U.S. Mapping Coordination

Coordinated mapping and survey planning is a critical element of IOCM best practices, in order to eliminate redundant efforts and acquire more data that everyone can use. Good planning requires an awareness of the full data pipeline from collection through to archive and public dissemination. It also involves an awareness of agency priorities to make the most of each survey mile.

Planning and prioritizing data needs is an iterative and essential part of efficient data collection efforts. Members and partners of the Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) and the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) coordinate mapping efforts through the U.S. Mapping Coordination Site. This site, open to all, is a geospatial platform to share outlines of mapping priorities and planned projects. Mapping data types include, but are not limited to:

• topographic, bathymetric, and topobathy lidar;
• acoustic/sonar surveys (hydrography, bathymetry, water column, etc.); and
• digital imagery (airborne and satellite).

In addition to participating in the U.S. Mapping Coordination site, planning may also take place through agency-specific requests for information. IWG-OCM members are encouraged to share their mapping requirements and plans, and to solicit any information on partner priorities and previously collected data in the area of interest.

To know where new data is needed, or to justify recollection, it is imperative to conduct a review for existing data. Re-mapping areas is often necessary in very dynamic coastal zones, especially following a hurricane or other momentous event that shifts coastlines and sea bottoms. Understanding the nature of existing data and justifying the need for new or repeated data acquisition efforts is strongly recommended.

To further assist planning efforts, NOAA and the IOCM team has supported several Spatial Priorities Studies since 2017. These formal studies range from national to regional in scope, address mapping needs across a variety of sectors, and provide valuable information regarding collection urgency by prioritizing areas geospatially as: High (collection needed in 1-2 years), Medium (3-5 years), and Low (6-10 years). Efforts to conduct studies are ongoing, and results are included as reference layers on the U.S. Mapping Coordination Site.

Collect and Verify Data

Data acquired to a set of standards are more interoperable, and those that acquire ocean and coastal mapping data are encouraged to follow guidelines set by the IWG-OCM Standard Ocean Mapping Protocol (SOMP). The SOMP contains standardized technical guidance for the acquisition, processing, and archival of ocean and coastal mapping data, specifically bathymetric, backscatter, water column sonar, side scan sonar, sub-bottom profiling, and magnetometry. The document was created as part of the implementation plan for the National Strategy for Ocean Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (NOMEC 2020).

Process Data and Produce Derived Products

Any data collected must be processed according to established procedures that are fit-for-purpose, such as procedures documented to support hydrographic surveying and other applications. Following appropriate processing, many data move directly into integrated products, such as nautical charts or habitat maps. IOCM provides a sample of possible integrated products on the Data Sharing page. To fulfill the IOCM mapping coordination lifecycle, these data must also be migrated over to official repositories and archives for broader awareness of the data collected as well as to enable others to develop derived products.

Inventory and Prepare Data for Archive

Working with data managers at central repositories and archives, such as those listed under Data Repositories of the Data Sharing page, enables broad awareness and access to your data, which is a critical element of IOCM Coordination. Depending on the type of data, there are various steps involved in preparing the data for archive. While not inclusive of every conceivable data type, the following guidance is focused on the basic categories captured in the U.S. Mapping Coordination website:

Topographic, Bathymetric, and Topobathymetric LIDAR
OCM's Digital Coast is the central repository for topobathymetric and bathymetric LIDAR data. Processed data files in LAZ format with supporting documentation, including projection, datum, and GEOID model are most desirable for IOCM purposes.

Acoustic/Sonar (hydrography, bathymetry, water column, etc.)
NCEI is the central repository for this type of data in U.S. waters as well as internationally. The following guidance is detailed at https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/iho-data-centre-digital-bathymetry/submitting-marine-geophysical-data.

Multibeam Bathymetry: Raw (as collected) data in the instrument's vendor-specific format (e.g., .all, .s7k, .xse) are most desirable for IOCM purposes. However, other supplemental data (sound speed profiles, tides, vessel offsets, cruise reports, etc.) and/or processed versions or products of the multibeam data are also useful IOCM data contributions.

Subbottom Profiler Data: Processed data files in SEGY format are most desirable for IOCM purposes.

Water Column Sonar Data (WCSD): Raw (as collected) data in the instrument’s vendor-specific format (e.g., .raw, .wcd) with position data included are most desirable for IOCM purposes. However, other supplemental data (sound speed profiles, tides, vessel offsets, biological data, cruise reports, etc.) are also useful IOCM data contributions.

Singlebeam Bathymetry: Raw (as collected) data with associated navigation in M77T format or in GeoJSON, GeoCSV, or ASCII CSV/Tab-delimited format with format documentation are most desirable for IOCM purposes.

Side-scan Sonar: Raw (as collected) and processed data in JSF or HSX format (format number 132, 133, 182, or 183 as documented by MB-System) with associated navigation are most desirable for IOCM purposes. Supplementary navigation is desired as GeoJSON, GeoCSV, or ASCII CSV/Tab-Delimited (with format documentation) format.

Digital Imagery (airborne/satellite)

Airborne Imagery: If not hosted elsewhere, OCM’s Digital Coast is a repository for airborne imagery focused on the shoreline areas of the U.S. One meter resolution imagery in a common lossless remote sensing format, such as GeoTIFF, with FGDC compliant metadata are most desirable for IOCM purposes. Imagery must be orthorectified and the horizontal accuracy should be documented in the metadata.

Archive and Publish Data for Additional Uses

Once a dataset is added to a central repository, it is then typically available to many users through various inventories, such as those listed under the Data Inventories and Registries section on the IOCM Data Sharing page.