Rocco De Marco

Technical Collaborator

Computer Science graduate active in scientific research since 2001, specializing in the management of marine research infrastructures and the development of underwater scientific instrumentation, with a primary focus on acoustic monitoring.

Research Infrastructures. Member of the “Data Management” Working Group for the CNR Research Vessel Gaia Blu and serving as the vessel’s IT Lead, responsible for coordinating shipboard IT operations to support research teams during scientific cruises. Managed the Computing Services at the CNR Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies (IRBIM) from 2018 to 2024. Has served as Chief Scientist on several oceanographic cruises, including PER24 (Pollutants’ Environmental Research 2024, an 18-day campaign aboard R/V Gaia Blu in October 2024), leading an inter-institutional scientific team of 18 personnel.

Acoustic Instrumentation and Cetacean Monitoring. Since 2019, has been developing Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) systems for cetacean detection, covering the full pipeline from the hardware design of cost-effective hydrophones to signal analysis software. Within the EU-funded LIFE DELFI project (2020–2024), led the prototyping of an AI-powered acoustic deterrent device (pinger) designed to mitigate interactions between dolphins and commercial fisheries. Developer of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for the classification of cetacean vocalizations, optimized for deployment on low-cost embedded hardware.

Has accumulated over 300 days at sea conducting technical and scientific activities for the collection of biogeochemical, microbiological, oceanographic, and acoustic data. Co-author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles and over 40 conference proceedings, technical reports, and open-access software packages.

Contacts:
Institute

Ancona

My Pubblications:
Orcid
Scopus
Google Scholar
ResearchGate
Zenodo
GitHub

Research Projects



UseIT

Using Operational Synergies for the Integrated Management of Invasive Alien Species in ITaly

Referent:
Ernesto Azzurro

Invasive alien species (IAS) and climate change require the development of new capacities to protect the natural capital and manage the rapid transformation of natural resources. The project proposes the development of an integrated and shared approach to studying this issue. The goal will be pursued through technical and technological advances supported by studies to improve the information management and the use of IAS as a potential economic resource

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Research Projects

The research activities of the Institute are carried out in the context of research, development and innovation projects, both national and international, based on regional funding programs (POR FEAMPA - Regional Operational Program of the European Maritime Affairs Fisheries Fund and Aquaculture and POR FESR - Regional Operational Program of the European Regional Development Fund) or ministerial (PRIN - Projects of relevant national interest, PNRA - National Research Program in Antarctica, PO FEAMPA - National Operational Program European Maritime Affairs Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund) , programs for European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg), direct funding programs of the European Commission (Horizon2020 and Horizon Europe, Life, JPI - Joint Programming Initiatives, ERA-NET Cofund) and thematic collaboration initiatives managed by international organizations such as, for example , the FAO - GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean). The Institute also develops funded projects in the context of collaborations with private companies in the sectors of the blue economy as well as technology transfer and research results. Research projects, mainly of a collaborative nature, are developed through a wide network of partners that include major Italian and foreign research institutions and universities.

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