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Tag: TCarta

  • TCarta to map seafloor around remote Pacific island nation

    TCarta Marine, a global provider of geospatial products and services, has been contracted by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) to provide a baseline dataset of water depths and seafloor classification around the Republic of Kiribati.

    Located in the Pacific Ocean, the island nation is threatened by rising sea levels.

    “Most of Kiribati’s islands average less than two meters above sea level at present and the country’s 110,000 inhabitants are among the most vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise and the world’s first potential climate change refugees,” said Kyle Goodrich, TCarta president.

    “We expect to map 5,000 square kilometers in total. Our seafloor maps will be used with other geospatial information by the UKHO to recommend policies that will assist the Kiribati in planning for and responding to this situation,” Goodrich said.

    TCarta won the open bid for supply of Satellite Derived Bathymetry (SDB) to the UKHO to extract water depth measurements and seafloor classifications, including habitat types, from multispectral satellite imagery.

    In this project, TCarta is processing eight-band DigitalGlobe WorldView-2 and -3 data predominantly, as well as four-band WorldView-4 and GeoEye-1 data to measure depths down to 30 meters at a resolution of two meters.

    “The Kiribati project highlights the efficiency and cost effectiveness of SDB technology in a geographic area too remote and enormous for traditional marine or airborne survey methods,” Goodrich said.

    The Kiribati nation is comprised of 33 atoll islands and multiple reefs spread over an area of the Pacific Ocean nearly the size of the Continental U.S. Multiple new reefs have been discovered by TCarta using this satellite derived approach at the start of this project.

    The islands and surrounding environs have not been mapped in their entirety since the late 1800s. Acquiring bathymetric data and habitat classifications using traditional ship-borne sonar or airborne lidar are prohibitively expensive, logistically challenging and come at far higher cost and timeframe than a satellite-based solution.

    “We began tasking the DigitalGlobe satellites to capture images in December and will deliver the final products to the UKHO in early March,” said Goodrich, “DigitalGlobe has been a tremendous partner in helping TCarta meet the project deadlines and challenging open ocean conditions with repeat tasking of imagery, collecting more than 300 images in support of the project, despite the loss of WorldView 4.”

    TCarta has developed advanced bathymetric measurement technologies using satellite data. Funded by the National Science Foundation SBIR Phase I grant and known as Project Trident, this new technology is being deployed in the Kiribati project to remotely validate the bathymetry results.

  • TCarta delivers satellite-derived mangrove health assessment to Abu Dhabi

    TCarta, a global provider of geospatial products and services, was commissioned by the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD) to carry out a landmark mangrove health assessment covering the entire Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The assessment contained mangrove condition information derived from high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery.

    According to TCarta, the report showed 80 percent of the Emirate’s mangrove forests were healthy. The project also enabled EAD to designate conservation areas for immediate protection.

    For the assessment, TCarta obtained high-resolution multispectral imagery acquired by the DigitalGlobe WorldView-2 and -3 satellites during from December through March. Computer algorithms were applied to the Coastal Blue, Visible Green, Visible Red and Near Infrared bands to differentiate mangroves from other vegetation across the Emirate.

    The company then derived several vegetation indices from the spectral bands to rate the health of the mangrove forests, divided into small grids. From there, TCarta analysts obtained coarse-resolution Landsat imagery from 1987, 2001 and 2017 to chart mangrove coverage over three decades. According to TCarta, the combination of WorldView and Landsat data analysis clearly showed where mangrove loss had occurred over time. This data allowed the company to generate its disturbance index, which correlated health to external factors, such as urban development.

    “The satellite-derived vegetation analysis process we developed for this project can be applied to large-area crop and forestry health mapping anywhere in the world,” said Chris Burnett, project manager at TCarta. “As part of the assessment, we created a disturbance index showing precisely where the most mangrove stress is occurring. EAD will use this to determine — and potentially mitigate — the external factors causing the mangrove conditions to decline.”

    The company’s research proved that urban development near Abu Dhabi City was one of the primary threats to the Emirate’s mangrove forests. According to TCarta, EAD will use the report for remediation efforts, including the selection of more favorable areas to plant new mangroves to balance those that have already been lost.

  • 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.

  • TCarta delivers surface models for Caribbean disaster recovery

    TCarta, a global provider of marine geospatial products, has delivered pre- and post-disaster surface models for the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda for use in Hurricane Irma recovery efforts.

    The satellite-derived surface models contain seamless datasets of onshore elevation and offshore water-depth measurements for each island.

    The United Kingdom government commissioned the Hurricane Irma disaster mapping for Antigua and Barbuda as part of the Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme. TCarta won a competitive tender, which specifically requested end products derived from satellite imagery.

    “By specifying satellite-derived data as the deliverable in its tender, the U.K. government acknowledged the speed and cost advantages this technology offers compared with traditional shipborne surveying or airborne lidar collection,” said TCarta CEO David Critchley.

