The Data You Need,
When You Need It

Saildrone offers two turn-key solutions to accomplish your mission objectives easily and cost effectively: Mission-as-a-Service and Data-as-a-Service.

Mission-as-a-Service: A Fully Managed Ocean Data Service to Keep You in Total Control


Saildrone’s Mission-as-a-Service provides a dedicated fleet of autonomous saildrones to cost-effectively collect real-time data over extensive areas and extended periods of time. Saildrone handles missions as a fully managed service, from launch and transit to the area of operations to final delivery of high-resolution data.

A single mission can cover tens of thousands of miles and last up to 12 months, with each vehicle following a user-defined mission plan and navigating autonomously from waypoint to waypoint.

How it works

1
Getting Started
Contact Saildrone with your ideas about your mission.
Saildrone performs a feasibility study and produces a quote.
2
Mission Planning
In collaboration with Saildrone Mission Management, the best routes are identified to accomplish your mission objectives. Saildrone handles all the logistics and operations for Saildrone fleet deployment.
3
Mission Execution
Your Saildrone fleet is deployed and you receive down-sampled data in real time through our 24/7 mission portal.
Adaptive changes to the mission are undertaken in real time in collaboration with Saildrone Mission Management .
4
Post Mission
Saildrone handles all the logistics and operations for fleet recovery. 
High-resolution raw data for ocean science and mapping missions is recovered from the returning fleet and processed and delivered to you.

Why Saildrone?

No Upfront Investment

Saildrone offers mission data delivery through a Mission-as-a-Service model—users stay focused on scientific data processing while remaining in control of their mission

Dedicated Mission Control

Saildrone operates a 24/7 mission control at our headquarters in Alameda, CA, where trained operators handle every aspect of mission management, from local permitting to route setting, advanced weather forecasting, and issue trouble shooting—all while in constant communication with our users

Real-time Mission Portal

Saildrone provides real-time tracking, data access, and management of a user’s fleet via a secure web portal with advanced collaboration tools and permissions, making large-scale mission collaboration efficient and email-free; all communication is threaded, easy to follow, and offers users the ability to upload files or tag interesting data features

On-the-fly Analysis

The Saildrone mission portal provides a variety of tools—mission-specific overlays of satellite products, model GRIB files, and ingestion of other assets such as ships, buoys, tagged animals, or other autonomous platforms—for on-the-fly mission analysis

Adaptive Sampling

Observed an interesting feature? Users can update the route planning of any mission with point-and-click ease using precise waypoint management; routes can be edited collaboratively, saved in libraries, and sent to mission control for vehicle re-tasking

Your Data, Your Way

In addition to daily data distribution in NetCDF format, real-time data can is easily exported in a variety of formats for on-the-fly or offline analysis in popular tools such as MATLAB or R
Screenshot of Saildrone Mission Portal

Data-as-a-Service: Accessing Existing Data from Past or Current Saildrone Missions


We have an extensive library of high-quality data, with more being added every day. Data quality is paramount at Saildrone. In close collaboration with our partners, we established a robust and transparent data chain of custody from raw observations to real-time and final data we distribute. Our CF-compliant metadata describes in detail all procedures undertaken to meet the highest level of scientific standards. Contact us discuss your data needs and find out how we can help.

In the News

An Unprecedented View Inside a Hurricane

To improve future tropical cyclone forecasts, researchers sent a remotely operated saildrone into the extreme winds and towering waves around the eye of a category 4 hurricane.

EOS - May 2022

See the Robot Boats That Scientists Are Sending Into Hurricanes

Crewless sailboats are being sent by meteorologists inside hurricanes, allowing experts to safely study these intense storms.

The Hill - December 2021

Ocean Going Robots Estimate Alaska Pollock Stocks

Data collected by saildrones helps determine sustainable catch after ship-based surveys are cancelled due to the global pandemic.

The Cordova Times - December 2020
Read More News

Plan Your Own Mission or Review Our Existing Data Sets

Contact us today to find the best solution for accomplishing your ocean information objectives.

Contact Us

Navigating an ocean of data. Delivering a world of possibility.

Saildrone is a US business that provides comprehensive turnkey data solutions and actionable insights and intelligence for real-time ocean mapping, ocean data, and maritime security from any ocean on earth. Saildrone’s fleet of environmentally friendly wind and solar-powered uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) operate 24/7/365 without the need for a crewed support vehicle. They are equipped with advanced sensors and machine learning technology to deliver critical data and intelligence from any ocean at any time of year.

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