Performance and Progress Report€¦ · Improved Backscatter Processing ... Habitat Mapping ......

30 January 2015 1JHC Performance Report

UNH/NOAA Joint Hydrographic CenterPerformance and Progress Report

NOAA Ref No: NA10NOS4000073

Principal Investigator: Larry A. MayerProject Title: Joint Hydrographic CenterReport Period: 01/01/2014 – 12/31/2014

JHC Performance Report2

Executive Summary

JHC Performance Report

Flyers from the 2014 JHC/CCOM Seminar Series. Cover image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Coast Survey.

Table of Contents


Executive Summary


Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................................5 Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................5 HighlightsfromOur2014Program............................................................................................................................. 7

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................25

INFRASTRUCTURE ................................................................................................................................................25

Personnel..................................................................................................................................................................25 Faculty.................................................................................................................................................................26 ResearchScientistsandStaff................................................................................................................................ 29 NOAAEmployees................................................................................................................................................. 32 OtherAffiliatedFaculty......................................................................................................................................... 35 VisitingScholars................................................................................................................................................... 37

Facilities,ITandEquipment....................................................................................................................................... 39 OfficeandTeachingSpace.................................................................................................................................... 39 LaboratoryFacilities.............................................................................................................................................. 39 PierFacilities......................................................................................................................................................... 41 InformationTechnology....................................................................................................................................... 42 ResearchVessels................................................................................................................................................... 46

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM ...................................................................................................................................52 CurriculumDevelopment........................................................................................................................................... 52 JHC–OriginatedCourses........................................................................................................................................... 53 GEBCOCertificateProgram...................................................................................................................................... 53 HydrographicFieldCourse......................................................................................................................................... 56 ExtendedTraining...................................................................................................................................................... 57

STATUS OF RESEARCH: JANUARY–DECEMBER 2013............................................................................................59

THEME 1 - Improving the Sensors Used for Hydrographic, Ocean and Coastal Mapping (Sonar, Lidar, AUVs, etc.) with Emphasis on Increasing Accuracy, Resolution, and Efficiency, Especially in Shallow Water ...........................................................................................................................................60 Sonars.................................................................................................................................................................60 Lidar ..................................................................................................................................................................69 AUV/ASVActivities............................................................................................................................................... 71 OtherSensors...................................................................................................................................................... 73

THEME 2 - Improving and Developing New Approaches to Hydrographic, Ocean and Coastal Mapping Data Processing with Emphasis on Increasing Efficiency While Understanding, Quantifying, and Reducing Uncertainty ........................................................................................................74 ImprovedBathymetricProcessing......................................................................................................................... 74 ImprovedProcessingforPhase-MeasuringBathymetricSonars.............................................................................. 81 EvaluationofUncertaintyinBathymetry,NavigationandShorelineData fromPhotogrammetryorSatelliteImagery....................................................................................................... 86 ImprovedBackscatterProcessing.......................................................................................................................... 90 DataManagement............................................................................................................................................... 97

THEME 3 - Developing Tools and Approaches for the Adaptation of Hydrographic, Coastal and Ocean Mapping Technologies for the Mapping of Benthic Habitat and Exploring the Broad Potential of Mapping Features in the Water Column .................................................................................103 HabitatMapping................................................................................................................................................ 103 InstrumentstoGroundTruthSonar,ALB,HyperspectralandOtherRemotelySensedData................................... 110 WaterColumnMapping..................................................................................................................................... 114

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Executive SummaryTable of Contents

THEME 4 - Developing Tools, Protocols, Non-Standard Products, and Approaches that Support the Concept of “Map Once – Use Many Times,” i.e., Integrated Coastal and Ocean Mapping ...........................................................................................................................................119 BackscatterfromHydrographicVessels............................................................................................................... 119 BathymetryfromtheNOAAFSVs........................................................................................................................ 120

THEME 5 - New and Innovative Approaches for the 3D and 4D Visualization of Hydrographic and Ocean Mapping Data Sets, Including Better Representation of Uncertainty, and Complex Time- and Space-Varying Oceanographic, Biological and Geological Phenomena......................123 InteractiveExploration/VisualAnalysisSystemforComplexTime-DependentFlowand OtherModels—VirtualTestTank4D(VTT4D).................................................................................................. 123 VisualizationofDynamicBathymetry.................................................................................................................. 125 MarineDebrisVisualization................................................................................................................................ 126 EcosystemVisualizationProject.......................................................................................................................... 127 MarineMammalsandOpenTag......................................................................................................................... 128 VisualizingCurrentsandSeaState..................................................................................................................... 129 MultibeamSonarPerformanceVisualization....................................................................................................... 130

THEME 6 - Developing Innovative Approaches and Concepts for the Electronic Chart of the Future and E-Navigation ...................................................................................................................131 Evolutionary....................................................................................................................................................... 131 OpenNavigationSurface............................................................................................................................... 132 RightWhaleAISProject................................................................................................................................. 132 IHOCompliantCurrentandTideDisplay........................................................................................................ 133 WaveandCurrentVisualizationinNavyMissionPlanningApplication............................................................ 133 CoastPilotDatabase...................................................................................................................................... 133 RiskModelsforHydrographicResurveyPriorityDeterminationandReal-TimeRiskPrediction.......................... 135 Revolutionary..................................................................................................................................................... 136 LocalNoticetoMariners—ChartUpdateMashup(CHuM)GeoCoastPilot........................................................ 137

THEME 7 - Being National Leaders in the Planning, Acquisition, Processing, Analysis and Interpretation of Bathymetric Data Collected in Support of a Potential Submission by the U.S. for an Extended Continental Shelf Under Article 76 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ..............................................................................................................139 2014LawoftheSeaActivities............................................................................................................................ 140 OtherECSActivities............................................................................................................................................ 143 ExtendedUseofECSData.................................................................................................................................. 144

OUTREACH ........................................................................................................................................................145

PARTNERSHIPS AND ANCILLARY PROGRAMS ....................................................................................................154

APPENDIX A: GRADUATE DEGREES IN OCEAN MAPPING ..................................................................................155

APPENDIX B: FIELD PROGRAMS ........................................................................................................................160

APPENDIX C: OTHER FUNDING .........................................................................................................................139

APPENDIX D: PUBLICATIONS .............................................................................................................................165

APPENDIX E: TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS AND SEMINARS ..............................................................................170

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Executive SummaryTable of Contents

heNOAA-UNHJointHydrographicCenter(JHC/CCOM)wasfoundedfifteenyearsagowiththe

objectiveofdevelopingtoolsandofferingtrainingthatwouldhelpNOAAandotherstomeetthechal-lengesposedbytherapidtransitionfromthesparsemeasurementsofdepthofferedbytraditionalsoundingtechniques(leadlinesandsingle-beamsonars)tothemassiveamountsofdatacollectedbythenewgen-erationofmultibeamechosoundersandtopromotethedevelopmentofnewoceanmappingtechnolo-gies.Sinceitsinception,theCenterhasbeenfundedthroughCooperativeAgreementswithNOAA.Themostrecentofthese,whichwastheresultofanationalcompetition,fundstheCenterfortheperiodof1July2010untilDecember2015.Overtheyears,thefocusofresearchattheCenterhasexpandedandnowencom-passesabroadrangeofoceanmappingapplications.

AninitialgoaloftheCenterwastofindwaystopro-cessthemassiveamountsofdatageneratedbymul-tibeamandsidescansonarsystemsatratescommen-suratewithdatacollection;thatis,tomakethedatareadyforchartproductionasrapidlyasthedataarecollected.Wehavemadegreatprogressovertheyearsinattaining,andnowfarsurpassingthisgoaland,whilewecontinuetofocusoureffortsondataprocess-inginsupportofsafenavigation,ourattentionhasalsoturnedtotheopportunitiesprovidedbythishugeflowofinformationtocreateawiderangeofproductsthatmeetneedsbeyondsafenavigation(e.g.,marinehabitatassessments,gasseepdetection,fisheriesman-agement,disastermitigation,andnationalsecurity).Ourapproachtoextracting“valueadded”fromdatacollectedinsupportofsafenavigationwasformalizedwiththeenactmentonthe30thofMarch2009oftheOceanandCoastalMappingIntegrationActandourestablishmentofanIntegratedOceanandCoastalMapping(IOCM)ProcessingCenteratUNHtosupportNOAAandothersindeliveringtherequiredproductsofthisnewlegislation.In2010,theconceptofIOCMwasdemonstratedwhenwewereabletoquicklyandsuccessfullyapplytoolsandtechniquesdevelopedforhydrographicandfisheriesapplicationstotheDeepwa-terHorizonoilspillcrisis.