    Hurricane Irma devastated the Caribbean in September 2017. The governments of Antigua and Barbuda requested accurate data for onshore land elevations and offshore water depths from before and after the storm hit.

    The datasets will be used in digital change detection analyses to determine how Irma altered the surfaces of the land and seafloor. This will be vital information in repairing onshore drainage systems and updating coastal navigation charts.

    “A seamless onshore-offshore dataset is crucial for the hydrographic computer modeling to accurately visualize the integrated nature of the dynamic terrestrial and near-shore environments,” Critchley said.

    For the seafloor dataset, the TCarta team generated satellite-derived bathymetry products by extracting accurate water-depth measurements from high-resolution multispectral imagery acquired by the DigitalGlobe WorldView satellites. In the clear Caribbean waters around Antigua and Barbuda, bathymetric points were delivered on a 2-meter spacing to deeper than 20 meters.

    The TCarta team created digital surface models of the terrain on Antigua and Barbuda, using a technique to derive surface elevations at 0.5-meter point spacing from multiple WorldView images captured over the islands. Vegetation was then removed from surface models to yield bare-Earth elevation models.

    TCarta delivered the high-quality before-and-after datasets to the UK government which in turn distributed them to scientists on Antigua and Barbuda for damage assessment and planning for the coming hurricane season.

  • Bathymetrics Data Portal delivers quality water-depth data online

    The Bathymetrics Data Portal allows users to search, purchase and automatically download water-depth information directly from an online store to their computer.

    The Bathymetrics Data Portal is a combined offering by DHI, experts in water environments; TCarta, a global provider of marine geospatial products; and powered by DigitalGlobe, provider of high-resolution satellite imagery.

    Example of 2m Bathymetry data available through The Bathymetrics Data Portal. (Image: © DHI, TCarta, DigitalGlobe)
    Example of 2m Bathymetry data available through The Bathymetrics Data Portal. (Image: © DHI, TCarta, DigitalGlobe)

    The dedicated commercial bathymetry portal offers continuously expanding 2m Bathymetry data in shallow water areas and a global database of interpolated 90m bathymetry. The portal allows users to search for data in their area of interest and purchase what they need. Data is priced by the square kilometer; the customer pays online with credit card and can download the data shortly after.

    “We are very excited about this launch, as we have made direct access to off-the-shelf bathymetry data very easy and intuitive,” said DHI COO, Jacob Høst-Madsen. “The shop marks an important milestone in our continued quest to develop and offer high quality, affordable bathymetry data”

    Bathymetric products are used extensively by organizations involved in energy infrastructure development, port construction, environmental monitoring, aquaculture planning and hydrodynamic modeling.

    “The per-kilometer pricing model puts high-quality bathymetric data within easy reach of organizations of any size in all industries,” said TCarta CEO David Critchley. “One-person engineering shops, academic entities and other organizations with limited budgets can now engage in complex offshore projects.”

    The portal is constantly being updated with new and improved data, providing users with the best available bathymetric information around the world.

  • TCarta Marine and Proteus Geo merge to provide marine mapping solutions

    TCarta Marine LLC of Denver, Colorado, has merged with Proteus Geo of Oxford, England, to create a global mapping company that provides bathymetric and marine data sets from the shallow coastal zone out to the continental shelf.

    The new company is called TCarta Marine and will maintain offices in Denver and Oxford.

    “By merging, we believe the merged company provides a wider and more sophisticated range of products than any other supplier worldwide,” said TCarta Marine CEO David Critchley. “TCarta Marine is now a one-stop shop for bathymetric and marine data.”

    TCarta-ProteusGeo-bathymetry-O
    Image: Proteus Geo

    TCarta Marine will continue offering all existing product lines from the two companies, as well as new products and services under development. Primary markets served will be engineering, oil and gas, government and defense with expansion planned into the insurance, 3D modeling and aquaculture industries.

    “Our goal is to make it easier for the marine community to obtain and use quality mapping data,” said TCarta Marine President Kyle Goodrich. “To support every phase of offshore projects, we now offer lower resolution bathymetry for regional planning as well as high-resolution, highly accurate seafloor modeling for precise coastal engineering activities. Additionally, we offer a range of global and regional marine basemaps.”

    In recent years, TCarta Marine and Proteus Geo collaborated on many projects and had numerous clients in common due to the complementary nature of their product lines.

    David Critchley established Proteus Geo in the United Kingdom in 2011 to leverage a new technology that derives high-accuracy seafloor survey and seabed classification information from multispectral satellite imagery. Operating at a fraction of the cost of traditional ship and airborne bathymetric technologies, the Proteus methodology has been deployed extensively in energy exploration, infrastructure engineering and environmental applications in shallow-water coastal zones.

