In order to study the ocean, ocean scientists normally need to get on a boat and go out to sea. It would be useful to have a platform that stays on station from which they could do their research. Under this scenario, the seastead would be towed to an interesting location and the research would take place as a dedicated community. The benefit of having the scientists always on station may outweigh the additional costs of operating a seastead. An example of such a platform is the Scripps Institution of Oceonagraphy's Flip, or Floating Instrument Platform, which can float horizontally or vertically.