CPO is a cabled underwater observatory, operational since August 2015 in the ocean energy test site in Galway Bay (Galway Bay Marine And Renewable Energies Test Site - GB MARETS, previously known as SmartBay Marine Test and Validation Facility - SMARTBAY TDS). The observatory includes a fibre optic data and power cable and a sub-sea sensor hosting platform (node) which will be used to connect to energy conversion devices being tested at the 1/4 scale ocean energy test site. This set of equipment is being made available for projects requiring power and data connections for instrumentation underwater or at the surface. The sub-sea sensor hosting platform includes interfaces (ports) capable of providing electrical power and 2-way optical or electrical (Serial or Ethernet) high speed communications to scientific instruments from R&D projects or sensor developers; the platform includes a set of permanently deployed instruments (CTD, DO2, WQM, ADCP, HDTV, hydrophone, acoustic array).

SMARTBUOY is an autonomous data buoy used by SBI and the MI for testing environmental and meteorological sensors and to efficiently collect metocean time series. All data is transferred to the MI via a variety of wireless communication options and onto users through the MI online data portal or specialized access. Different mooring designs are adaptable to any specific testing environment; the buoy allows for easy integration of sensors and instruments into the available power and data transmission facilities, with deployment in air, at the ocean surface or deeper in the water column. The buoy is part of the Galway Bay Marine And Renewable Energies Test Site (GB MARETS), previously known as SmartBay Marine Test and Validation Facility (SMARTBAY TDS)