In 2015 the Smartbay Test Site increased its offering to the marine science and technology community by establishing a sub-sea cabled observatory. The observatory platform is powered by a hybrid optical/electrical cable to shore, which provides power to, and receives data from, a number of permanently deployed sensors, including a high-definition camera which constantly monitors the marine environment at the test site. 

The Sub-Sea Cabled Observatory includes:

• A fibre optic data and 400V DC power cable;
• High speed communications via 2 pairs of optical fibres;
• A sub-sea cabled sensor platform which hosts a variety of sensors and equipment which can be tested and demonstrated in near real-time.