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San Diego?s ?Blue Tech? cluster is making waves. And like a high tide, the powerful ?Blue Economy? is rais- ing a lot of boats. What is the ?Blue Economy?? It has been de ned as the sum of all economic activ- ity having to do with oceans, seas, harbors, ports and coastal zones. San Diego?s ?Blue Economy? includes a growing clus- ter of maritime-related companies and organizations across 16 industry sectors including  sh farming, desalination and clean water technology, subsea exploration, biomedicine, defense, marine recreation and ocean observation. San Diego has a signi cant defense presence, particularly with the Navy and Marine Corps. There are major defense and academic research facilities such as the Navy?s Space and Naval Warfare Command (SPAWAR), and the Univer- sity of California ? San Di-ego?s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. There are many factors that contribute to the success and cohesion of this commercial community. First and fore- most is the ocean, itself. The cluster of both suppliers and customers mean that buyers, sellers and users are in close proximity with each other to facilitate collaboration. San Diego is an area with a num- ber of world-class universi- ties and research organiza- tions, and has a deep pool of available and quali ed talent. Location is Everything Marine technology compa-nies, large and small, bene t from the Blue Tech cluster. San Diego-based SIDUS Solu- tions has 15 employees and de nitely sees itself as part of the Blue Tech Community. According to Leonard Pool, managing director for SIDUS Solutions, being located in the San Diego Blue Tech commu- nity has real bene ts. ?San Diego is a unique community that has grown since the mid-50s to specialize in subsea applica- tions, initially for military activities. It is due to this history, the available access to local community colleges, along with the coastal environment that we selected San Diego to be our home.? ?The largest advantage is the ability to be close with our peers,? Pool says, ?and the ability to go sur ng on the week- ends.? SIDUS designs and manufactures security and surveillance systems for subsea and hazardous areas, and offers engineer- ing and technical services for custom projects and integrated systems. SIDUS? main of ce is located in San Diego, where all engineering and manufacturing are performed. ?We also maintain a sales of ce in Houston, Texas to help support our oil and gas customers. In addition we have a partnership with a company in the Netherlands,? says Pool. DeÞ ning the Blue Community Michael Jones of The Maritime Alliance (TMA) in San Diego says we don?t know just how big the ocean and maritime technology indus-tries are in the U.S. TMA has worked with partners on several studies to understand BlueTech companies and or- ganizations in San Diego and their importance to each oth-er and the regional economy. Jones says San Diego is not alone in studying and de-veloping its Blue Economy. TMA is collaborating with a number of U.S. and interna-tional organizations to pro- mote the Blue Economy and BlueTech including the Cen- ter for Scienti c Research and Higher Education (CIC-SES) of Ensenada, Mexico; OceansAdvance Inc. in St. John?s, Canada; the Mari- time Innovative Territories International Network? (MiTiN) in Brest, France; and the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2013, the U.S. Inte- grated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) program of ce at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contracted with ERISS Corporation to work with TMA on a multi-year study to articulate the economic impact of the ocean observation sector in the U.S. According to Zdenka Willis, the U.S. IOOS program director, IOOS data and in- formation fuels ocean industry with knowledge that deter- mines business operations. ?Shell sh growers rely on ocean acidi cation data to know when to take action to protect crops. Shipping companies check ocean currents, wave heights, and Inside San Diego?s Blue Tech Economy Inside San Diego?s Blue Tech Economy Blue Tech Economic Engine Shifts into High Gear Crew aboard the Of Þ ce of Naval Research (ONR)- sponsored research vessel (R/V) Melville retrieve a wave buoy during an at-sea demonstration of the Environmental & Ship Motion Forecasting (ESMF) program.U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams October 201440 MTRMTR #8 (34-49).indd 40MTR #8 (34-49).indd 4010/13/2014 10:46:50 AM10/13/2014 10:46:50 AM