    “The two-meter satellite-derived bathymetric data can be derived to depths of 35 meters depending on water clarity and every depth has an uncertainty value assigned,” said Critchley.

    TCarta Marine was started in 2008 by Kyle Goodrich to fill an enormous gap in quality bathymetric data from the littoral zone out to the base of the continental shelf, distance often spanning hundreds of kilometers. The firm developed proprietary techniques for aggregating seafloor depth data from numerous medium- to coarse-resolution sources, including navigation charts, ship tracklines, and boat surveys. TCarta Marine has built an off-the-shelf line of 90- and 30-meter GIS-ready products covering the Earth’s most important marine areas.

    “Our bathymetric products are available via annual subscription for streaming directly into our clients’ GIS and mapping applications,” said Goodrich. “Oil, gas and renewable energy companies have become major users of TCarta Marine products.”

    As president of the new TCarta Marine, Goodrich will focus on developing additional products and innovative methods for delivering them. The global company seeks to expand its foothold in traditional marine markets and cultivate new applications for seafloor data. Critchley, as CEO of TCarta Marine, will be responsible for business development in new geographic regions of the world.

    In the near term, TCarta Marine and Proteus Geo customers can look forward to purchasing the existing 90-, 30- and 2-meter resolution product lines online through a new web portal, now under development. Information can be found and orders placed now through the new unified TCarta Marine website at www.TCartaMarine.com.

    Proteus FZC, an affiliated company of Proteus Geo based in the United Arab Emirates, will remain a stand-alone company offering terrestrial geospatial and marine consulting services in the Middle East.

  • TCarta Marine and Proteus Geo merge to provide marine mapping solutions

    TCarta Marine LLC of Denver, Colorado, has merged with Proteus Geo of Oxford, England, to create a global mapping company that provides bathymetric and marine data sets from the shallow coastal zone out to the continental shelf.

    The new company is called TCarta Marine and will maintain offices in Denver and Oxford.

    “By merging, we believe the merged company provides a wider and more sophisticated range of products than any other supplier worldwide,” said TCarta Marine CEO David Critchley. “TCarta Marine is now a one-stop shop for bathymetric and marine data.”

    TCarta-ProteusGeo-bathymetry-O
    Image: Proteus Geo

    TCarta Marine will continue offering all existing product lines from the two companies, as well as new products and services under development. Primary markets served will be engineering, oil and gas, government and defense with expansion planned into the insurance, 3D modeling and aquaculture industries.

    “Our goal is to make it easier for the marine community to obtain and use quality mapping data,” said TCarta Marine President Kyle Goodrich. “To support every phase of offshore projects, we now offer lower resolution bathymetry for regional planning as well as high-resolution, highly accurate seafloor modeling for precise coastal engineering activities. Additionally, we offer a range of global and regional marine basemaps.”

    In recent years, TCarta Marine and Proteus Geo collaborated on many projects and had numerous clients in common due to the complementary nature of their product lines.

    David Critchley established Proteus Geo in the United Kingdom in 2011 to leverage a new technology that derives high-accuracy seafloor survey and seabed classification information from multispectral satellite imagery. Operating at a fraction of the cost of traditional ship and airborne bathymetric technologies, the Proteus methodology has been deployed extensively in energy exploration, infrastructure engineering and environmental applications in shallow-water coastal zones.

    “The two-meter satellite-derived bathymetric data can be derived to depths of 35 meters depending on water clarity and every depth has an uncertainty value assigned,” said Critchley.

    TCarta Marine was started in 2008 by Kyle Goodrich to fill an enormous gap in quality bathymetric data from the littoral zone out to the base of the continental shelf, distance often spanning hundreds of kilometers. The firm developed proprietary techniques for aggregating seafloor depth data from numerous medium- to coarse-resolution sources, including navigation charts, ship tracklines, and boat surveys. TCarta Marine has built an off-the-shelf line of 90- and 30-meter GIS-ready products covering the Earth’s most important marine areas.

    “Our bathymetric products are available via annual subscription for streaming directly into our clients’ GIS and mapping applications,” said Goodrich. “Oil, gas and renewable energy companies have become major users of TCarta Marine products.”

    As president of the new TCarta Marine, Goodrich will focus on developing additional products and innovative methods for delivering them. The global company seeks to expand its foothold in traditional marine markets and cultivate new applications for seafloor data. Critchley, as CEO of TCarta Marine, will be responsible for business development in new geographic regions of the world.

    In the near term, TCarta Marine and Proteus Geo customers can look forward to purchasing the existing 90-, 30- and 2-meter resolution product lines online through a new web portal, now under development. Information can be found and orders placed now through the new unified TCarta Marine website at www.TCartaMarine.com.

    Proteus FZC, an affiliated company of Proteus Geo based in the United Arab Emirates, will remain a stand-alone company offering terrestrial geospatial and marine consulting services in the Middle East.