure turbulence at fixed locations.
• Wirewalker Wave-powered moored profiling platform for continuous vertical ocean microstructure profiling using wave energy for propulsion.
• MicroRider Modular turbulence sensor package designed for integration with gliders, AUVs, and CTD rosettes to provide autonomous microstructure turbulence measurements on third-party platforms.
• MicroRider-G Glider-optimized variant of the MicroRider turbulence sensor package, engineered specifically for sustained autonomous ocean turbulence measurements from glider platforms.
• MicroPod Compact modular microstructure turbulence sensor package for integration with autonomous underwater vehicles, gliders, and profiling floats.
• MicroPod-EM Variant of the MicroPod sensor package incorporating an electromagnetic flow sensor for velocity measurement on autonomous platforms without external speed reference.
• FloatRider Modular turbulence sensor payload engineered for profiling floats to enable autonomous float-based ocean mixing and turbulence observations.
• WISKER Dual-use turbulence sensing technology product from Rockland's dual-use technology line, supporting both research and defense applications such as UUV wake detection.
• Rockland ITB Dual-use turbulence technology product line offered by Rockland Scientific for commercial and research applications.
• Technical Training Paid technical training program for customers using Rockland instruments, covering instrument deployment, operation, configuration, and data handling.
• Measurement Services Consulting and field measurement services for customers designing ocean turbulence measurement campaigns, including experimental instrumentation, data collection, and data processing support.
• Workshop Events Paid multi-day workshop events including the OMG Ocean Microstructure Glider Workshop series and Data Processing Seminars, held at company facilities and partner institutions. OMG 2019 workshop priced at $1,650 USD per attendee.

Quantifiable outcome

• InSTREAM project demonstrated that 3D eddies observed in field conditions are approximately 3x larger in relative terms than those generated in laboratory tanks, enabling improved scaling between tank testing and real-world tidal channel conditions.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) Glider TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2025Rockland Scientific partnered with the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) Glider Team to host the OMG Workshop and Profiler Technical Training Workshop in April-May 2026 at COVE, Halifax, Canada. The OTN operates one of the largest ocean tracking networks globally, making this partnership valuable for expanding turbulence measurement capabilities.
• Rutgers University Centre for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2025Rockland partnered with Rutgers University RUCOOL to host the OMG Ocean Microstructure Glider Workshop in August 2025 at Rutgers University, New Jersey. The collaboration brings together ocean scientists, glider users, and marine technology experts for training and collaboration on glider-based turbulence measurements.
• Voice of the Ocean Foundation (VOTO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2025Rockland Scientific collaborated with the Voice of the Ocean Foundation (VOTO) in Gothenburg, Sweden to host the OMG Ocean Microstructure Glider Workshop in May 2025. This partnership leverages VOTO's ocean observation expertise and Rockland's instrumentation to advance glider-based ocean turbulence measurements.
• Dalhousie University / CEOTRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2023Rockland organized an OMG workshop for Dalhousie University physical oceanographers and glider technicians at COVE in Halifax, featuring hands-on training with deployments in Bedford Basin. CEOTR (Center for Experimental Oceans Research) collaborated on OMG glider deployments.
• Big Blue Ocean Cleanup (BBOC)minorOthers · 6 June 2019Rockland Scientific established a corporate partnership with Big Blue Ocean Cleanup (BBOC), one of the world's leading independent ocean cleanup non-profit foundations. Rockland makes an annual donation pledge to BBOC (£20 per instrument shipped in 2018) as part of its ocean stewardship and environmental responsibility commitment.
• A.G.O. EnvironmentalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 April 2019Rockland Scientific partners with A.G.O. Environmental to provide a wide range of winches optimized for turbulence profilers. A.G.O. joined Rockland for field trips as part of training weeks, demonstrating the partnership's collaborative nature.
• InSTREAM Research ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2018Rockland participated in the InSTREAM (In-Situ Turbulence Replication, Evaluation And Measurement) project, a three-year EUREKA-designated research consortium of six UK and Canadian entities. The project developed combined acoustic and non-acoustic sensor technology for tank and field turbulence measurement applications.
• FloWave TT (UK)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2018FloWave TT participated in the InSTREAM project, deploying Rockland's combined sensor systems at the FloWaveTT Energy Research Facility in Edinburgh for comparative tank and field turbulence measurements supporting tidal energy development.
• Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2015Rockland executed the IWAKE 2024 project in collaboration with DRDC under the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) Testing Stream program. The project demonstrated that Rockland's non-acoustic microstructure turbulence measurement methods can detect UUVs by identifying hydrodynamic wake signatures.
• Offshore Energy Research Association (OERA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2015Rockland partnered with OERA on international tidal energy research grants worth $1.43 million. Projects developed new sensor systems to measure turbulence for tidal energy applications in Canadian and UK waters, including at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy in the Bay of Fundy.
• Black Rock Tidal PowerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2015Black Rock Tidal Power partnered with Rockland and Dalhousie University on tidal energy research projects developing turbulence measurement systems for deployment at tidal power sites.
• European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2015EMEC was a UK-based research partner in the tidal energy turbulence measurement projects, providing testing facilities at their Orkney Islands location.
• Ocean Array Systems (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2015Ocean Array Systems was a UK partner in the international tidal research collaboration developing turbulence measurement sensor systems for tidal energy applications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Teledyne Marine: Teledyne Marine is a broad oceanographic instrumentation provider offering sonars, CTDs, profilers, and acoustic instruments. Overlaps with Rockland's customer base and instrument category but spans a much wider portfolio.

Emerging players

• Chelsea Technologies Group: Chelsea Technologies designs optical and electronic sensors for oceanographic and environmental monitoring. Comparable as a specialist sensor maker serving marine research customers, though with a different primary technology base.
• Turner Designs: Turner Designs provides fluorometers and optical sensors for oceanographic research including chlorophyll fluorescence (similar to Rockland's CLTU fluorometer). Partial overlap in marine sensor category serving shared research customers.

Direct peers

• JFE Advantech Co. JFE Advantech manufactures ocean and river monitoring instruments, and Rockland explicitly resells JFE products. Directly comparable as a maker of marine and freshwater measurement instrumentation.
• RBR Global: RBR Global designs and manufactures high-precision oceanographic instruments including CTDs, tide gauges, and turbulence sensors. Directly comparable as a niche oceanographic instrument vendor serving research and environmental monitoring customers.
• Valeport: Valeport designs and manufactures oceanographic and hydrological instruments including CTDs, current meters, and turbulence-related sensors. Highly comparable as a niche UK-based precision marine instrument vendor.
• Aanderaa Data Instruments: Aanderaa (a Xylem brand) manufactures oceanographic sensors and instruments for current, CTD, and environmental monitoring. Comparable as a specialized oceanographic sensor manufacturer serving research and offshore customers.
• Nortek: Nortek designs and manufactures oceanographic and hydrological instruments including ADCPs and turbulence sensors for current and wave measurement. Highly comparable as both companies serve marine research customers with high-precision flow and turbulence instrumentation.
• Sea-Bird Scientific: Sea-Bird Scientific is a leading manufacturer of CTD and oceanographic sensors widely used in marine research alongside turbulence instruments. Both companies supply complementary measurement packages to the same oceanographic research institutions.
• SonTek (a Xylem brand): SonTek specializes in acoustic Doppler instruments for water velocity, flow, and turbulence measurement in oceans, rivers, and laboratories. Comparable offering to Rockland's flow and turbulence instrumentation across similar research markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rockland-scientific

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rockland Scientific