By Andrew Kornblatt 
 
 While the ocean covers roughly 70 percent of our planet’s surface, we currently only have about 5-7 percent of that spectacularly large area mapped in any meaningful way. In fact, we have better maps of the surface of the moon and mars than we do of the ocean floor. XPRIZE, the non-profit foundation whose lofty mission is to “design and manage public competitions” that better mankind, has just launched a new ocean challenge which will likely draw the attention of marine scientists, geologists and hobbyists everywhere. 
 
 The three-year global competition is focused on ocean mapping and, with a U.S.$ 7,000,000 prize purse and the illustrious title of “XPRIZE Winner”, the competition is is likely to push the technologies that drive ocean exploration. 
 
 “This competition is technically challenging, but it is also very interdisciplinary. It involves underwater robotics, it involves computer science, there is a digital imagery component to it… We expect a number of different approaches to this,” said Dr. Jyotika Virmani, XPRIZE Prize Lead and Senior Director. 
 
 Specifically, participants must complete a series of tasks through devices which must be launched from the shore or the air, and can operate at a depth of up to 4,000 meters. These tasks include making a high-resolution map of the sea-floor, taking high-definition images of specific objects, and identifying key features in a type of “treasure hunt.” There is also a “bonus” $1M challenge for technology that can monitor specific chemical and biological compounds in the water column; an attempt to “sniff out” a specified object in the ocean. 
 
 This latest XPRIZE is part of the foundation’s “Ocean Initiative.” The mapping challenge is the third in a series of five multi-million dollar prizes the foundation has promised to launch by 2020 to “address critical ocean challenges and inspire innovation that helps create an ocean that is healthy, valued and understood.” The past two ocean prizes have included Oil Spill Clean-Up and Ocean pH Sensor technologies. 
 
 The announcement of the ocean mapping prize came during the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in San Francisco and is a partnership between XPRIZE, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Shell Oil Company. 
 
 “Spurring innovation and creating radical breakthroughs in ocean discovery are what excite us about collaborating with XPRIZE,” said David Schewitz, Shell vice president of geophysics for the Americas. “Shell recognizes the need to leverage the full power of innovation: the capacity for doing things differently and better than before.” 
 
 “Collectively, Shell, NOAA and XPRIZE are all aligned in our goals, which is really the discovery of what is down there, what’s in the deep ocean,” explained Dr. Virmani. “We want to help spur unparalleled ocean exploration through innovation and radical breakthroughs to find all the different wonders in the deep sea.” 
 
 The three-year competition includes nine months for team registration, which is now open for anyone, or any team who wants to register. 
 
 Paul Bunje PhD, XPRIZE principal and senior scientist, described the contest’s openness in a interview with the Ocean Science Radio as, “anybody can compete from anywhere, we’re totally open. If you think you have a solution, go into it.” 
 
 For more information and to register, visit oceandiscovery.xprize.org. ||||| Xprize 
 
 What hides in the deep recesses of our planet's oceans? Manned and automated efforts combined have only mapped a small percentage of them, prompting Xprize and partners to offer $7 million for robotic exploration platforms. 
 
 "Our oceans cover two-thirds of our planet's surface and are a crucial global source of food, energy, economic security, and even the air we breathe, yet 95 percent of the deep sea remains a mystery to us," said Xprize head Peter Diamandis in the the prize's announcement. "The Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE will address a critical ocean challenge by accelerating innovation to further explore one of our greatest unexplored frontiers." 
 
 Teams' creations will be tested first at 2,000, then 4,000 meters (about 6,500 and 13,000 feet, respectively), at which the robots will be required to create a high-resolution map, take snapshots of a given object and identify interesting features like shipwrecks or geological anomalies. 
 
 The top prize is $4 million, with a chance to win an extra million if the robot manages to follow a chemical or biological signal back to its source. This bonus, funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, could be very useful in tracking down deep-water creatures or finding geothermal vents. Another $1 million each is reserved for the second-place entry and for splitting among the remaining teams in the top 10. 
 
 No need to hurry putting together your deep-sea rover, though: Registration ends in September 2016, with the first tests scheduled for a year after that.
– Have a great idea about how to map the ocean floor? It could be worth millions. The X Prize Foundation, which two years ago asked for a way to gauge ocean acidification, is offering $7 million to teams able to develop high-resolution maps of the seafloor over the next three years. The latest competition meant to better humankind aims to hurry "innovation to further explore one of our greatest unexplored frontiers," X Prize CEO Peter Diamandis tells NBC News, noting "95% of the deep sea remains a mystery to us." In truth, we have better maps of the moon and Mars than of the seafloor, per National Geographic and Live Science. The foundation will accept submissions for robots capable of creating high-resolution maps, identifying geological and archaeological features like volcanoes and shipwrecks, and taking photos until September 2016. The devices will be tested at 6,500 and 13,000 feet about a year later. "This competition is technically challenging, but it is also very interdisciplinary," says X Prize's senior director. "It involves underwater robotics, it involves computer science, there is a digital imagery component to it. We want to help spur unparalleled ocean exploration through innovation and radical breakthroughs to find all the different wonders in the deep sea." The team that claims the top prize will take home $4 million, the second-place team will get $1 million, and an additional $1 million will be divided among other teams in the top 10. There will also be a $1 million award funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for any device that can follow a chemical or biological signal to detect "sources of pollution, enable rapid response to leaks and spills, identify hydrothermal vents and methane seeps, as well as track marine life for scientific research and conservation efforts," per an NOAA scientist.