Inthetimesinceourestablishment,wehavebuiltavibrantCenterwithaninternationalreputationastheplace,“wherethecuttingedgeofhydrographyisnowlocated,”(AdamKerr,PastDirectoroftheInternationalHydrographicOrganizationinHydroInternational).InthewordsofPatSanders,PresidentofHYPACKInc.,aleadingproviderofhydrographicsoftwaretogovern-mentsandtheprivatesector:

JHC/CCOM has been THE WORLD LEADER in develop-ing new processing techniques for hydrographic data. JHC/CCOM has also shown that they can quickly push new developments out into the marketplace, making both government and private survey projects more efficient and cost effective.”

Sinceourinception,wehaveworkedonthedevelop-mentofautomatedandstatisticallyrobustapproachestomultibeamsonardataprocessing.Theseeffortscametofruitionwhenourautomatedprocessingalgorithm(CUBE)andournewdatabaseapproach(TheNavigationSurface),were,aftercarefulverificationandevaluation,acceptedbyNOAA,theNavalOceano-graphicOffice,andotherhydrographicagencies,aspartoftheirstandardprocessingprotocols.Today,almosteveryhydrographicsoftwaremanufacturerhasincorporatedorisincorporatingtheseapproachesintotheirproducts.ItisnotanoverstatementtosaythatthesetechniquesarerevolutionizingthewayNOAAandothersintheoceanmappingcommunityaredoinghydrography.Thesenewtechniquescanreducedataprocessingtimebyafactorof30to70andprovideaquantificationofuncertaintythathasneverbeforebeenachievableinhydrographicdata.Theresulthasbeen:“gainedefficiency,reducedcosts,improveddataqualityandconsistency,andtheabilitytoputproductsinthehandsofourcustomersfaster.”(Capt.RogerParsons,formerNOAAIOCMCoordinatorandDirectorofNOAA’sOfficeofCoastSurvey).

TheacceptanceofCUBEandtheNavigationSurfacerepresentsaparadigmshiftforthehydrographiccom-munity—fromdealingwithindividualsoundings(rea-sonableinaworldofleadlineandsingle-beamsonarmeasurements)totheacceptanceofgriddeddepthestimates(withassociateduncertaintyvalues)asastartingpointforhydrographicproducts.TheresearchneededtosupportthisparadigmshifthasbeenafocusoftheCentersinceitsinceptionandtonowseeitac-ceptedistrulyrewarding.ItisalsoindicativeoftherolethattheCenterhasplayedandwillcontinuetoplay,inestablishingnewdirectionsinhydrographyandoceanmapping.

Anotherlong-termthemeofourresearcheffortshasbeenourdesiretoextractinformationbeyonddepth(bathymetry)fromthemappingsystemsusedbyNOAAandothers.Wehavemadesignificantprogressinthedevelopmentofasimple-to-usetool(GeoCoder)thatgeneratesasidescan-sonarorbackscatter“mosaic”—acriticalfirststepintheanalysisofseafloorcharacter.TherehasbeentremendousinterestinthissoftwarethroughoutNOAAandmanyofourindustrialpartners

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havenowincorporatedGeoCoderintotheirsoftwareproducts.LikeCUBE’sroleinbathymetricprocess-ing,GeoCoderisbecomingthestandardapproachtobackscatterprocessing.AnemailfromamemberoftheBiogeographyTeamofNOAA’sCenterforCoastalMonitoringandAssessmentsaid:

We are so pleased with GeoCoder! We jumped in with both feet and made some impressive mosaics. Thanks so much for all the support.”

BeyondGeoCoder,oureffortstosupporttheIOCMconceptof"maponce,usemanytimes"arealsocom-ingtofruition.In2011,softwaredevelopedbyCenterresearcherswasinstalledonseveralNOAAfisheriesvesselsequippedwithSimradME70fisheriesmulti-beamechosounders.Thesesonarswereoriginallyde-signedformappingpelagicfishschoolsbut,usingoursoftware,thesonarsarenowbeingusedformultipleseabedmappingpurposes.Forexample,datacollectedontheOscar Dysonduringanacoustic-trawlsurveyforwalleyepollockwasopportunisticallyprocessedforseabedcharacterizationinsupportofessentialfishhabitat(EFH)andalsoinsupportofsafetyofnaviga-tion,includingsubmissionforchartsandidentificationofaDangertoNavigation.In2012,seafloormappingdatafromtheME70wasusedbyfisheriesscientiststoidentifyoptimalsitesforfish-trapsduringaredsnappersurvey.ScientistsaboardtheshipsaidthattheseafloordataprovidedbyCentersoftwarewas"invaluableinhelpingaccomplishourtrappingobjectivesonthistrip."

In2013,toolsdevelopedforproducingbathymetryandotherproductsfromfisheriessonarswereinstalledonNOAAfisheriesvesselsandoperatorstrainedintheiruse.In2014oneofourindustrialpartnersisnowpro-vidingfullysupportedcommercial-gradeversionsofthesetoolsandtheyarebeinginstalledonNOAAfisheriesvessels.Alloftheseexamples(CUBE,GeoCoder,andourfisheriessonartools)aretangibleexamplesofour(andNOAA’s)goalofbringingourresearcheffortstooperationalpractice(R2O).

Astechnologyevolves,thetoolsneededtoprocessthedataandtherangeofapplicationsthatthedatacanaddresswillalsochange.WehavebeguntoexploretheuseofAutonomousUnder-waterVehicles(AUVs)andAutonomousSurfaceVehicles(ASVs)asplatformsforhydrographicandothermappingsurveysandarelookingcloselyatthecapabili-tiesandlimitationsofAirborneLaserBathymetry(lidar)andSatelliteDerivedBathymetry(SDB)inshallow-water

coastalmappingapplications.Tofurtheraddressthecriticalvery-shallow-waterregimeswearealsolookingattheuseofpersonalwatercraftandaerialimageryastoolstomeasurebathymetryinthatdifficultzonebetweenzeroandtenmeterswaterdepth.TheCenterisalsobringingtogethermanyofthetoolsandvisual-izationtechniqueswehavedevelopedtoexplorewhatthe“ChartoftheFuture”maylooklike.

Inthelastfewyears,anewgenerationofmultibeamsonarshasbeendeveloped(inpartasaresultofresearchdoneattheCenter)thathavethecapabilityofmappingtargetsinthewater-columnaswellastheseafloor.Wehavebeendevelopingvisualizationtoolsthatallowthiswater-columndatatobeviewedin3D,inreal-time.Althoughtheabilitytomap3Dtargetsinawideswatharoundasurveyvesselhasobviousapplica-tionsintermsoffisheriestargets(andweareworkingwithfisheriesscientiststoexploitthesecapabilities),italsoallowscarefulidentificationofshallowhazardsinthewatercolumnandmayobviatetheneedforwiresweepsordiverexaminationstoverifyleastdepthsinhydrographicsurveys.Thesewater-columnmappingtoolswereakeycomponenttooureffortstomapsub-mergedoilandgasseepsandmonitortheintegrityoftheMacondo252wellheadaspartofthenationalre-sponsetotheDeepwaterHorizonoilspill.TheCenter’sseepmappingeffortscontinuetobeofnationalandinternationalinterestaswebegintousethemtohelpquantifythefluxofmethaneintotheoceanandatmo-sphere.Theinitialwater-columnstudiesfundedbythisgranthaveledtomanynewopportunitiesincludingfollow-upworkthathasbeenfundedbytheNationalScienceFoundation,theOfficeofNavalResearch,theDept.ofEnergy,andtheSloanFoundation.

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Figure ES-1. JHC/CCOM and UNH receiving credit on ABC National News for imagery of the seafloor in the vicinity of the Malaysia airline MH370 search area.


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Executive Summary

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Thevalueofourvisualization,water-columnmapping,andChartoftheFuturecapabilitieshavealsobeendemon-stratedbyourworkwithStellwagenNationalMarineSanctuaryaimedatfacilitatinganadaptiveapproachtoreduc-ingtheriskofcollisionsbetweenshipsandendangeredNorthAmericanRightWhalesinthesanctuary.Wehavedeveloped4D(spaceandtime)visualizationtoolstomonitortheunderwaterbehaviorofwhales,aswellastonotifyvesselsofthepresenceofwhalesintheshippinglanesandtomonitorandanalyzevesseltrafficpatterns.Describingourinteractionwiththisproject,DanBasta,DirectoroftheOfficeofNationalMarineSanctuaries,said:

…I am taking this opportunity to thank you for the unsurpassed support and technical expertise that the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/NOAA-UNH Joint Hydrographic Center provides NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Our most recent collaboration to produce the innovative marine conservation tool Whale-Alert is a prime example of the important on-going relationship between our organizations. WhaleAlert is a software program that displays all mariner-relevant right whale conservation measures on NOAA nautical charts via iPad and iPhone devices. The North American right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large animals and its protection is a major NOAA and ONMS responsibility. The creation of WhaleAlert is a major accomplishment as NOAA works to reduce the risk of collision between commercial ships and whales, a major cause of whale mortality.

