NOAA Coast Survey

Ocean Mapping Capabilities 
 

Coast Survey leads and coordinates the United States seafloor mapping program, with a comprehensive set of capabilities. 

This document is a brief summary of these capabilities, which together represent a valuable national asset, available to 

advance societal aims in promotion of commerce, sustainable use of our oceans, conservation, and coastal resilience. Coast 

Survey has a long history of successful partnerships with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) programs 

and other federal and state programs in homeland security, biogeography, offshore energy, ocean exploration, geohazards,

emergency response, and oceanographic circulation modeling.
NOAA Survey Ships 

NOAA operates four large ships dedicated to hydrographic surveying: Fairweather, 

Ferdinand R. Hassler, Rainier, and Thomas Jefferson. Strategically placed around U.S. 

waters, NOAA ships are leaders in marine navigation safety and continue to provide 

essential data to our country. NOAA’s hydrographic vessels are equipped with side 

scan sonar and multibeam echo sounders, which can measure ocean depths within 10 

centimeter accuracy, as well as generate detailed images of the seafloor and its objects. 

The ships are also equipped with small, high endurance vessels called launches that 

survey shallow waters the larger ships cannot access.

Operational Capabilities

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Contract Survey Capability 

Hydrographic survey contractors acquire about half of the area collected each year by Coast Survey. 

Our contracting partners are essential to taking on the challenge of mapping the U.S. Exclusive 

Economic Zone and to advancing the hydrographic surveying industry. Coast Survey’s hydrographic 

services contracting program started in 1998 and awards contracts on a 5 year cycle with firm fixed 

price task orders. Coast Survey awarded the current contract (2014 2019) to eight contractors with 

a ceiling of $250 million and will award the next 5 year contract in 2019 with the same ceiling. Coast 

Survey contracts hydrographic survey services such as singlebeam and multibeam echo sounding, 

side scan sonar, lidar, and backscatter acquisition by means of air and surface vehicles, autonomous 

underwater vehicles, and unmanned surface vehicles. Other related services include tide gauge 

installation and hydrographic surveying emergency response.

Operational Capabilities

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Nearshore Mapping in Remote Locations 

Coast Survey is responsible for mapping nearshore in remote locations such as Alaska and the 

Pacific Islands. Safety concerns often prohibit the use of NOAA ships to survey these areas. NOAA’s 

hydrographic vessels are outfitted with survey launches to reach and survey these locations. The 

ships’ onboard acquisition and processing expertise and flexibility for a variety of operational tasking 

allows Coast Survey to access and map the remote, shallow areas confidently and efficiently. No other 

U.S. public or private hydrographic establishment has a collection of these capabilities.

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Navigation Response Teams 

Navigation response teams conduct nearshore hydrographic surveys to update NOAA’s suite of nautical charts. Designed to 

be mobile and flexible, the teams are capable of both routine hydrographic surveys and rapid maritime response to natural 

disasters — hurricanes, earthquakes and human made incidents including sunken vessels and lost aids to navigation. The 

teams operate trailerable survey vessels equipped with both multibeam and side scan sonar that help identify dangers to 

navigation. They are also capable of setting up survey equipment onboard vessels of opportunity or deploying an array of 

surface and subsurface unmanned survey vessels. During emergency responses, they provide time sensitive information to 

the U.S. Coast Guard or port officials, and transmit data to NOAA cartographers for updating Coast Survey’s suite of nautical 

charts. The three person navigation response teams are located around the country and are on call 24/7 to respond to 

emergencies and to protect life and property from underwater dangers to navigation.

Operational Capabilities

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Autonomous Survey Systems 

Coast Survey has been investigating the use of autonomous survey systems to augment hydrographic

survey operations since 2004. The goal is to explore how autonomy provides more efficient and effective

acquisition of hydrographic environmental data to support NOAA’s navigation products and services.

