The industry's recognized authority for design, engineering and application of equipment and services in the global ocean community
Issue link: http://sea-technology.epubxp.com/i/715092
www.sea-technology.com August 2016 / st 27 T he ocean is in trouble, and trouble with the ocean is trouble for all life. Human-caused pressures have put the ocean in this state of deep crisis. At this pivotal juncture in his- tory, we need good, digestible science to underpin solutions for protecting the ocean and ensuring our safety. Nautical charts ensure vessels' safe navigation; bathymetry maps reveal the seafloor; and sat- ellites measure the ocean's surface, temperature and weather. However, none of these data tell us about what lies in between the surface and the bottom of the sea. Today's foremost ocean science agencies only understand a sliver of what happens in the ocean world. Our limited knowledge has impeded our response to coral reef bleaching and other ecosystem disasters. A com- prehensive map that shows the location of everything in the ocean and what these locations are like would be invalu- able. Such a holistic map of the ocean would require mas- sive amounts of data contributed by a myriad of resources. Fortunately, recent advancements in GIS and geospa- tial Web technology have made it possible for nations and organizations worldwide to participate in a global ocean "basement" map. These new developments offer a frame- work for managing vast amounts of geographic ocean data and making them accessible and useful to anyone. De- cades or even centuries may pass before we understand the underwater world to the same extent that we under- stand dry land; however, we are making greater strides than ever toward that goal. "Ocean Solutions, Earth Solutions 2nd edition", the lat- est publication from Esri Press, gathers ocean science and GIS best practices from more than 90 ocean and coastal sci- ence researchers in pursuit of solutions to what is ailing the ocean. These case studies outline how GIS can help com- munities and organizations build both systems of record, as well as assist in designing systems of engagement. Let's take a closer look at the technology that helps us discover, explore and geodesign the ocean. Here are five information innovations that we believe will expand ocean knowledge and improve maritime operations. Drone Mapping Data collected by drones instantly streams into the platform. Drone integration with GIS technolo- gies has been underway for several years, with ap- plications commonly used for fighting fire, monitoring en- vironmental changes and managing rights- of-way vegetation. The maritime industry is beginning to realize the benefits of drone technology applications for coastal man- agement, hydrographic survey- ing, petroleum operations and so forth. Using drones is a cost- effective and safe way to col- lect aerial data. However, when users bring drone data into a GIS, they exponentially increase the value of that data. Esri has just released the Drone2Map for ArcGIS app, which transforms high-resolution drone imagery into ready- to-use aerial data in the GIS platform. Users can bring point clouds, mosaic data sets, 3D meshes and orthomosaics di- rectly into the platform in near real time without any third- party application. This is a huge leap in drone technology because users can instantly produce or update hot-ticket geospatial products such as nautical charts and topographic maps. But there are even more advantages to using the Dro- ne2Map app. A geospatial platform stores and manages Drone2Map data, provides authoring and publishing tools, and streams live and authoritative data for rich situational awareness. Maritime organizations can see data on real-time maps and as 3D digital visualizations. Working in the online Esri plat- form, users can share drone data sets, maps and analyses with other departments and agencies and the public. Five Information Innovations Will Change Ocean Mapping Creating an Accessible Framework to Manage Vast Ocean Data By Dawn Wright • Rafael Ponce • Guy Noll d A coastal community can use a 3D map to prepare for sea level rise.