...WhaleAlert brings ONMS and NOAA into the 21st century of marine conservation. Its development has only been possible because of the vision, technical expertise, and cooperative spirit that exist at CCOM/JHC and the synergies that such an atmosphere creates. CCOM/JHC represents the best of science and engineering and I look forward to continuing our highly productive relationship.”

StatementsfromseniorNOAAmanagersandtheactionsofotherhydrographicagenciesandtheindustrialsectorprovideclearevidencethatwearemakingarealcontributiontoNOAAandtheinternationalcommunity.Wewillcertainlynotstopthere.CUBE,theNavigationSurface,GeoCoder,andtheChartoftheFutureofferframeworksuponwhichnewinnovationsarebeingbuiltandnewefficienciesgained.Additionally,theseachievementsprovideastart-ingpointforthedeliveryofarangeofhydrographicandnon-hydrographicmappingproductsthatsetthesceneformanyfutureresearchefforts.

Highlights from Our 2014 Program Oureffortsin2014representthecontinuedgrowthandrefinementofsuccessfulongoingresearchprogramscom-binedwiththeevolutionofnewprogramsdevelopedwithinthesevenresearchthemesprescribedbytheCoopera-tiveAgreementwithNOAA(Sensors,Processing,HabitatandWaterColumnMapping,IOCM,Visualization,ChartoftheFuture,andLawoftheSea).In2014,asin2013,someofoureffortshavebeendivertedtoresearchanddataprocessingassociatedwithanimmediateneed—responsetoHurricaneSandy.ThishasledtoarapidincreaseinthestaffattheCenterin2014(threenewCenteremployeesandsixnewNOAAcontractemployees).AlthoughthecostsassociatedwithmostofthenewstaffandmuchoftheSuperStormSandyrelatedeffortarenotbeingcoveredbytheJointHydrographicCentergrant,theworkbeingconducteddrawsupon,andislinkedto,manyoftheeffortsfundedbytheJHCgrant.TheselectionoftheCenterasthevenuefortheSuperStormSandyworkisfurtherevidenceoftherelevanceoftheJHC-fundedworktoNOAAandthenation.

TheCenterwasalsocalledupontohelpwithaninternationaldisaster—themysteriouslossofAirMalaysiaFlightMH370.AspartofourGEBCO/NipponFoundationBathymetricTrainingProgram,researchersandstudentsintheCenterhavebeencompilingallavailablebathymetricdatafromtheIndianOcean.WhenMH370waslost,theGov-ernmentofAustraliaandseveralmajormediaoutletscametotheCenterforthebestavailablerepresentationsoftheseafloorinthevicinityofthecrash(FigureES-1).Thedataweprovidedwereusedduringthesearchandweredis-playedbothonTVandintheprintmedia.

Asourresearchprogressesandevolvestheinitiallyclearboundariesbetweenthethemeshavebecomemoreandmoreblurred.Forexample,fromaninitialfocusonsonarsensorswehaveexpandedoureffortstoincludelidarandsatelliteimagery.Ourdata-processingeffortsareevolvingintohabitatcharacterization,mid-watermappingandIOCMefforts.Thedata-fusionandvisualizationprojectsarealsoblendingwithourseafloorcharacterization,habitat,andChartoftheFutureeffortsaswebegintodefinenewsetsof“non-traditional”products.Thisblendingisanatural(anddesirable)evolutionthatslowlychangesthenatureoftheprogramsandthethrustofourefforts.Whiletheboundariesbetweenthethemesareoftendiffuseandoftensomewhatarbitrary,ourProgressReportmaintainsthethematicdivisions;thehighlightsoutlinedbelowofferonlyaglimpseattheCenter'sactivities,buthopefullyprovidekeyexamplesofthisyear'sefforts.

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SensorsWecontinuetoworkcloselywithNOAAandtheman-ufacturersofsonarandlidarsystemstobetterunder-standandcalibratethebehaviorofthesensorsusedtomakethehydrographicandothermeasurementsusedforoceanmapping.Manyofthesetakeadvantageofouruniqueacoustictesttankfacility,thelargestofitskindinNewEnglandandnowequippedwithstate-of-the-arttestandcalibrationfacilities.Thisyear,thefacilitywasupgradedtoincludeanautomatedmecha-nismtoperformcompletethree-dimensionalcom-binedtransmit/receivebeam-patternmeasurementsoftransducersinasinglerun.Usingtheseupgradedca-pabilities,anumberofsonarswerecalibratedthisyearincludingbroadbandNOAAfisheriessonarsandwide-bandtransceiversandanewResonT20-PmultibeamsonarfromNOAA’sOfficeofCoastSurvey.TheT20-Pwasalsousedtofurtherourworkonthedevelopmentoftechniquestocalibratesonarsystemsalreadymount-edonlaunches(ratherthanthetime-consuminganddifficultprocessofbringingthesonartothecalibrationtank)andtobetterunderstandtheabilityofmultibeamsonarsystemstoresolvesmalltargets(FigureES-2).

TheexpertiseoftheCenterwithrespecttoMBEShasbeenrecognizedthroughanumberofrequestsforCenterpersonneltoparticipateinfieldacceptancetri-alsofnewlyinstalledsonarsinthefleet.TheCenterhastakenalead(throughfundingfromtheNationalScienceFoundation)intheestablishmentofanationalMultibeamAdvisoryCommittee(MAC)withthegoalofensuringthatconsistentlyhigh-qualitymultibeamdataarecollectedacrosstheU.S.AcademicResearchFleetandothervessels.TheexperiencegainedfromourMACactivitieswillbefeddirectlybackintooursupportofNOAAmission-relatedresearchandeducation.Partofthiseffortisthedevelopmentanddisseminationofbest-practicesdocumentationandquality-assuranceandperformance-predictionsoftwarethathaveal-readybeenintroducedintotheNOAAfleet.In2014,theMACteamperformedShipboardAcceptanceTrials(SAT)fornewlyinstalledorupgradedmultibeamsonarsontheresearchvesselsNathanial B. PalmerandSiku-liaq.LCDRSamGreenawayfromNOAA’sOCSjoinedtheCenterMACteamfortheSATontheSikuliaqtoassurethatthetechniquesandprotocolsdevelopedfortheUNOLSfleetaresharedwithNOAA.TheMACteamalsoperformedannualmaintenanceandcheckoutsofthemultibeamsystemsaboardtheSchmidtOceanInstitute’sR/VFalkorandtheOceanExplorationTrust’sE/VNautilusandcontinuedwiththedevelopmentofasuiteofpubliclyavailablesoftwaretoolsfortheanalysisandinterpretationofmultibeamsonarperformance.

Inourevaluationofnewsensorsandtheirapplicabilitytohydrographicproblems,wehave,throughcollabora-tionwithProf.ArtTrembanisattheUniversityofDela-ware,beenexploringtheviabilityofusingAutonomousUnderwaterVehicles(AUVs)asaplatformforhydro-graphicmeasurements.Thisyear,severalAUVsurveyswereundertakenincollaborationwiththeUniversityofDelaware(habitatmappingoffAssateagueNationalParkandastudyoftheimpactofdredgingonscal-lops).ThemostimportantAUV-relatedactivitywastheCenter’shosting(withProf.Trembanis)of“AUVHydro-graphicBootcamp2014”atUNH’scoastalmarinefacil-ityinNewCastle,NH.AUVBootcampisaresearchandengineeringworkshopfocusedonfurtheringtheartofhydrographicsurveyingfromautonomousunderwatervehicles(FigureES-3).TheeventprovidedaspecialopportunitytooperateNOAA’sREMUS600AUVwithexperiencedoperatorsandhydrographersfromthepublic,private,andmilitarysectors,andtoscrutinizeeverydetailofoperations,datacollection,andprocess-inginahydrographiccontext.Therewere44attendeesatthisyear’sbootcamp,including19fromindustry,fourfromtheUSNavy,11academics,twofromtheUKMinistryofDefense,andeightfromNOAA.Softwaredevelopersfromvendorsthatprovidebathymetric

Figure ES-2. Various targets placed in the Center’s acoustic test tank to test their detectability with a RESON T20-P MBES. The sonar was operated from right to left in the image (top), on the far side of the targets such that they appear in the port side of the swath. The full data set across all targets is shown on bottom side of figure.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

processingpackagesplayalargeroleinAUVBootcampbyinteractingwithAUVoperatorsandhydrographerswhileidentifyingshortcomingsintheirprocessingapproachesthatareuniquetoAUVsurveys.

