The UN 2030 agenda sets out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that articulate the key challenges the global population must face if we are to secure a prosperous future for humanity. Many of these SDGs relate to, or are utterly dependent on a thorough understanding of our oceans and seas. The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, due to start in 2021, sets out the key challenges the ocean observing community must face in order to deliver the SDGs. This paper will explore these challenges and what this may mean for those involved in funding, commissioning, designing and developing remote survey solutions.