GPS World

Tag: Project Trident

  • TCarta unveils Global Satellite Derived Bathymetry product line

    Image: TCarta
    Image: TCarta

    TCarta Marine has introduced a Global Satellite Derived Bathymetry (G-SDB) product line developed with a new seafloor depth measurement technique that leverages Machine Learning and NASA ICESat-2 laser data. According to the company, this G-SDB offering covers the entire Red Sea, with additional sets rolled out through the end of this year.

    The commercial TCarta G-SDB data sets and the seafloor measurement workflow that produces them were made possible through a Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

    According to TCarta, G-SDB data sets contain bathymetric measurements to depths of more than 30 meters, depending on water clarity, at 10-meter resolution. The depth values for every 10-meter pixel are the combined result of numerous measurements, resulting in accuracy within 10% of depth or less, and providing a seamless water bottom surface map. G-SDB will be available globally for all oceans and seas, as well as large freshwater lakes where water conditions permit.

    “The new satellite-derived bathymetry technology extracts seafloor measurements by integrating multiple SDB algorithms and sensor types at scale and over broad geographic areas with a degree of confidence in data accuracy not previously possible,” said TCarta president Kyle Goodrich.

    TCarta launched Project Trident with NSF funding in 2018 with the goal of refining traditional satellite-derived bathymetry technology to extend its application into areas where it had not typically been successful, usually due to the turbidity or clarity of the water column. TCarta developed the new method using machine learning to iteratively evaluate Sentinel 2A/B multispectral satellite images, and even individual pixels within images, to select the sharpest and clearest ones for application of SDB extraction.

    “Thanks to the power and speed of cloud computing, we run the extraction algorithm repeatedly and on multiple satellite images acquired over the same geographic area on different dates. This dramatically increased the accuracy confidence in each depth measurement and minimizes data gaps,” Goodrich said.

    To further enhance the accuracy of the SDB measurements, TCarta developed an artificial intelligence-based technique for leveraging ICESat-2 data to train the SDB algorithm and validate results. Designed for polar ice elevation and tree canopy measurements, the ICESat-2 satellite carries a laser that captures remarkably accurate bathymetric data, the company said.

    TCarta Marine is a global provider of hydrospatial solutions. The TCarta product lines include high-resolution satellite-derived water depth and seafloor map products as well as 90- and 30-meter GIS-ready bathymetric data aggregated from numerous information sources.

  • TCarta wins NSF grant for satellite-derived bathymetry

    TCarta Marine, a global provider of marine geospatial products, has been awarded a research and development grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for bathymetry technology.

    Under the grant, TCarta will enhance and automate multiple techniques for deriving seafloor depth measurements from optical satellite imagery.

    The Project Trident research seeks to transform existing satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) techniques by using machine learning and computer vision technology to enable accurate depth retrieval in variable water conditions.

    If successful, these enhanced bathymetric techniques will improve operations related to oil and gas exploration and production, coastal infrastructure engineering, environmental monitoring and geointelligence activities, the company said.

    “Our goal with Project Trident is to expand the geographic scope of SDB in shallow coastal areas,” said Kyle Goodrich, TCarta president. “SDB technology currently derives water depths only in calm, clear waters, which limits its applicability.”

    Beta testers sought

    TCarta is seeking beta testers for participation in Project Trident research. If you are interested, contact Project Trident Principal Investigator Kyle Goodrich at [email protected] or complete the online Project Trident survey.

    TCarta won the grant for Project Trident in partnership with jOmegak of San Carlos, California, and DigitalGlobe of Westminster, Colorado, in Phase 1 of the NSF Small Business Innovation Research program.

    The one-year research project will be carried out at the TCarta facility in Denver.

    In 2014, TCarta successfully commercialized a proprietary technique for digitally extracting water depth measurements down to 20 meters from high-resolution DigitalGlobe WorldView satellite imagery.

    The SDB products became popular with organizations operating in shallow coastal waters because the technology is more cost-effective and timely than traditional airborne and ship-borne bathymetric methods — with no adverse effects on the environment, the company added.

    “In the current SDB process, we use manual stereo photogrammetry methods to measure seafloor ground control points in digital satellite imagery, but this is extremely time consuming,” said Goodrich. “We are developing an automated photogrammetric process to extract a greater number of ground truth points from high-resolution WorldView imagery.”

    Project Trident aims to integrate wave kinematics, a technique patented by jOmegak to calculate water depths in shallow waters by analyzing the patterns and speed of waves detected in satellite imagery. Wave kinematics has been applied successfully using Sentinel-2 and WorldView satellite imagery.

    “Thanks to the NSF grant, we are taking a giant leap forward on TCarta satellite-derived bathymetry methodologies and aim to exponentially accelerate them with the latest in machine learning and computer vision technologies,” said Goodrich.