ThisyearalsosawtheinitiationofaneffortdesignedtoexplorethefeasibilityofusingAutonomousSurfaceVehicles(ASVs)asaplatformforthecollectionofhydro-graphicdata.Ourefforthastwocomponentsatthispoint.First,graduatestudentandNOAACorpsOfficerLTJGDamianMandaisfocusinghisthesiseffortonthedevelopmentsoftwarethatwillallowasmallautonomoussurfacevehicletoconducthydrographicsurveys.Thesoftwarewillallowacrafttostartfromagivenlineandcompleteasurveyareawithoutpreviousknowledgeofthebathymetry.Vehicletrackswillbeadaptedbasedondetectedhazardsanddynamicallyseparateddependingonthedepthforapplicabilitytovaryingmultibeamswaths.InconjunctionwithDamian’swork,ValSmithisleadinganefforttoestab-lishthecapabilitiesofcurrentcommercialoff-the-shelfASVsystems.

ProcessingInconcertwithoureffortsfocusedonunderstandingthebehaviorandlimitationsofthesensorsweuse,wearealsodevelopingasuiteofprocessingtoolsaimedatimprovingtheefficiencyofproducingtheend-productswedesirebut,justasimportantly,aimedatquantifying(andreducingifpossible)theuncertaintyassociatedwiththemeasurementswemake.Theseefforts,ledbyBrianCalder,arenowdirectedonfurtherdevelop-mentofthenextgenerationoftheCUBEapproachtobathymetricdataprocessing,analgorithmcalledCHRT(CUBEwithHierarchicalResolutionTechniques).CHRTisasoftwarearchitectureforrobustbathymetricdataprocessingthattakesthecoreestimatorfromtheCUBEalgorithmandembedsitinasystemthatallowsforvariableresolutionofdatarepresentationthatisdataadaptive,meaningthatthedensityofdatacollectedisreflectedintheresolutionoftheestimatesofdepth.

Thisyear’seffortshavefocusedonworkinfourareas:1)afully-distributedversionofthealgorithm;2)transi-tiontopracticeoftheserialandsingle-processorparal-lelversionsofthealgorithminconjunctionwithNOAAandCenterindustrialpartners;3)improvementstothecorealgorithmtosupportinteractivedataanalysisinimplementation;and4)extensionstothealgorithmtoallowfirst-orderslopecorrectionbasedonpreliminaryrobustestimatesofsurfaceparameters.Mostimpor-tantlytheco-developmentmodeldevelopedbytheCenterappearstobeworkingandprogresshasbeenmadeintheimplementationofCHRTwithourIndus-trialPartners,assuringthatthealgorithmswillbeavail-ableforusebyNOAAandthebroadercommunityinatimelymanner.

Oureffortstounderstanduncertaintyandimprovedata-processingflowhavealsoexpandedtoanalterna-tivetypeofswath-mappingsonar—thosethatusemul-tiplerowsofoffsetarraystodeterminedepththroughthemeasurementofphasedifferences.Thesesonarscanofferwiderswathcoverage(andthusincreasesurveyefficiency)butthereareanumberofoutstand-ingquestionsaboutthequalityofthebathymetricdatatheyproduceandthedifficultiesassociatedwithprocessing.Toaddresstheseissues,ValSchmidtandothershavebeendevelopingnewapproachestophase-measuringbathymetricsonar(PMBS)processing(“MostProbableAngle”algorithm)and,withthis,havebeenquantifyingtheuncertaintyassociatedwiththesemea-surements.Thisyear,SchmidthasbeenworkingcloselywithIndustrialPartnersKleinandEdgetechandhasbeenabletoidentifyconceptualerrorsinthewaythirdpartyprocessingpackageshandleduncertaintydata

Figure ES-3. AUV Hydrographic Bootcamp 2014, held in August at the University’s Marine Facility in New Castle, NH provided oppor-tunities for engineers and developers to gain hands-on experience in hydrographic survey with an AUV. More than 45 participants from government, industry, and academia participated, working with a NOAA REMUS 600 AUV.


Executive Summary


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fromthesesystems.Schmidtworkedwithallinvolvedtoresolvetheseissues,greatlyincreasingthepotentialusefulnessofPMBSdataforhydrographicapplications(FigureES-4)ofthedataproducedbythesesystemsforhydrographicapplications.

Acurrenttrendinhydrographicpracticeistheincreas-inginterestincrowdsourcedbathymetricmeasure-ments(alsoknownasvolunteeredgeospatialinfor-mation,orVGI).Althoughthereareanumberofprojectsunderwaytocollectbathymetricdatawiththeostensibleintentofcreatingorupdatingcharts,most(ifnotall)hydrographicofficesarereluctanttoacceptnon-professionalsurveydataforchartupdatebecauseoftheliabilityissuesinvolved.Toaddresstheseissues,theCenterhasinitiatedanewprojecttoinvestigateanalternativeapproachtotheproblemwhere,insteadofgatheringdataofuncertainprovenanceandthenattemptingtomakeitsuitableforchartingthroughsomesophisticatedprocessing,amoresophisticateddatacollectionsystemisdevelopedthat,bydesign,gathersdatathatisofdemonstrablequality,andpref-erablyofsufficientqualitytobeusedforchartupdates.Theproposedapproachprovidesadedicateddatacap-turedevice(usingasmallembeddedprocessor)alongwithhigh-precisionpositionalinformationandalow-costimagingsonar.Thisapproach,intheory,allowssufficientdatatobecollectedtoapplypost-processedpositioningtechniquesandestimatedepthsautono-mousofshipoperations.Theassociateddataflowpathallowsforrapidpublicationofdatainnationalarchiveswithfullmetadata,andforvalue-addeddataaggrega-torstobuildservicesontopoftherawdata.Inparallelwiththeseefforts,wearealsoexploringthelimitsofconventionalCrowdSourcedBathymetrysystems;i.e.,

usingshipsofopportunitywithuncontrolledbathy-metricdatacollectionsystems).WorkingwithIndustrialPartnerSURVICEEngineering,ARGUSdatacollectedinBaltimoreHarborhasbeenexaminedtobetterunder-standthevalueofthesedatafromachartingperspec-tive(FigureES-5).

Inconcertwithoureffortstoimprovetheprocessingofbathymetricdata,wearealsofocusingsignificanteffortontryingtoimproveapproachestoprocessingback-scatter(amplitude)datathatarecollectedsimultane-ouslywiththebathymetricdatabuthavetraditionallynotbeenusedbyhydrographicagencies.Backscatterdataarebecomingmoreandmoreimportantaswerecognizethepotentialforseafloor

Figure ES-4. On the left, Edgetech 6205 data is shown, collected over the Portsmouth Harbor sand wave field and grid-ded at 0.5 m. Depths range from 1m (red) to ~28m (purple). On the right, uncertainty for this surface, 0 (red) to 0.15 m (purple), measured as the standard deviation of soundings contributing to each grid node) expressed at the 1-sigma level. IHO Special Order for these water depths is approximately 0.13 m at the 1-sigma level indicating this survey would likely meet NOAA requirements for IHO Special Order survey.

Figure ES-5.Observation density (observations per square meter) in Baltimore Harbor from ARGUS systems.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

mappingtoprovidequantitativeinformationaboutseafloortypethatcanbeusedforhabitatstudies,engineeringevaluationsandmanyotherapplications.However,itisessentialtounderstandtheuncertaintyassociatedwiththemeasurementofacousticback-

scatterfromtheseafloor.Thefundamentalquestionis:Whenweseeadifferenceinthebackscatterdisplayedinasonarmosaic,doesthisdifferencetrulyrepresentachangeinseafloorcharacteristicsorcanthedifferencebetheresultofchangesininstrumentbehaviorortheoceanenvironment?ThefocusofourefforttoaddressthisdifficultquestionisanewprojectwecalltheNewCastleBackscatterExperiment(NEBEX).Thisproject,whichinvolvesclosecollaborationwithNOAA’sGlenRiceandSamGreenawaybringstogetherseveraldiffer-entexistinglabefforts:MashkoorMalik’sPh.D.thesiswork;CarloLanzoni’sworktowardanabsoluteback-scattercalibrationforMBES;YuriRzhanov’simageryanalyses;SamGreenawayandGlenRice’seffortstodevelopfieldproceduresforproperbackscatterdatacollection;backscattermosaicing(GeoCoder);back-scatterinversion;andbackscattergroundtruth(e.g.,

opticalimagery,bottomsampling,andhighaccuracypositioning).AssociatedwiththiseffortisourworkcalibratingindividualsonarsandaddressingconcernsraisedbyourNOAApartnersaboutspecificsystemstheyareusinginthefield.Inbringingtogetherscien-tistswithdisparatebackgroundstoaddressacommonproblem,theNEWBEXprojectepitomizesthestrengthoftheCenter.Asproblemsarise,wecancalluponlocalexpertise(beitsignalprocessing,imageprocess-ing,geology,acoustics,etc.)toquicklyandcollabora-tivelyseeksolutions.Toolsandprotocolsdevelopedaspartofthiseffort(e.g.,abackscatter“saturationmonitor”developedbyGlenRice)anddesignedtoensurehigh-qualitybackscatterdataarecollected,havealreadybeenimplementedintheNOAAhydrographicfleet.

