 Ocean conservation group Parley for the Oceans have been the primary partners and funders of the SnotBot program.The SnotBot program was initiated in 2014, as an attempt to explore and harness the potential which drones had in whale science.At first, Ocean Alliance developed their own drones alongside researchers and students at Olin College of Engineering, before moving to consumer drones made by manufacturers such as DJI  and Yuneec.