Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory

What Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory does

Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory (BOSL) is a non-profit research laboratory within the University of California, Santa Barbara that develops AI and machine learning systems to monitor and protect ocean health. The lab was established in 2018 with funding from the Benioff Family and The Coca-Cola Foundation, and operates with approximately 20 employees from its headquarters on the UCSB campus in Santa Barbara, California. Its mission is to develop replicable and scalable solutions to ocean health threats through the combination of science, technology, and collaboration.

BOSL's product portfolio is organized around two flagship initiatives and an underlying AI capability stack. The flagship "Whale Safe" system is an AI-powered whale detection platform that integrates acoustic baleen whale call detection (developed with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), visual detections, and habitat modeling to deliver near real-time whale and ship data to mariners; it launched as a Santa Barbara pilot in 2020 and expanded to San Francisco Bay in 2022 with a new AI thermal imaging alerting system. The second flagship, the Clean Currents Coalition, is a global network of eight partner organizations in eight countries piloting plastic capture technologies in highly-polluted rivers, supported by The Coca-Cola Foundation, The Ocean Cleanup, TerraCycle, Ocean Conservancy, and others. Underpinning these is the "AI for Ocean" initiative, which unifies a suite of proprietary models: SharkEye (computer vision on drone video for great white shark detection), River Vision (computer vision for trash categorization on river collection devices), the Global Plastics Policy Tool (predictive modeling of plastic pollution to 2050 to inform treaty negotiations), and Spotting Giant Sea Bass (pattern-recognition on citizen-submitted diver photos).

The lab does not generate commercial revenue. Its business model is philanthropic and grant-based, with operating funding drawn from the Benioff Family, The Coca-Cola Foundation, university research infrastructure, and government partnerships with NOAA, the US Coast Guard, and the EPA. All tools are distributed as free, open-access platforms to researchers, mariners, policymakers, and the public, and the organization reaches its audiences through peer-reviewed publications, earned media coverage, and a coalition distribution model rather than traditional go-to-market sales.

Name

Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory

Legal name

The Regents of the University of California

Website

https://bosl.ucsb.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory is a non-profit research lab at UC Santa Barbara that builds AI/ML systems — including whale detection, shark monitoring, river plastic classification, and plastic pollution modeling — to inform ocean conservation. It is funded by philanthropic grants and donations and distributes its tools freely.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ocean Conservation Research

NAICS

Navigational Services to Shipping (48833)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI), Nautical Safety, Navigation Aids & Hydrographic Services (TLAHAFAE)

Keywords

• Ocean conservation research
• AI whale detection
• Marine plastic pollution
• Citizen science marine
• Ocean health monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory develops AI and machine learning tools for ocean conservation, including Whale Safe (an AI-powered whale detection system combining acoustic monitoring, thermal imaging, and ship tracking to prevent ship strikes in the Santa Barbara Channel and San Francisco Bay), the Clean Currents Coalition (a network piloting plastic capture technologies in rivers across 8 countries), and an AI for Ocean initiative that includes SharkEye (drone-based shark detection), River Vision (computer vision for river waste), the Global Plastics Policy Tool (predictive policy modeling), and Spotting Giant Sea Bass (citizen-science pattern recognition for fish tracking).

Product overview

Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory is a research laboratory focused on ocean conservation using science, technology, and collaboration. The organization does not offer a unified software platform but rather develops individual products and initiatives addressing ocean health threats. Key offerings include Whale Safe (AI-powered whale detection system using thermal imaging and hydrophones to prevent ship strikes), Clean Currents Coalition (global network of river plastic capture interventions across eight countries), and the AI for Ocean initiative (encompassing SharkEye for shark detection, River Vision for river plastic characterization, Global Plastics Policy Tool for policy modeling, Spotting Giant Sea Bass for population tracking, and Whale Safe's detection algorithms). These products are distinct tools addressing species conservation and plastic pollution rather than a modular platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Whale Safe: AI-powered whale detection system that displays near real-time whale and ship data for the Santa Barbara Channel and San Francisco regions to reduce ship strike risk.
• Clean Currents Coalition
• SharkEye
• River Vision
• Global Plastics Policy Tool
• Spotting Giant Sea Bass