InlateDecember2013,wefinishedaneight-monthfieldcampaignthatestablisheda“standardbackscat-terline”convenientlylocatedneartheUNHpierinNewCastle,NH.ThislinewaschoseninconsultationwiththeofficersoftheNOAAShipHasslerandwillbecrossedbytheHasslerwheneversheleavesorreturnstoherhomeport.Indevelopingthisline,wecollectedweekly200kHzcalibratedEK60data,weeklysedi-mentsamplesattwolocations,andseveralseasonalsamplingtripswheremoresedimentsamplesandbot-tomimageswerecollectedatseverallocationsalongtheline.Thelinepassesoveravarietyofseabedtypesincludingsandwithshellhash,cleansand,sandwithsanddollars,gravel,andacomplicatedregionwithabedrock/cobble/gravel/sandmixture(FigureES-6).Thevarietyofsedimenttypesprovidesanexcellenttest-bedforstudyinghigh-frequencyacousticbackscatterfromarangeofseafloorconditions.Grain-sizeanalysessug-gestthatthesedimentcompositionofeachoftheseregionsisverystable.

Remarkably,theanalysisofthe200-kHzacousticback-scatterinthisregionsuggeststhatthebackscatterfromtheentirelineisstationary(FigureES-7,left)evenintheregionofstrongcurrentsandbedforms.Tobetterunderstandtheprocessesthatcontrolhigh-frequency

Figure ES-6. Location map of the NEWBEX transect, the 2013 sampling stations (targets), and an initial division of seafloor types.

Figure ES-7. Time series of seafloor backscatter from select locations along the NEWBEX line (left) Deployment of ground- truthing system at sandwave site. Note the contrasting orientation of the sandwaves and the ripples.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

seafloorbackscatter,wearenowcollectingwide-bandacousticdataatselectedsitesalongtheline,testingthehypothesisthatthefrequencyresponseoftheseafloormightofferanothertoolfordiscriminatingbetweenseabedtypes.Tofurtherinvestigatebasichigh-frequen-cybackscattermechanisms,weconductedatargetedfieldcampaignaimedatahightemporal-resolutionacousticexperimentinthesandwavefield.Intheseareas,wecollectedcalibratedacousticbackscatteroverawiderangeoffrequencieswhilesimultaneouslycol-lectingdatathatdescribesthetemporalchangesintheseabedroughness,aswellascollectingbottomsamplesthatcanbeusedtodeterminegrainsizeandshellhashcontent(FigureES-7,right).Theprimaryobjectiveofthisexperimentwastogatherdatathatcanhelpiden-tifythemaincontributortoacousticbackscatteratthissite(e.g.,surfaceroughness,shellhash,grainsize).

Ourprocessingeffortshaveextendedbeyondacousticsystemstoalsolookatthedevelopmentofbetterwaystoextractinformationaboutbathymetry,navigation,andshorelinesfromlidar,photogrammetryorsatelliteimagery.Overthepastyear,manyofourresearchef-fortsinthisareahavebeenfocusedondatainareasimpactedbySuperStormSandyandhavebeencoordi-natedwiththeSuperStormSandygrantteam.

AspartoftheCenter’sefforttosupportpost-hurricaneSandyreliefactivities,membersoftheSuperStormSandygrantteamaredevelopingprocessingapproach-esforestablishingpre-andpost-stormshorelineanderosionmapsalongtheNewJerseycoastusingEAARL-Btopo-bathylidar(FigureES-8)collectedbytheU.S.GeologicalSurvey(USGS).

AlsoassociatedwiththeSuperStormSandyeffortisaprojectaimedattheautomaticidentificationof

marinedebris.Typically,submergedma-rinedebrisisidentifiedbyahumanop-eratorthroughthesubjectiveevaluationofsidescan-sonarrecords.Ourprojectex-plorestheuseofautomatedapproachestotheidentificationandclassificationofsubmergedmarinedebrisusingthetech-niquesdevelopedforthedetectionofmines,unexplodedordinanceandpipe-lineswiththesignificantdifferenceofamuchwiderrangeofpotentialtargets.Anadaptivefusionalgorithm(calledMa-rineTargetDetectionandObjectRecogni-tion—MATADOR)isbeingdevelopedthatrespondstochangesintheenvironment,context,andhumanskills.

Wehavealsoenhancedoureffortstodevelopapproachesforderivingbathy-

metryfromsatelliteimageryandforassessingthevalueofthesedataforchangeanalysis,habitatmapping,andhydrographicsurveyplanning.Thisyear,weworkedincollaborationwithNOAAtoapplythetechniqueswehavedevelopedtoderivebathymetryfromLandsatandWorldView-2imageryfromBechevinBay,AlaskaandBougeInlet,SouthCarolina.InBechevinBay,thesatel-lite-derivedbathymetrywasusedtomapice-inducedchangesinnavigationchannelsandthusprovideaguideforthelocationofcontractsurveys.Thisworkwasrec-ognizedinaletterofappreciationfromtheUSCG.TheworkinBougeInletdemonstratedtheviabilityofusingsatellite-derivedbathymetrytomapchangesinthe“Ma-gentaLine,”thelineplacedonNOAAchartstomarkthecenterofnavigationchannelsintheIntercoastalWater-way(FigureES-9).

Figure ES-8. A transect across a channel in Barnegat Bay shows the creation of a new shoal, significant shift of the channel, and a change in morphology due to the effects of the storm.

Figure ES-9. Satellite-derived bathymetry (Landsat 8) over Bouge Inlet, South Carolina superimposed on the NOAA chart. In some locations along the channel, a horizontal shift is noticeable between the charted channel and the bathymetry derived from satellite imagery.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

Habitat and Water-Column Mapping remoteseafloorcharacterization.AlthoughGeoCoderhasbeenimplementedbyanumberofourindustrialpartners,manyquestionsremainaboutthecalibrationofthesonars(e.g.,workdescribedintheSENSORSandPROCESSINGsections)andtheinherentnatureoftheapproachesusedtosegmentandcharacterizeseafloorproperties.Thisyear’seffortsfocusedonunderstandingtheprocessesresponsibleforhigh-frequencyacousticbackscatter(seediscussionoftheNEWBEXexperimentabove).TheknowledgegainedfromtheNEWBEXex-perimentwillthenbeusedtoupdatetheGeoCoderalgorithms.

Beyondtheidentificationofseafloorsedimenttype,wearealsolookingatmeanstoquantifytheacousticre-sponseofeelgrass,aremarkablydiverseandproductiveecosystemthatcreatesimportanthabitatsforawiderangeofspecies.Althoughmathematicalmodelsexisttopredictthemovementofeelgrassundervaryingcur-rentconditions,therelationshipofthesemovementstoanacousticresponsehasnotbeenevaluated.Toaddressthisproblem,graduatestudentAshleyNorton,underthesupervisionofSemmeDijkstra,isdevelopingacatalogueoftheacousticresponseofeelgrass(FigureES-10)andhasbuiltalargegoniometer-likedevicethatisplacedontheseaflooroveraneelgrassbed(FigureES-11).Thedeviceisequippedwithavideocameraandcurrentmetertomeasurealloftheparametersthat

Oureffortstounderstandandcalibratetheacousticandopticalsensorsweuse(SENSORStheme)andtodevelopsoftwaretoprocessthedatatheyproduceinanefficientmannerwhileminimizingandquantify-ingtheuncertaintyassociatedwiththemeasurements(PROCESSINGtheme),aredirectedtotheproduction

ofproductsthatnotonlysupportsafenavigationbutcanalsoprovideinformationcriticaltofisheriesman-agementandotherenvironmentalandengineeringproblems.Theseeffortshavefocusedonunderstand-ingandinterpretingthebackscatter(bothfromtheseafloorandmorerecently,withtheadventofanewgenerationofmultibeamsonars,inthewatercolumn),andgeneratingtoolstousethisinformationtoprovidekeyinformationusefultomarinemanagers.OurinitialeffortsinacousticseafloorcharacterizationfocusedaroundthedevelopmentofGeoCoder,asoftwarepack-agedesignedtoproducefullycorrectedbackscattermosaics,calculateanumberofbackscatterstatistics,andperformaconstrainedARA(AngularResponseAnalysis)inversionthatisdesignedtoanalyzethean-gularresponseofthebackscatterasanapproachto

Figure ES-10. Acoustic response of eelgrass.

