Short answers, pulled from the story.
VENUS is one of two principal cabled seafloor observatories operated by Ocean Networks Canada at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. It is a cabled ocean observatory designed to provide new ways of studying the ocean.
VENUS launched in 2006. Its first site, in Saanich Inlet at 100 meters, has been operational since February 2006.
VENUS studies coastal oceans at two sites near Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. The first is in Saanich Inlet at 100 meters, and the second is in the deeper waters of the Strait of Georgia, with instrument arrays at depths varying from 100 to 300 meters.
VENUS uses Internet and telecommunication technology and a network of about 50 kilometers of fiber optic cables reaching a maximum depth of 300 meters. This creates a permanent link to cameras and sensors that measure temperature, salinity, and water pressure 24 hours a day.
VENUS is funded by the federal and provincial governments of Canada, as well as private industry. It is designed to provide continuous observations for 20 to 25 years.
Ship-based ocean research methods provide a snapshot view only, while the VENUS observatory can act like a continuous film, allowing more reliable long-term observation. Its data, including images and audio, are made available to researchers and the public through the VENUS website.