Dyllan Furness, College of Marine Science
A seafloor mapping project is making waves in Tampa Bay and across the globe.
Launched by researchers at the USF College of Marine Science, the innovative program called Crowd the Bay taps into the local boating community to gather data about water depths throughout the region. The effort supports more detailed seafloor maps for Tampa Bay and serves as a blueprint for augmenting nautical charts across Florida, the nation, and beyond.
A paper detailing the initiative was recently published in the Marine Technology Society Journal.
“Crowd the Bay is our approach to ‘crowdsourced bathymetry,’ which focuses on the collection and distribution of depth measurements using vessels on routine operations,” said Sherryl Gilbert, program manager for the Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies (COMIT) and lead author of the recent study. “We’ve had a lot of success improving seafloor maps for Tampa Bay. Other regions that are under-resourced in terms of depth measurements and related products to promote safe navigation can use our playbook to develop ‘right-sized’ and targeted programs for their specific needs. The tools exist for a grassroots effort.”
Seafloor mapping, or bathymetry, dates back thousands of years. Ancient mariners used weights attached to ropes to determine the depth of navigable water bodies and develop nautical charts.
Bathymetry today involves far more advanced technologies, including Global Positioning System (GPS) antennae and echosounders, but the goal — safety — remains the same. High-quality seafloor maps ensure safe navigation for vessels engaged in commercial shipping, fishing, or recreational activities.
IMAGE ABOVE: The figure above provides a snapshot showing contributions to crowdsourced bathymetry from the Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies (COMIT). The panel on the left shows pre-COMIT vessel tracks. The panel on the right shows updated vessel tracks from COMIT. Gilbert, et al.
“It may come as a surprise that some depth measurements in Tampa Bay are decades old,” said Gilbert. “In Florida, where coastal regions can change rapidly due to currents, tides, and severe storms, it’s critical that we have up-to-date data about water depth.”
Key to crowdsourced bathymetry is the ease with which boaters can participate. To take part, vessels need only a National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) network, GPS antenna, depth sounder, and small data logger. The logger records depth and positional data from the other sensors as the boat goes about its regular business.
COMIT, a cooperative agreement with the Office of Coast Survey at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has partnered with public and private boaters to gather data in Tampa Bay. Eckerd College, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Pinellas County Environmental Management, Chance Maritime, and Ballyhoo Media, which operates floating billboards, have each participated in the program. Additional partners include private citizens who’ve volunteered their personal vessels for Crowd the Bay.
IMAGE ABOVE: The Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies has partnered with boaters from Eckerd College, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Pinellas County Environmental Management to improve seafloor maps in Tampa Bay. Credit: Sarah Grasty
These combined efforts have contributed nearly five million depth soundings to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), an intergovernmental organization coordinating international seafloor mapping programs.
“As the number of these observations increase, their contributions to improving the quality and value of crowdsourced bathymetric data will continue to significantly grow,” said Jennifer Jencks, director of the IHO Data Center for Digital Bathymetry and head of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information Ocean and Coastal Mapping team. “This is true whether volunteers are exploring data-sparse areas or spending an afternoon in heavily trafficked places, where chart information might already be vast.”
The broad impact of Crowd the Bay was apparent at a meeting in New Zealand, where seafloor-mapping professionals from around the world gathered to share resources and learn from one another during hands-on sessions. Kristin Erickson, coordinator of the Florida Coastal Mapping Program (FCMaP) and co-author of the recent paper, attended the meeting to brush up on best practices and learn about new tools in hydrography.
A pleasant surprise came when attendees turned to Erickson and her colleagues at COMIT as the experts in crowdsourced bathymetry.
“It became clear pretty quickly that what we’re doing in Tampa Bay has become a model for researchers globally,” Erickson said. “There were representatives at the meeting from all over the world. Time and again they referenced COMIT as a leader in the field and identified Crowd the Bay as a blueprint for how they want to develop their crowdsourced bathymetry programs.”
Back home in Tampa Bay, COMIT continues to refine the program.
Along with graduate student Sophie Chernoch, Erickson is finalizing protocols and standard operating procedures that can be used to streamline on-boarding of new mapping partners. These protocols will be provided to the IHO for broader distribution.
“The protocols and procedures we’re developing will help other organizations launch their own programs for crowdsourced bathymetry,” said Chernoch, who joined the college to work with COMIT and learn how to incorporate seafloor mapping tools into a broader understanding of climate and sea level history in Florida. “It’s exciting to contribute to a program like Crowd the Bay that not only improves data for nautical charts in Tampa Bay but has also made an impact outside the region.”