Products and services

• Whale Safe An AI-powered whale detection system that displays near real-time whale and ship data for the Santa Barbara Channel and San Francisco regions, integrating acoustic detections, thermal imaging, habitat model predictions, and ship tracking to give mariners and resource managers situational awareness of whale presence in busy shipping areas.
• Clean Currents Coalition A global network of eight teams in eight countries piloting plastic capture technologies in highly-polluted rivers and working to catalyze upstream changes in public policy, behavior, and waste management to prevent plastic from reaching the ocean.
• SharkEye Uses AI and drones to detect great white sharks near Carpinteria, California, identifying sharks in drone video footage and sharing detection data with community members via text alerts for research, conservation, and safe human interactions with marine life.
• River Vision Uses computer vision models to autonomously characterize and quantify plastic and other waste removed from rivers. Identifies trash items such as plastic bottles, bags, food wrappers, expanded polystyrene, and aluminum cans from cameras mounted on trash wheel collection technologies in Baltimore, Maryland, and San Diego Creek in Newport Beach, California.
• Global Plastics Policy Tool A machine learning tool that projects trends in plastic production, use, and waste to 2050 based on historic plastic flow and socioeconomic data, and tests the impact of different potential policy interventions under the global plastics treaty. Research found that four policies could cut plastic pollution by 91% and greenhouse gas emissions by one-third.
• Spotting Giant Sea Bass A pattern-recognition algorithm that recognizes unique spot patterns of giant sea bass in photos submitted by community scuba divers to identify and track individual fish over space and time in Southern California for population research.
• AI for Ocean An initiative that leverages AI tools including machine learning, computer vision, and big data to deepen understanding of the ocean and guide solutions to restore ocean health, encompassing SharkEye, River Vision, the Global Plastics Policy Tool, Spotting Giant Sea Bass, and Whale Safe.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CascadiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Whale Safe project, contributing to whale detection and ship strike prevention efforts.
• EcoQuantscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartner providing analytical expertise for the Whale Safe AI-powered whale detection system.
• Global Fishing WatchcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartner providing ship tracking data and analytics for the Whale Safe system monitoring vessel speeds and cooperation.
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing research expertise to the Whale Safe whale detection system development.
• Point Blue Conservation SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation science partner providing expertise for whale population and habitat analysis.
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to whale detection research and system development.
• UC Santa CruzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of California partner contributing marine science expertise to whale conservation efforts.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutioncoreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloped the automated algorithm for baleen whale call detection used in the Whale Safe system.
• Coca-ColacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting the Clean Currents Coalition river plastic intervention program.
• The Ocean CleanupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working on ocean plastic cleanup technologies.
• TerraCyclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on recycling and repurposing plastic waste collected from rivers.
• Ocean ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner contributing to ocean conservation and policy efforts.
• WildcoastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner implementing river plastic interventions in coastal regions.
• IchthioncoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing plastic capture technology for river interventions.
• Smart VillagescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner focused on community empowerment in underserved areas.
• ChemolexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner supporting waste management infrastructure improvements.
• GFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner contributing to river plastic intervention efforts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ocean Conservancy: Coalition partner contributing to ocean conservation and policy. Ocean Conservancy is a leading marine conservation NGO that pairs scientific data with policy advocacy around plastic pollution, marine protected species, and shipping — closely aligned with BOSL's species conservation and plastics policy work.
• Global Fishing Watch: BOSL's named partner providing ship tracking data for the Whale Safe system. Global Fishing Watch applies machine learning and satellite data to ocean monitoring, marine policy, and transparent vessel tracking — overlapping substantively with BOSL's whale-collision and marine data platforms.
• Wildcoast: Coalition partner implementing river plastic interventions in coastal regions. Wildcoast is a non-profit focused on coastal conservation and marine protected areas, with overlapping work on plastic pollution reduction in coastal ecosystems — particularly relevant to BOSL's Clean Currents Coalition deployment model.
• Cascadia Research Collective: Named partner in the Whale Safe project. Cascadia Research is a non-profit marine research organization focused on whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals in the Pacific Northwest — directly comparable to BOSL's whale species conservation work and particularly relevant to West Coast whale population data.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Premier ocean research institution that is itself a BOSL partner — it developed the automated baleen whale call detection algorithm used in Whale Safe. WHOI is a direct scientific peer in marine mammal acoustics, ocean instrumentation, and AI/ML applied to ocean data.
• The Ocean Cleanup: Coalition partner in the Clean Currents Coalition working on ocean and river plastic cleanup. Directly comparable technology and mission overlap on plastic pollution remediation, with both organizations deploying data-driven riverine and ocean plastic interventions.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI): Leading California-based ocean research institute applying AI, computer vision, and autonomous platforms to ocean monitoring — including deep-learning species detection and ocean sensor networks. Directly comparable to BOSL's AI-for-ocean mission and California coastal focus.
• Point Blue Conservation Science: Named conservation science partner contributing whale population and habitat analysis to Whale Safe. Point Blue applies data science to conservation decisions across marine and terrestrial ecosystems, overlapping with BOSL's data-driven marine conservation methodology.

Broad incumbents

• NOAA Fisheries (NMFS): US federal agency that has worked with BOSL on whale-ship collision solutions and protected species management. NOAA Fisheries is the broad incumbent responsible for marine mammal protection, vessel strike mitigation, and fishery data — providing the regulatory framework Whale Safe operates within.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography: One of the world's largest and oldest ocean research institutions, also part of the University of California system. Scripps is a broad incumbent in ocean science with deep capabilities in marine biology, climate, and ocean engineering — substantially larger than BOSL but operating in the same marine science ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UCSBenioffOcean
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@benioffoceansciencelaboratory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/benioffoceansciencelaboratory
• Instagraminstagram.com/benioffoceansciencelab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory