Marine sensors; the market, the trends and the value chain

Abstract

This market analysis is based on the work performed for the EU/FP7 project NeXOS that focuses on preparing the new generation of multi-functional maritime sensors. Naturally, such a venture cannot be successful without a prior thorough assessment of the market status and an in depth understanding of the user needs and the upcoming market trends. Therefore the market assessment we have performed has the following objectives: · to map the current and upcoming applications of maritime sensors in the various fields of implementation · to create a solid understanding of the structure of the market for maritime sensors; · to draw the sector's value chain indicating the activities that produce added value to maritime sensor activities; · to assess the competitiveness of the European maritime sensor industry; and · to identify the trends for the future development of the respective market segments as well as the barriers for further development of the market; The main focus of the study is to assess the market for optic sensors, passive acoustic sensors and the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) sensor system. These maritime sensors have been identified to be applied or have potential application in a big variety of activities ranging from environmental monitoring and climate change research to seismic research and marine mammals. The value chain of the market has been drawn to depict the distinct activities that add value to maritime observation activities. The activities on the main branch of the value chain include sensor manufacturing, sensor developing and integrating into platforms as well as adapting the sensors to the needs of the maritime observations, operating them, analysing the collected data and exploiting the results of the observations. Currently there is no clear distinction of activities performed by each stakeholder group resulting in varying perceptions of the range of value-adding activities that different stakeholders focus on. However a set of main stakeholder groups with more or less distinct behaviour has been identified and includes: i) sensor manufacturers; ii) sensor developers; iii) service providers and iv) end-users of environmental monitoring services. In our research, we have identified the main and most promising market segments for maritime sensor activities and distinguished 3 perspectives of sensor use that actually drive the user requirements for sensors. These perspectives are: i) research, ii) industry and iii) research and development. In this study we dive into the growth expectations of the different market segments beyond the traditional, long-standing markets of Europe and N America looking into the developments on a global scale. As far as competitiveness of the sector is concerned, the European sensor market position in the world is assessed compared to the ongoing strong by the N. American sector and a SWOT analysis is performed to highlight the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the European sensor manufacturer industry. Further, the prospects of potential competitors rising in other geographical areas and claiming a part of the global market pie are assessed. Potential recommendations to strengthen the position of the European industry could include establishing common standards and developing appropriate business models that would help industrialisation of products or placing emphasis on SMEs taking into account the maturity level of each product market.