Excerpt:

lameda techonology company Saildrone has produced a sailing robot at Alameda Point. The National Oceanic and Atomospheric Administration (NOAA) will use the drone to study sealife. NOAA will distribute five of the unmanned vehicles to track melting ice, measure carbon dioxide levels in the ocean and count numbers of fish and sea mammals.

According to The Cordova Times, “in September scientists plan to launch two more saildrones from Alameda, on a six-month, 8,000-nautical-mile, round-trip mission to the equator and back to improve the Tropical Pacific Observing System.”

The drones can also be used to track water-borne vehicles and perform counter-espionage at sea as the company recently demonstrated for dignitaries at the Point. Saildrone aims to become a major global player in the $2.5 trillion sea security business.