Coast Survey uses unmanned surface vehicles — autonomous systems that operate on the water’s 

surface — equipped with multibeam echo sounders and side scan sonars. These systems complement our 

navigation response survey capabilities by surveying in shallow water not safely accessed by manned survey 

vessels. Coast Survey, with its academic partners at the University of New Hampshire and the University 

of Southern Mississippi, is evaluating large purpose built unmanned surface vehicles to augment manned 

survey platforms conducting routine hydrographic surveys. Additionally, Coast Survey is converting some 

shipboard hydrographic survey launches to operate as either manned or unmanned vessels. This will allow 

NOAA to make efficient use of current shipboard capabilities and expertise while incrementally adopting 

unmanned technology to increase survey efficiency and best manage personnel resources.

Autonomous underwater vehicles are unmanned systems that operate below the water’s surface. 

Coast Survey uses both small and mid sized vehicles to complement traditional survey platforms and 

conduct hydrographic surveys in support of navigation safety and NOAA science. Small autonomous 

underwater vehicles equipped with side scan sonar enhance Coast Survey’s hydrographic response 

capabilities. These systems can be operated from shore or small boats with minimal equipment setup 

and survey independently, which can free the host vessel to perform additional surveys or other 

necessary work. Mid sized autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with multibeam echo sounders 

can collect hydrographic data in depths greater than 500 meters and at a resolution much higher than 

possible with shipboard systems. This capability makes Coast Survey’s mid sized vehicles well suited for 

interdisciplinary seafloor mapping missions in support of a broad range of NOAA science.

Operational Capabilities

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Expert Hydrographic Workforce 

Coast Survey holds one of the largest communities of ocean mapping professionals in 

the federal government including NOAA Commissioned Corps officers, physical scientists 

and technicians. They manage all elements of the hydrographic surveying process from 

project planning, development of technical requirements, mobilization and calibration of 

survey systems, data acquisition, data quality assurance and control, and final reporting 

and chart product creation. Coast survey also retains project planning and management 

expertise, data archive capabilities, and contract vehicles/management.

Operational Capabilities

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Regional Navigation Managers 

Coast Survey’s navigation managers are stationed strategically in port areas along U.S. coasts and Great Lakes 

and work directly with pilots, mariners, port authorities, and recreational boaters. They are Coast Survey’s eyes 

and ears helping to identify navigational challenges facing the marine transportation system, and providing 

the resources and services that promote safe and efficient navigation. They are the vital link between Coast 

Survey’s stakeholders and our technical experts, and serve as a conduit for gathering requirements for 

emerging survey or charting requests and for developing new products and services. Navigation managers also 

lend their expertise prior to, during, and after emergencies. They regularly participate in disaster preparedness 

exercises and are vital to the coordination of emergency response efforts.

Coordination, Compliance, and Standards

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Hydrographic Training Program 

Coast Survey’s community of ocean mapping professionals is unlike any other in the U.S. 

We manage all components of the hydrographic surveying process from project administration, 

to data acquisition/processing, quality assurance/control, and new workflow/technology 

research and implementation. Coast Survey maintains its expertise through its annual 

hydrographic training. The introductory program — available to new survey technicians, NOAA 

Corps officers, physical scientists, and federal or state agencies — introduces hydrography as 

conducted by NOAA. Students come away from the course with a basic understanding of the 

theory behind the profession of hydrography, an improved sense of operational context, and 

an understanding of the resources available to them for further development. The advanced 

program for experienced user keeps Coast Survey’s hydrographers current on the latest 

hydrographic surveying technologies and methods.

Coordination, Compliance, and Standards

Specifications and Deliverables Document

NOAA’s Hydrographic Surveys Specifications and Deliverables document contains the detailed technical 

requirements for hydrographic surveys performed by either NOAA or its contractors. Coast Survey updates the 

specifications annually and bases them in part on the International Hydrographic Organization’s Standards for 

Hydrographic Surveys, Special Publication S-44. The specifications outline requirements for datums, hydrographic 

positioning, tides and water levels, depth soundings, acoustic backscatter, and deliverables.

