The SMART Cables Joint Task Force (JTF)

What is the JTF?

JTF SMART Cables is a United Nations effort uniting science with the telecom industry to provide the necessary strategic direction and leadership leading to the development of a sustained SMART subsea cable network.

The network will monitor climate change observables including ocean heat content, ocean circulation, and sea level rise. It will also provide early warning for earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as monitor seismic activity for earth structure and related hazards. All relate to disaster risk reduction and the informed sustainable development of coastal and offshore infrastructure, including the cables themselves and their mission of global connectivity.

Harnessing Telecommunications Investment for Ocean Science and Public Safety

By working with new subsea fiber cable projects, governments, and telecommunications suppliers, the JTF hopes to take advantage of the enormous private and public investment already being made in telecom infrastructure. Each cable that is laid represents a potential home to dozens or hundreds of new deep ocean and seismic sensors at a fraction of the cost of stand-alone science systems.

Establishment of the JTF

The Joint Task Force on SMART Cables was formed in 2012 and was established by three United Nations agencies: the International Telecommunications Union, the World Meteorological Organization, and the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (ITU/WMO/UNESCO-IOC). The JTF has over 200 active members with some serving on committees: science and society, engineering, business development, legal, data management, and publicity, awareness, and marketing.

JTF Members.

JTF Executive Council

JTF Committee Chairs

ITU-WMO-UNESCO IOC Staff of the JTF