GPS World

Tag: Satellite Derived Bathymetry

  • EOMAP launches online shallow-water bathymetry store

    EOMAP has released a commercial online store for global shallow-water bathymetry derived from satellite data. The store, EOStore Bathymetry, provides access to search for and request high-quality data.

    According to EOMAP, satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) is now established as a valuable tool for the surveying, planning and management of coastal and offshore sites. SDB can provide shallow-water bathymetric data worldwide without the need for a physical presence in the area of interest.

    “The EOStore Bathymetry allows every coastal engineer, modeller or surveyor to rapidly access up-to-date shallow water bathymetric data,” said Knut Hartmann, COO of EOMAP. “It enables you to get the bathymetry data you need — even data you could otherwise not get — so you can plan and execute projects accurately, effectively lowering the project risk level.”

    EOMAP developed the bathymetry store in response to industry feedback, the company said.

    “The demand for bathymetry data in shallow waters is increasing significantly,” Hartmann said. “What industry told us at our first conference on satellite-derived bathymetry, in June 2018, was that they needed to understand the global feasibility of SDB methods and ways to search for and request the data. Thus, we’ve created the EOStore Bathymetry, which allows users to get worldwide shallow-water bathymetry data quickly and easily at a fraction of the price of traditional surveys.”

    According to EOMAP, EOStore Bathymetry offers different horizontal spatial resolutions of the bathymetric grid of 2 to 15 meters. This makes it flexible and fit for purpose for surveying, as well as for but also for planning and modeling purposes, the company added.

  • 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.