Shedding Light ​on Shallow ​Waters – ​Project Led by ​European Space ​Agency

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Shedding Light ​on Shallow ​Waters – ​Project Led by ​European Space ​Agency

An ESA-backed group, led by TCarta , has developed a way of using this data to produce water depth maps, and make them available to anyone who could use them.

Richard Flemmings, Operations Director for TCarta, said: “The team applies computer algorithms to satellite imagery from sources like Landsat, Sentinel-2 and DigitalGlobe’s WorldView constellation.

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MEASURING WATER DEPTHS WITH SATELLITES, Source: ESA

“These algorithms analyse the images’ light frequency from different parts of the satellite’s spectral range, and work with existing points of reference, such as confirmed results drawn from similar readings elsewhere, and knowledge on how different types of seabed reflect the light.

“These products are hosted on the Bathymetrics Data Portal, which provides ready-made, instantly available and high resolution bathymetry at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.”

Different satellites can generate different resolution images, with Copernicus’s Sentinel-2 wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager producing around 10m, for example, although the portal also hosts resolutions of up to 2m.

Detailed information on water levels that can be obtained immediately is extremely valuable for environmental agencies, but also has other uses.

Industries that conduct their business in or through the water require this kind of data to do so in the safest and most cost-effective manner.

Energy infrastructure development, for example, requires up-to-date information on water depths over large areas to identify the best routes to lay pipes, while port construction needs reliable and long-term data for a concentrated location, in order to plan when and how the structure should be built.

The Bathymetrics Data Portal was launched with help from ESA’s Business Applications programme, which co-funded an earlier, demonstration version.

ESA’s Business Applications programme is the mark of Europe’s best commercial ventures powered by Space. It is the commercial arm of the European Space Agency and aims to prove that space is open for business with the power to improve everyday life.

Since the programme’s inception in 2008, ESA Business Applications has invested more than €200M in over 500 business ideas addressing markets in industries worldwide, like the Bathymetrics Data Portal.

Typical funding ranges from €60k to €2M and is used from early stage feasibility studies to large-scale demonstration projects.

Read full article: ESA

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