Figure ES-11. Instrumented goniometer. This device supports the deployment of a current meter and a video camera in fixed position relative to an eelgrass bed, as well as an echosounder focused on the same location on the seabed, but at number of different angles of incidence

Figure ES-12. 2012 infrared image of Barnegat Bay, NJ. Inset: Map of four separate habitat types generated in eCognition by combining aerial images, waveform fea-tures, and bathymetry derived from the NOAA Riegl VQ-820-G topographic-bathymetric lidar system.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

affecttheeelgrass’sapparentmorphology.Inaddition,anarrow-beamechosounder(FigureES-11)thatcanstepthroughanumberofincidenceanglesandthatisalwaysaimedatthesamepatchoftheseafloorismountedonthegoniometer.

Alongwithourworkthatusesacousticdatatoattempttoextractcriticalhabitatdata,wearealsoworkingontechniquestoquantitativelyanalyzelidar,hyperspectral,andopticalimagery.Thispastyear,oureffortshavebeencloselylinkedtotheSuperStormSandyworkwhereCenterresearchersusedNOAAtopo-bathylidardatatodirectlymapbenthichabitatsinBarnegatBayandtodocumentchangesinsubmergedaquaticvegetationhabitatthatresultedfromthehurricane(FiguresES-12andES-13).

Theeffortsdescribedabovehavefocusedonthesea-floor.Anewgenerationofmultibeamsonarsnowhastheabilitytosimultaneouslymapboththeseafloorandthewatercolumn.Theabilitytoimagethewatercol-umnandtheseaflooroverwideswathswithhigh-res-olutionoffersgreatopportunitiesfornewapplicationsandincreasedsurveyefficiencies.TheCenterhasbeenveryactiveinthedevelopmentofnewtoolstocapture,analyze,andvisualizewatercolumndataandthesetoolsprovedextremelyvaluableinoureffortstomapthedeepoilplumeandmonitortheintegrityoftheMacondowellheadduringtheDeepwaterHorizoncrisis(seethe2010annualreportforafulldescriptionofouractivitiesrelatedtoDeepwaterHorizon).ImmediatelyfollowingtheDeepwaterHorizonexplosionandleakof

theMacondowellhead,weproposedtheuseofa30kHzmultibeamsonarwithwatercolumncapability(aKongs-bergMaritimeEM302)asapotentialtoolformappingdeepoilandgasspillsandmonitoringthewellheadforleaks.Atthetimeofthespill,suchasystemwasnotavailablesoweusedfisher-iessonarsinstead.InAugustandSeptember2011,wefinallyhadtheopportunitytobringtheEM302multibeamechosounderonboardtheNOAAShipOkeanos ExplorertotheGulfofMexicoanddemon-stratetheuseofwa-tercolumndataforthede-tectionandcharacterizationofmethanegasseepsoverlargeareas.Duringthisrela-

tivelyshortcruise(lessthantwoweeksofactivemap-ping),wemapped17,477km2ofthenorthernGulfofMexicomaking573seepobservations.Theresultsfromthiscruisesuggestedthatwide-scalemappingofseepsinthedeepGulfofMexico—anobjectivethatisimportantforbothscientificandindustrymanagementperspectives—isviable.

Figure ES-13. Digitized aerial imagery depicting areas of submerged aquatic vegetation in Barnegat Bay Inlet for 2002, 2006-2007, 2010, and 2012-2013.

Figure ES-14. Methane seeps (vertical plumes) observed by the Okeanos Explorer on the western Atlantic Margin overlaid on bathymetry (ETOP02).


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

In2013and2014,thetoolswedevelopedwereusedtoexploreforseepsinareasoutsideoftheGulfofMexicoresultinginremarkablefindsofunknownseepactivityontheAtlanticMargin(FigureES-14).Ourcur-renteffortsarefocusedonusingouracousticdatatoattempttodeterminethefluxofmethanefromtheseseeps,aswellasthefateofthemethaneasitrisesthroughthewatercolumn.Todothis,weareusinganewlydevelopedbroadbandtransceiver(aSimradEK80)tocollectwidebanddatathatprovideshigherresolutiondetectionoftargetsand,mostimportantly,allowsforanestimationofthedistributionofbubblesizes.Measurementsofgas-seeptargetstrengthsacrossawiderangeoffrequenciescanbeinvertedforestimatesofthedistributionofbubblesizesand,subsequently,estimatesoffreegaswithintheplume.Frequency-dependentchangesinthetargetstrengthsofgasbubblesthatrisethroughthewatercolumnmayalsohelpconstrainmodelsfortheevolutionandfateofgasbubblesastheyrisetothesurfaceandwillhelpdeterminewhatfractionofthegasthatexitsthesea-flooriscapableofreachingtheatmosphere.Todate,wehavecollectedwide-banddatafromseveralAtlanticMarginseepsandfromseepsintheEasternSiberianArcticOcean.

Whiletheapplicationsofwatercolumnmappingdescribedabovehavenothaddirectrelevancetohydrographicproblems,in2014NOAAPhysicalScien-tistandgraduatestudentKatrinaWyllieembarkedonathesisprojectde-signedtodirectlyexploretheapplicabilityofMBES-derivedwater-columndatafordeterminingleastdepthsonwrecks.Theestimatedleastdepthswerecomparedfrommultibeambathymetry(standardbottomdetec-tions)andmulti-beamwater-columndataovereightdifferentwreckscol-lectedbyNOAAvessels.Water-columnleastdepthsweredeterminedforthewrecksandthenwere

comparedtoadiverinvestigation(thegroundtruth)andthedepthpickedbythesonarmanufacturers’bottom-detectionsoftware(FigureES-15).Themulti-beambottom-detectionalgorithminbothKongsbergandResonmultibeamsonarsfailedtodetectsomeofthewreckmasts,aspreviousinternationalstudieshavefound.Themajorityofthemultibeamleastdepthswerewithinthecalculateddepthuncertaintiesoftheestimatedmultibeamwater-columnleastdepths,butalloftheestimatedwater-columnleastdepthswereshoalerthantheMBESbottomdetectleastdepths.Themostsignificantfailureofmultibeambathymetryoccurredonverticalmasts(highaspectratiofeatures)withthemagnitudesofthosefailuresintherangeofseveralmeters.Asaresultofthisstudy,NOAAhydro-graphicvesselshavedemonstratedthattheycancollectmultibeamwater-columndataoverwrecksandthatmultibeamwater-columndatacollectionandprocess-ingoverwrecksisthebestmethodavailabletosupportNOAA’smissiontoprovideaccuratenavigationprod-uctsthatensuremarinersafety.

Figure ES-15. (a) Bathymetry lines collected over Women’s Bay wreck. (b) Analyzed bathymetry line of wreck with least depth position indicated. (c) Water column exported point cloud of wreck with the fan at the timestamp of the least depth. (d) Verified 1m bathymetry surface with water column point cloud and fan indicating aprroximate 3m distance between designated and estimated position of wreck least depth.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

IOCM―Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping AcriticalcomponentoftheCenter’s2010-2015pro-posalwastoestablishanIntegratedOceanandCoastalMappingProcessingCenterthatwouldsupportNOAA’snewlyfocusedeffortsonIntegratedCoastalandOceanMapping.ThisnewCenterbringstofruitionyearsofefforttodemonstratetothehydrographiccommunitythatthedatacollectedinsupportofsafenavigationmayhavetremendousvalueforotherpurposes.Itisthetangibleexpressionofamantrawehavelong-es-poused:“maponce-usemanytimes.”Thefundamen-talpurposeofthenewCenteristodevelopprotocolsforturningdatacollectedforsafetyofnavigationintoproductsusefulforfisherieshabitat,environmentalstudies,archeologicalinvestigations,andmanyotherpurposesand,conversely,toestablishwaystoensurethatdatacollectedfornon-hydrographicpurposes(e.g.,fisheries,oceanexploration,etc.)willbeusefulforcharting.