NOAA’s Field Procedures Manual provides best practices and standard operating procedures 

for field units conducting hydrographic surveys, and processing and generating hydrographic 

survey deliverables. These guidelines help field units meet specifications delineated in 

NOAA’s Hydrographic Surveys Specifications and Deliverables document. Procedures 

outlined in the manual include system preparation and maintenance, data acquisition and 

processing, and data management and survey deliverables. 

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Free Public Access to Archived Hydrographic Data

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information maintains the digital data archive for all hydrographic 

data collected by Coast Survey of the coastal waters and the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. More than 

6,600 surveys dating back to 1837 are publicly available. Users can search for bathymetric attributed grid 

files, descriptive reports, smooth sheet images, survey data images, textual gridded data, geo referenced 

side scan sonar mosaics, metadata, and survey statistics. Seabed descriptions are also available for some 

surveys. These products support not only Coast Survey’s nautical chart products, but also other disciplines 

such as habitat mapping, mineral and resource exploration, renewable energy development, tsunami 

modeling, coastal hazard planning, and management. The National Centers for Environmental Information is 

also a scientific steward for other sources of bathymetric and ocean depth data collected by other agencies.

Coordination, Compliance, and Standards

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Risk-based Prioritization 

Coast Survey defines and prioritizes hydrographic survey plans based on a hydrographic health 

model, a risk based model that takes into account navigational risks, including both the likelihood of 

a risk (traffic density and known hazards to navigation) and the consequence of a risk (proximity to 

search and rescue stations, proximity to reefs or marine sanctuaries). The model also considers the 

necessary quality of data to support modern traffic relative to what is currently available, given the 

seafloor changes over time. Using historic knowledge of seafloor changeability, the model can also 

approximate the future quality of survey data and assess how often an area needs resurveying.

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International Coordination 

Hydrography underpins global commerce, recreation, transportation, conservation, and exploration. Since 1926, the 

United States has been a leading member state of the International Hydrographic Organization, an intergovernmental 

organization established to promote collaboration and partnership to map the world’s oceans and protect the marine 

environment. As the principal national hydrographic authority for the nation, Coast Survey leads the development of 

policy, standards, and directions for this community of nearly 100 nations. Coast Survey represents the United States 

on the Regional Hydrographic Commissions of North America, Arctic, Meso American and Caribbean, and the Southwest 

Pacific with the aim of building capacity for ocean mapping, promoting broad availability of data, and coordinating 

navigation services. Together with our governmental, scientific and private sector partners, Coast Survey innovates and 

develops the next generation best practices supporting navigation, safety, and broader geospatial services.

Coordination, Compliance, and Standards

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Environmental Compliance 

Like all mariners, Coast Survey has a responsibility to operate with care for our shared environment. Coast Survey 

consults with our colleagues at the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, other federal 

agencies, coastal states, and Native American tribes' legal counsel to ensure that we comply with environmental and 

historic preservation laws during our field projects. Coast Survey crews also follow best management practices that 

reduce or eliminate impacts to our coasts and seas, including our water, air, marine animals, and cultural resources. New 

technologies allow Coast Survey to collect data in environmentally friendly ways. For example, autonomous vehicles and 

drones consume less fuel and are less disruptive than crewed vessels. Coast Survey also uses cameras to characterize 

the seafloor, rather than collecting sediment samples that could damage sensitive resources such as coral.

Coordination, Compliance, and Standards

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Map depicting the NOAA geospatial web 

services display. Areas shown in pink 

represent depth values derived from a single 

sounding. Purple areas represent depth 

values derived from multiple soundings. 

Coordination, Compliance, and Standards

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National and International Ocean Mapping Strategies 

Coast Survey, working with National Centers for Environmental Information, maintains an inventory of 

the current state of ocean mapping in United States waters. Coast Survey also maintains a publicly

accessible crowdsourced bathymetry database to encourage public participation in ocean mapping and 

to capture bathymetry in remote parts of U.S. waters. Coast Survey coordinates mapping projects and 

data availability with our neighbors in North America, the Arctic, the Caribbean, and across the Pacific.

Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping 

Coordination is an essential element of ocean and coastal mapping operations. Coast Survey 

partners with federal, state, and local governments and non governmental organizations to develop 

mapping standards and techniques, improve data management and access, and implement 

cooperative projects to meet more than one mapping need while eliminating redundant efforts. These 

partnerships include specific projects, joint research efforts, and established ocean policy groups 

such as the federal Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping and the 3D Elevation 

Program, which work together to coordinate mapping requirements and plans in support of local to 

global initiatives. Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping’s goal is to help federal agencies and our 

partners collaborate for more opportunities to Map Once, Use Many Times. 13 
Rigorous Quality Control 

All safety of navigation hydrographic surveys applied to the nautical chart (except for U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers channel surveys) must go through Coast Survey’s rigorous quality 

control process. The Hydrographic Surveying Specifications and Deliverables, which ensures 

hydrographic data quality but also standard deliverables and metadata, provides the basis for 

the quality control standards. Quality control includes specifications and best practices for data 

acquisition, rapid survey assessment conducted immediately after survey delivery from the field, 

and a full survey acceptance review prior to clearance for nautical charting.

Nautical Charting 

The primary purpose of Coast Survey hydrographic data continues to be in support 

of nautical charting. Once Coast Survey reviews and accepts hydrographic data, 

standard bathymetric products are developed. Nautical cartographers compile the 

bathymetric data and apply it to nautical chart products to ultimately protect safety 

at sea and promote efficient maritime commerce.

Coordination, Compliance, and Standards

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Precision Navigation 

Today’s ships are moving through U.S. ports with little room under their keels — in some cases, less than one foot. 

As vessel drafts increase, the navigation margins become smaller and the need for more accurate information 

increases. The just-in-time supply chain upon which the U.S. economy depends demands that ports operate efficiently. 

However, delays and lightering due to the uncertainties posed by environmental factors equate to millions of dollars a 

year in lost revenue for shipping companies and ports.

NOAA’s Precision Navigation program aims to seamlessly integrate high-resolution bathymetry, high accuracy 

positioning, and shoreline data with real-time observations, near-term predictions, and forecast data. This 

combined data is then presented in a format that can be easily accessed and integrated into pilot units or 

commercial-off-the-shelf electronic navigation decision support tools. As a result, mariners are better equipped 

to make critical navigation decisions and seaports can increase capacity and efficiency while improving safety.

Technology

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Shallow 

Engine RPM Engine RPM 

Pressure (dB re 1μPa/√Hz) 

Frequency (kHz) 

Board 1 182.9 182.9 80 

75 

70 

65 

60 

55 

50 

45 

40 

35 

182.9 182.9 

182.9 182.9 

182.9 182.9 

385.1 385.1 

385.1 385.1 

385.1 385.1 

385.1 

DIW 700 1000 1300 1600 1900 DIW 700 1000 1300 1600 1900 

385.1 

Board 2 Board 3 Board 4 

Deep 

Technology

Sonar Acceptance and Calibration 

Coast Survey supports and performs multibeam sonar acceptance testing and calibrations 

for the NOAA fleet of hydrographic vessels. Systematically performed since 2013, the 

process has resulted in a standardized methodology developed in conjunction with the U.S. 

Academic Research Fleet based Multibeam Advisory Committee. This standardization allows 

for comparisons among platforms, facilitates characterizations of systematic issues, and 

provides guidance for future installations. Coast Survey documents all tests and system 

details in an acceptance testing report, which provides a reference for the vessel and forms 

a baseline for subsequent testing. Through a user-friendly testing interface, the platforms 

can replicate acceptance tests to monitor system health and troubleshoot issues through 

delivery of the results to Coast Survey or the system manufacturers.

Noise test results from NOAA Ship Fairweather Launch 2806 sonar acceptance 

for Kongsberg EM2040 multibeam sonar. Shows noise generated by the vessel at 

different speeds and frequencies in areas with shallow (less than 15 meters) and 

deep (greater than 100 meters) water. 

