Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2025

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Environmental Sciences

First Advisor

Michael Tlusty

Second Advisor

Robert Stephenson

Third Advisor

Robert F. Chen

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the application of open innovation to migratory marine animal movement studies, addressing critical challenges in understanding, managing and ultimately conserving highly mobile and migratory species (HMMS). The species examined herein, including manta rays, sea turtles, and marine mammals, face threats including habitat disruption and behavioral changes to adapt to anthropogenic stressors. Traditional monitoring techniques, while valuable, are often costly, limited in scale, and protected by proprietary intellectual property, all of which decrease accessibility. Ambitious conservation goals, such as protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030, require more data that are indubitably sharable and thus will need to call on non-traditional approaches to collecting necessary information.

The research in this dissertation explores the integration of open science and open innovation principles to enhance data collection, reduce costs, and provide data to myriad users. Working within an open innovation 3-i framework, this project examines inspiration to create new tags, improvement to adopt an existing tag in a new modality, and insight to engage communities in science and global collaboration for large-scale biodiversity studies.

The findings emphasize the transformative potential of open innovation in marine science, offering practical solutions to improve species monitoring and conservation while promoting equitable participation in the scientific process. These contributions have broad implications for developing evidence-based policies and sustainable management of the marine systems upon which all life depends.

Comments

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