EpitomizingtheIOCMconcepthavebeenoureffortsaboardtheNOAAfisheriesvesselOscar Dyson.In2011and2012,whiletheDysonwasconductingroutineacoustictrawlsurveys,wewereabletosimultane-ouslyextractbathymetrydata(todate,morethan452squarenauticalmilesofbathymetricdata—alongwithuncertaintyandcalibratedbackscatterderivedfromtheME70—havebeensubmittedforcharting),andproducehabitatmapsoftrawlableanduntrawlableseafloor.Oneofthemostexcitingaspectsofthiseffortwasthediscoveryinthe2011ME70dataofaprevi-ouslyunchartedshoalthatledtoachartupdateandDangertoNavigation(DTON)warning.Thus,fromasinglefisheriessonar(ME-70)andafisheriescruisededicatedtoacoustic-trawlsurveys,seafloorhabitatdata,bathymetricdataforcharting,andaspecificDan-gertoNavigationwereallderived—allfromasonarthatwasnotpurchasedtomaptheseafloor.

Our2014IOCMeffortsfocusedoncollaborationswiththeOfficeofCoastSurvey,OfficeofOceanExplorationandResearch,NationalMarineFisheriesService,andwithNOS’sMarineModelingandDevelopmentOffice.Theadditionin2014oftheSuperStormSandyGrantandContractteamsbringsmuchgreaterdepthtoourIOCMeffortsasalmostalloftheworktheseteamsdofitswellwithincontextoftheIOCMtheme.

BuildingonearlierworkofJonathanBeaudointocorrectbackscatterproblemsontheNOAAShipFair-weather,SarahWolfskehlhasprocessedbackscatterfromtheFairweatherandsubmittedthesedatatotheNationalGeophysicalDataCenter(NGDC).In2014,

Sarahprocessedbackscatterdatafor13hydrographicsurveyscollectedbytheNOAAShipFairweatherin2010(FigureES-16).Therawdata,processeddataandbackscattermosaicswerearchivedatNGDCandareavailabletosupportseabedclassificationandhabitatmappingforNOAAandoutsideorganizations.

SarahhasalsoworkedonputtingtheapproachesdevelopedattheCenterforderivinghydrographicdatafromfisheriessonarsintopractice.SimradME70fisher-iesmultibeamechosounders(MBES)arenowinstalledoneachoffiveNOAAFisheriesSurveyVessels(FSV).SoftwaredevelopedattheCenterforproducingbathy-metryandseafloorbackscatterfromthesesystemsisnowbeingintegratedwiththeHypackacquisitionsoftwarethatisstandardlyusedonthesevessels.ThisintegrationenablestheME70tosimultaneouslycollectwatercolumnandbathymetricdata,improvingsurveyoperationsaboardtheFSVsbyincreasingdatacol-lection,enablingvisualizationofME70bathymetryinreal-time,andprovidingmappinganddataprocessingtools.InMay,wereceivedaversionoftheintegratedsoftwarefromHypackandhavebeenworkingwiththeNationalMarineFisheriesServiceandOfficeofMarineandAviationOperationstodevelopatesting,training,andimplementationplan.InJune,webeganimple-mentationandtestingaboardtheNOAAShipPisces;StandardOperatingProceduresweredevelopedandwillbesharedwiththeotherFSVs.

EpitomizingtheconceptofIOCMisthemultipurposeuseof“thirdparty”dataforcharting.AspartofourLawoftheSeaMappingefforts,Centerscientistscol-

Figure ES-16. Processed backscatter mosaic from survey H11818, collected by the NOAA Ship Fairweather in 2010.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

lectedeightseasonsofmultibeamsonardataontheUSCGIcebreakerHealyintheBeringSeaandArcticOcean.SarahhasperformedanassessmentoftheUSCGCHealymultibeamsystemsandevaluatedthedataqualityfromthesecruisesforuseinapplicationtothenauticalchartintheBeringSeaandArcticOcean.DatafromeachyearwascomparedwithNOAAShipFairweathersurveysintheBeringStrait.Alargepor-tionoftheHealytransitdataareinwaterdepthsthatareconsideredthenearfieldforthepresentlyinstalledKongsbergEM122,aswellastheSeaBeam2112sonartheshipusedinthepast.ThecomparisonwithFair-weatherdataprovidedanassessmentofthequalityandaccuracyofthedata.Inallcases,theagreementwasgoodindicatingthattheHealydataisusableforchartingpurposeseventhoughitwascollectedatrangesconsiderednearfield.

Continuingwiththeobjectiveofevaluatingthird-partydataforapplicationtonauticalcharting,SarahhasalsolookedatmultibeamsonardatacollectedbytheStateofMaineinsupportofaBOEM-fundedefforttolookatoffshoresandandgravelresources.TheoperationalareaoverlappedwithpreviousandplannedsurveyareasoftheNOAAShipHassler.ThiscoordinationhasprovidedauniqueIOCMopportunitywheretheStateofMainedirectlybenefitedfromexistingandplannedNOAAsurveys,andNOAAmaydirectlybenefitfromsurveysconductedbytheStateofMaine.Wearein-deedmappingonceandusingmanytimes,aswellasformalizingtheworkflowsandprotocolsestablishedwiththegoalofmakingtheseprocessesstandardaboardNOAAvesselsaspartoftheNOAAR2Rprogram.

OurIOCMeffortshavealsoextendedtolidardata.Al-thoughmanyquestionsstillremainabouttheviabilityofusingAirborneLidarBathymetry(ALB)dataforhy-drographicpurposes,thereisnoquestionthatthisap-proachprovidesthepotentialfortherapidcollectionofbathymetricdatainveryshallowwaterwheretradition-almultibeamsonarsurveysareleastefficient.Inanef-forttobetterunderstandtheapplicabilityofthird-partyALBdata,theCenterisworkingwithNOAAtolookatUSACEandotheroutsideALBdatasourcestocomparethequalityofthedatacollectedbythesesystems,andtheirstandardsandoperations,toNOAAMBESdataandtoNOAAandinternationalhydrographicsurveystandards.Inthepastyear,theseeffortsfocusedonUSGSEAARL-BTopo-BathylidardatacollectedalongtheeastcoastinresponsetoSuperStormSandyforsubmissiontoOCSforcharting.

VisualizationWecontinuetohaveaverystrongfocusonthedevel-opmentofinnovativeapproachestodatavisualizationandfusionandtheapplicationoftheseapproachestooceanmappingandotherNOAA-relatedproblems.Overthepastfewyears,thevisualizationteam,underthesupervisionofLabDirectorColinWare,hasproducedanumberofnovelandinnovative3Dand4Dvisualizationtoolsdesignedtoaddressarangeofocean-mappingapplications.ThomasButkiewiczandColinWarecontinuetorefinetheiradvancedflowvisualizationtechniquesthatarecriticalforsuccess-fulcommunicationofthecomplexoutputoftoday’sincreasinglyhigh-resolutionoceanicandatmosphericforecastsimulations.Byapplyingwell-foundedpercep-tualtheorytothedesignofvisualrepresentations,thecontentsofthesemodelscanbeeffectivelyillustratedwithoutoverwhelmingtheviewer.Theintegrationofnon-traditionalinterfaces,suchasmulti-touchdisplaysandmotion-capture,supportsmoreefficientandflex-ibleinteractionsthatcanovercomethechallengesoftenencounteredwhenattemptingtonavigateandmanipulatewithin3Denvironments.Finally,anumberofnewanalyticaltoolsallowtheusertoleveragethepredictionsofthesesimulationstosupportotherresearchprojects.

VirtualTestTank4D(VTT4D)isaprojectthatconsoli-datesthevarious3Dand4Dflow-visualizationtech-niquesthatButkiewiczandWarehavedevelopedintoasingleapplicationthatisintendedtobesharedwithotherresearchersandthepublic.VTT4Dreplicatesmanyoftheanalyticabilitiesandthemodelsupportfoundinthepreviousflow-visualizationprojects,butdoessowithinanupdatedcodebaseinaneasytodis-tributeapplication.TheincreasedflexibilityofVTT4D

Figure ES-17. Screenshot of the VTT4D interface showing bathymetry (Isles of Shoals) and flow data.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

allowsusersoutsidetheCentertogenerate4Dvisu-alizationswiththeirowndata,withouttheneedforcustomprogramming.Italsoimplementsmanynewfeaturestosupportanalysisandtoaidpresentation(FigureES-17).