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Multibeam Water Column 

Coast Survey also uses multibeam technology to collect water column acoustic backscatter data. 

Water column information identifies objects between the surface and the seabed. In nautical 

charting applications, multibeam water column data improves detection of small objects and 

determines least depths of dangers to navigation such as wrecks. Multibeam water column data 

supports other disciplines such as oil and gas exploration, pelagic fisheries and other studies of 

targets in the water column such as plankton.

Backscatter data collected for Tebenkof Bay, 

southwest Alaska by NOAA survey vessel Fairweather. 

Technology

Systematic Backscatter Mapping 

NOAA hydrographic vessels acquire and process multibeam seafloor acoustic backscatter data. 

Acoustic backscatter is the measure of sound reflected by the seafloor and returned to the echo 

sounder receiver. In nautical charting, acoustic backscatter is used to gain further intelligence about 

the seafloor characteristics. In addition to supporting nautical charts, acoustic backscatter supports 

other disciplines such as habitat mapping, mineral and resource exploration, renewable energy 

development, tsunami modeling, coastal hazard planning and management.

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Datums, Water Level Measurement, and Modeling

A datum is any reference system against which measurements are made and forms the basis of all hydrographic survey work. Coast Survey 

collaborates with the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services and the National Geodetic Survey to coordinate measurements 

and modeling of water levels and datums. Continuous measurements supply real-time tidal data and long-term datum relationships at discrete 

points along the U.S. coastline. The National Spatial Reference System includes a network of permanently marked points; a consistent, accurate, 

and up-to-date national shoreline; a network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations which supports 3D positioning activities; and a set of 

accurate models describing dynamic, geophysical processes that affect spatial measurements. Water levels and datums enable monitoring of 

seafloor and coastal change, and are required for accurate hydrographic survey data.

Technology

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Ocean Mapping Research and Development Program

The Joint Hydrographic Center at the University of New Hampshire is a research partnership 

funded and operated to develop innovative technology for hydrography and ocean mapping. 

Research at the center spans a wide range of topics including processing and analysis of 

hydrographic data; acoustic, lidar, and optical characterization of seafloor habitat and water 

column; multi dimensional visualization of coastal and ocean data; effective display of 

electronic navigation information; and autonomous surface vessels for ocean mapping.

Research and Development

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Data Visualization Research Laboratory at the 

Joint Hydrographic Center s semi immersive, 

large format tiled display, showing ocean 

currents from the Navy Coastal Ocean Model. 

The Joint Hydrographic Center and the associated University of New Hampshire Center for Coastal

and Ocean Mapping are responsible for major advances in hydrographic science. These include

the widely used CUBE algorithm for bathymetric data processing, the GeoCoder algorithm for

seafloor characterization, and algorithms for the detection and display of seafloor gas seeps with

bathymetric echo sounders — a technology that has proven valuable to the commercial sector.

The center’s transition of technology from research to operations functions primarily through the

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping’s industrial partnership program with more than 40 major

hydrographic and ocean mapping corporations and institutions.

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Ocean Mapping Research and Development Program

The Hydrographic Science Research Center at the University of Southern Mississippi works to expand

the use of autonomy technology in seabed mapping and ocean cartography. The center performs

research funded by grants through the Northern Gulf Institute. Autonomous solutions can be far more

efficient than traditional methods of hydrographic surveys. Unmanned surface vehicles, unmanned aerial

vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles can be deployed from almost anywhere. Their state

of the art guidance systems speed survey progress, and reduce the need for infill lines. Autonomous

systems do not require ports and can access areas that are either too hazardous or too difficult for

conventional vessels to get to, expanding the extent of survey coverage and enabling safer operations.

Research and Development

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Contact and Information 

Office of Coast Survey

nauticalcharts.noaa.gov

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center

ccom.unh.edu

University of Southern Mississippi

usm.edu 

National Ocean Service

oceanservice.noaa.gov

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

noaa.gov

May 2019