National Oceans and Applications Research Center

What National Oceans and Applications Research Center does

NOARC (National Oceans and Applications Research Center) is a private, independent 501(c)(3) non-profit development corporation chartered by the State of Mississippi, with IRS 501(c)(3) status approved on May 26, 2016. The organization is headquartered at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi, co-located within a consortium of over 40 U.S. government agencies, state agencies, and private companies. Its mission is to promote collaborative fundamental and applied scientific research between academic organizations, federal and state governments, ocean and environmental scientists, and private partners to advance understanding of the Gulf of Mexico and coastal ecosystems.

NOARC's core offering is "Space-to-Seafloor" environmental monitoring, built on unmanned airborne and waterborne vehicles, remote sensing systems, and geospatial analysis platforms. Its primary technical differentiator is Phase Differencing Bathymetric Sonar (PDBS) deployed on unmanned maritime vehicles, which provides a wider swath of usable bathymetric and side-scan sonar data in shallow water (under 35 meters) and simultaneous co-registered 3D bathymetry and side-scan imagery, compared to traditional multi-beam echo sounders. Supporting capabilities include high-resolution satellite imagery analysis (DigitalGlobe WorldView 3 at 0.31m panchromatic), C-Hawk UAS imagery at 2 cm resolution, and a 200m by 6,500m Applications Research Test Range at Grand Bay NERR for validating LIDAR and UAS instrument performance. Active programs include the St. Joe Reef Pilot Project (oyster habitat mapping), Hancock County Marsh Preserve (living shoreline monitoring), and a planned Interactive Tidelands Atlas for DMR permitting.

NOARC operates through collaborative research agreements and grants rather than commercial product sales. Its customers are predominantly state and federal agencies—notably the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR), the National Resource Damage Assessment Program, the Governor's Oyster Restoration and Resiliency Council, and federal bodies on its SIG-ST governing body (NRL, NOAA NDBC, CNMOC). Revenue is generated via project-based research contracts aligned with state strategies such as the Governor's goal of 1,000,000 oyster sacks by 2025. No pricing model, headcount, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

National Oceans and Applications Research Center

Legal name

National Oceans and Applications Research Center

Website

https://noarc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NOARC is a Mississippi-chartered 501(c)(3) non-profit research corporation at Stennis Space Center that provides space-to-seafloor environmental monitoring using unmanned vehicles, PDBS sonar, and geospatial analysis for state and federal coastal resource agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Research Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Sonar, Undersea Sensors & Acoustic Detection Systems (IMABAGAD)

Keywords

• Coastal environmental research
• Ocean monitoring services
• Hydrographic surveying
• Remote sensing mapping
• Geospatial analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Kiln

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 channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

NOARC is a non-profit research organization that delivers collaborative applied scientific research and environmental monitoring services for Gulf of Mexico and coastal ecosystems. It deploys space-to-seafloor monitoring technologies, including unmanned airborne and waterborne vehicles, Phase Differencing Bathymetric Sonar systems, satellite imagery, and geospatial analysis platforms to support coastal resource management, oyster habitat mapping, wetland restoration, and living shoreline monitoring for state and federal agencies.

Product overview

NOARC is a non-profit 501.c.3 research and development corporation that provides environmental monitoring and mapping services for coastal Mississippi. The organization operates as a platform of collaborative research services centered on 'Space-to-Shoreline' technologies, utilizing unmanned airborne and waterborne systems for coastal mapping. Key offerings include Phase Differencing Bathymetric Sonar (PDBS) applications for oyster habitat and reef mapping, living shoreline monitoring using satellite and UAS imagery, and development of an Interactive Tidelands Atlas for coastal resource management. NOARC's services are delivered through partnerships with research universities, federal/state agencies, and private companies, functioning as an applications research organization rather than a commercial product vendor.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Space-to-Shoreline Environmental Monitoring Technologies

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DigitalGlobecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015Satellite imagery provider (WorldView 2 and WorldView 3) used for habitat mapping, landcover analysis, and precision geospatial reference mapping for coastal monitoring projects.
• Mississippi State University, Geosystems Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch university partner leading geospatial analysis and monitoring technology development as part of the Tidelands Trust project team.
• University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast Geospatial CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated the NOARC Applications Research Test Range at Grand Bay NERR to test and validate new remote sensing technologies deployed with unmanned airborne systems.
• I2R, LLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate company partner in the Tidelands Trust project team contributing to environmental monitoring technology applications.
• Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary state government partner providing resource management expertise, selecting ecologically sensitive monitoring sites, and using NOARC data for adaptive management decisions.
• U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research laboratory represented on the Senior Interagency Group on Science and Technology (SIG-ST) governing body.
• NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency represented on the Senior Interagency Group on Science and Technology (SIG-ST) governing body.
• Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal command represented on the Senior Interagency Group on Science and Technology (SIG-ST) governing body.
• Ocean Cleanup FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization partnered with Mississippi engineers and researchers at Stennis Space Center for aerial expedition measuring plastic debris in oceans.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• EdgeTech: Supplier of the 6205 interferometric swath bathymetry and side-scan sonar used by NOARC for oyster habitat mapping; comparable as a focused shallow-water acoustic imaging vendor.
• Hypack: Provider of hydrographic survey software used alongside multibeam and interferometric sonars in shallow-water mapping workflows similar to those NOARC runs on the St. Joe Reef project.
• R2Sonic: Producer of multibeam echosounders used in shallow-water hydrographic surveys, directly comparable to the MBES/PDBS technologies NOARC applies in coastal mapping projects.

Direct peers

• Schmidt Ocean Institute: Private non-profit operating ocean research platforms with advanced mapping and unmanned systems, comparable as a mission-driven, grant-funded applications research organization in marine/coastal science.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI): Non-profit ocean research institute deploying autonomous vehicles, advanced sonar, and seafloor mapping — closely mirrors NOARC's unmanned-vessel and acoustic detection applications.
• Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI): Research consortium funding Gulf of Mexico coastal and ecosystem science, directly comparable to NOARC's consortium model applied to Mississippi coastal monitoring.

Broad incumbents

• NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS): Federal research arm conducting coastal mapping, harmful algal bloom monitoring, and habitat assessments similar to NOARC's coastal restoration focus, but operating at a national scale with direct NOAA funding.
• USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program: Conducts bathymetric, topographic, and habitat mapping across U.S. coasts including the Gulf of Mexico; directly comparable on elevation, landcover, and shallow-water survey activities pursued by NOARC.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center: Federal R&D center running navigation channel, hydrographic survey, and coastal monitoring programs that overlap NOARC's PDBS and unmanned vessel survey use cases.
• Teledyne Marine: Manufacturer of multibeam and interferometric sonar systems, side-scan sonars, and unmanned surface vehicles — overlapping with NOARC's PDBS and EdgeTech sonar toolchain and broader marine sensor market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/noarc-national-oceans-and-applications-research-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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