With over 45 delegates from more than 15 countries around the world, the first international Satellite-Derived Bathymetry Day (SDB Day) organized by EOMAP was a great success.
For the first time, all relevant players came together on June 6 and 7, 2018, to anticipate what was to come for the Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) technology during the next years and revealed future opportunities for providers and users. Initially established as a reconnaissance tool for shallow water bathymetry only, cutting-edge SDB techniques are increasingly used as a cost-efficient and rapid survey method for acquiring high-resolution bathymetric data down to water depths of 30 meters.
EOMAP CEO, Dr. Thomas Heege, commented that the support for the SDB Day was fantastic. All relevant institutions — hydrographic offices, marine industry, service providers and research institutes — picked up on the themes of capabilities, data integration, requirements and quality standards. Joint considerations are really coming to the force, which is great to see.
Presentations at the SDB Day 2018 reflected a great optimism for the SDB technology. As a result, and initiated by the participants, first steps were taken to form a Satellite-Derived Bathymetry Working Group. The next SDB Day will be announced shortly.
Dr. Mathias Jonas, Secretary General of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) added that Satellite-Derived Bathymetry has arrived into practice and it has matured as a regular means for shallow water surveys. The SDB Day was an excellent platform for providers and users. For the global standardization of hydrography, the organization understands that this new technology needs to be adopted into the IHO framework.
Dr. Magnus Wettle, Managing Director at EOMAP Australia, said the involvement of speakers underlined the growing importance of the SDB technology for shallow water surveys. The organization is delighted that the conference came up with such an impressive uptake on SDB, and with the support of providers and users, all can play an active part in this ongoing initiative.
Marco Filippone, Chief Hydrographer at Fugro, noted that SDB is recognized as part of an integrated approach for nearshore mapping alongside with traditional survey methods. The company can use SDB to augment existing technology as a benchmark for high definition data sets and with this new technique develop together enabling technology, processing workflows and machine learning — the firm can really speed up the process providing the final users with a product that can be used for their needs.
