IHO Crowd Source Bathymetry Pilot Project

The International Hydrographic Office (IHO) is coordinating a Crowd-Sourced Bathymetry (CSB) data gathering proof of concept project with SeaID, the Professional Yachting Association (PYA) and the IHO Data Center for Digital Bathymetry (IHO DCDB). SeaID is developing and installing data loggers on 12 super yachts that will collect reliable xyz data from standard digital echo sounders and GNSS receivers. The data is being assembled and sent to the IHO DCDB hosted at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information in Boulder, Colorado, where it will be made available to the public via an interactive web map service. This data pathway is currently being developed so that automated data input (and data exports) into standard database is established.The ultimate objective of this CSB project is to make it easy for every trusted mariner to contribute to the global IHO DCDB bathymetric database and to make this data readily accessible for a range of uses, including nautical charting and global digital datasets such as the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO).