The International Hydrographic Office (IHO) is coordinating a Crowd-Sourced Bathymetry (CSB) data gathering proof of concept project using a trusted partner model for collecting data. The IHO Data Center for Digital Bathymetry (DCDB) has teamed with Rose Point Navigation Systems to automatically log and submit bathymetric data (longitude, latitude, depth, and time) acquired from vessels operated by professional mariners and recreational boaters. Operators now have the option to enable the crowd-sourced bathymetry collection in their existing Rose Point electronic charting and navigation software.
The assembled data are 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 a standard database is established.
The ultimate objective of this CSB project is to make it easy for every mariner to contribute to the global IHO DCDB bathymetric database and to make these 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).