ThemajorityofworkonVTT4Dthisyearhasbeentosupportdifferentmodel/dataformats,refinementoftherenderingtechniquesandtheadditionofmulti-threadedmulti-viewinterfaces.Therearealsosomenewinputandoutputmodesthatmakeiteasiertoimportbathymetrydataandrasterimagesandtoexportbathymetryinvariousformatssuchas3D.objmeshes.SupportforvariouslidarpointcloudssetshasalsobeenaddedtoVTT4D,withtheseultimatelybe-ingtransformedintobathymetric/terrainsurfacesthatcanworkwiththeexistingtools.TerrainrenderingandtexturinghasbeenmovedintocustomOpenGLvertexandfragmentshadersthatimplementveryfast,pixel-accuratecontours,gridlines,colormaps,bandedcolormapsand3DPerlinnoisetexturing.Inaddition,aslopemaploaderwasimplementedtosupportSuperStormSandyresearch.

Asourabilitytoproducepreciselynavigated,high-resolution,renderingsofseafloorbathymetryimproves,wearebeginningtobeabletoaddressthequestionofsmall(orlarge-scaleasinresponsetostormevents)changesintheseafloor.ButkiewiczandWarehavecon-ductedahumanfactorsstudytodeterminetheoptimalmethodstoillustratedynamicallychangingbathymetrysurfaceswithin4Dvisualizations.Theirexperimentssuggestthatstandardrainbowcolormapsarenotoptimalbutfor4Dvisualizations;ifarainbowcolormapisused,itseffectivenesscanbeincreasedbyswitchingfromsmoothinterpolationtosharplydefinedbandsofdiscretecolors.Theresultsofthisstudyaredirectlyapplicabletoenhancinghydrographicvisualiza-tioneffortsattheCenterandelsewhere.

BuildingontheseperceptualstudiesandlinkedtoourworkonSuperStormSandy,Butkieweiczhasalsoundertakenavisualizationeffortfocusedonthedeter-minationoftheoptimalwaystodisplaymarine-debristargetssothatthetime-consumingprocessofhumanevaluationcanbemademoreefficient.Thisinvolvestheautomaticgenerationofmultipleviewsofthetar-getdata,withthevisualizationtechniques,viewingangles,etc.ofeachviewbeingcarefullyselectedtobestrevealanddisambiguatetheshapeofeachtarget.The“MarineDebrisRapidDecisionTool”(MDRDT)isactuallyaspecialmulti-viewversionofVTT4D(FigureES-18).CoupledwiththeMDRDTisaweb-based,inter-activetoolthattakesthelargecollectionsofmarine-de-brisrecordsreceivedfromNOAAandconvertsthemalltoasingledataformat,whichcanthenbeloadedandviewedonaninteractivemap.Userscanclickonpoly-gonsthatdenotesurvey/cleanupregionsandthentheusersarepresentedwithallthedebrisrecordsforthatparticularregion.Theseincludeobstructions,wrecks,submergedobjects,etc.(FigureES-19).

Figure ES-20. Web-based implementation of Lurton’s sonar- equation based multibeam sonar performance tool.

Figure ES-19. Zoomed view of the interactive map showing how debris objects can be queried by moving over them with mouse to get more information.

Figure ES-18. Multi-view Marine Debris Decision Tool.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

Ourvisualizationteamisalsousingtheirskillstofurtherourunderstandingoftheperformanceofmultibeamsonars.WorkingincollaborationwithXavierLurtonofIFREMER,RolandArsenault,hasdevelopedaweb-basedapplicationthatimplementsLurton’ssonar-equation-basedmodelformultibeamsonarperfor-mance.Theweb-basedtoolallowsinputofarangeofsonarspecificationsthatincludefrequency,sourcelevel,pulseduration,pulsetype,bandwidth,transmitandreceivebeamwidths,seafloorbackscatterlevel,noiselevels,detectionthreshold,motionsensoraccuracy,andsoundspeedparameters,andproducesaninteractivegraphicoutputofpredictedsonarperformanceversesdepthandswathwidth(FigureES-20).Thistoolissimi-lartotheonebeingdistributedbytheMAC(seeMACdiscussionundertheDATA PRO-CESSINGtheme),butisweb-basedandinteractiveandthusavailabletoamuchbroaderaudienceaswellasprovidinganexcellentteachingandtrainingtool.

CloselyrelatedtoourCHART OF THE FUTURE theme(seebelow)istheworkofourvisualizationgroupwiththeU.S.NavyandtheInter-nationalHydrographicOrganiza-tiontodevelopanS-100-compliantspecificationfortheportrayaloftidesandcurrents.Surveyresultsofmarinersoverwhelminglysupportthestreamline-typeportrayaldevelopedbytheCenter.Wearealsolookingatoptimalwaystodisplay3Dflowpatternsusing3Dtubesthatfollowstreamlineswithmultiplecrosssec-tionsorprofiles.BasedonearlierworkoftheCenterincollaborationwiththeNowCoastproject,theca-pabilitytodisplayanimatedharborandnear-shoreflowspatternsfrom

operationalforecastmodelsisnowavailableevenwithlowendlaptopanddesktopcomputers,tablets,andevensomesmartphones(FigureES-21).Thesametechnologiescanbeusedtoportraywindandwavefore-casts.However,determinationofthebestwaytouseananimationtopor-traythisinformationhasreceivedlittleattentionbythecommunity.

OurvisualizationteamhasalsobeenworkingwithNOAAfisheriesscientiststocreatevisualizationstohelpinter-

pretfisheriesfood-webinteractions,tointeractivelyex-ploreecosystem-basedmodelsofinteractionsbetweenthekeycommercialspeciesintheregion(FigureES-22).Thesevisualizationtoolstakecomplexmodelinterac-tionsandturnthemintomoreeasilyinterpretedresultsthatcanhelpinformmanagementdecisions.Thetoolsallowformodeledlong-termimpactsofchangesinpolicytobeeasilyseenandunderstoodandpresentedtovariousstakeholders.OureffortsinvisualizingthesubmergedbehaviorofmarinemammalsfromtagdataalsocontinuewithColinWaretakingadvantageofnewlow-costtags,thatnowincludegyroscopes,toprovidemoreinformationabouttheangularvelocityofthetaggedanimalandenablebetterestimatesofenergyexpenditureduringvariousphasesofforaging.

Figure ES-22. Interactive visualization of the forecast for ten Gulf of Maine species based on the NOAA KRAKEN model. The effects of increasing the catch of Elasmobranchs is visualized. The arcs show causal links in the model, with predation in yellow and species competition in grey.

Figure ES-21. Representation of ocean currents. When animated, the flow visualization minimally interferes with other chart data.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

Chart of the FutureInherentintheCenter’sdata-processingphilosophyisourlong-heldbeliefthatthe“products”ofhydro-graphicdataprocessingcanalsoserveavarietyofap-plicationsandconstituencieswellbeyondhydrography.Anotherlong-heldtenetoftheCenteristhatthestan-dardnavigationchartsproducedbytheworld’shydro-graphicauthoritiesdonotdojusticetotheinformationcontentofhigh-resolutionmultibeamandsidescan-sonardata.Wealsobelievethatthemodeofdeliveryoftheseproductswillinevitablybeelectronic—andthustheinitiationof“TheChartoftheFuture”project.Thiseffortdrawsuponourvisualizationteam,oursig-nalandimageprocessors,ourhydrographers,andourmariners.Indoingso,itepitomizesthestrengthofourCenter—theabilitytobringtogethertalentedpeoplewitharangeofskillstofocusonproblemsthatareimportanttoNOAAandthenation.Theefforthashadtwopaths—an“evolutionary”paththattriestoworkwithinexistingelectronicchartingstandards(whichareveryrestrictive),anda“revolutionary”paththatliftstheconstraintofcurrentstandardsandexploresnewapproachesthemayleadtotheestablishmentofnewstandards.Withintheevolutionarytrack,wehaveworkedwithelectronicchartmanufacturersonapproachesforincludinghigh-densityhydrographicsurveydataand,inparticular,theconceptofa“tide-aware”ENCthatcanvarythedisplaywiththestateofthetide.

TheevolutionarytrackalsoincludesourworktotakeadvantageoftheAutomaticIdentificationSystem(AIS)carriedbymanyvesselstotransmitandreceivedatafromthevessels.OurAISeffortshaveledtothevisualizationofthebehavioroftheCosco BusanaftertheSanFranciscoBayspillincident,evidenceforafish-ingtrawlerviolatingCanadianfishingregulationsanddamagingCanada’sOceanObservatory(Neptune)equipment,andthecreationofthevesseltrafficlayerinERMA,theresponseapplicationusedbyUnifiedCommandduringtheDeepwaterHorizonSpill.ThisapplicationwasafinalistfortheHomelandSecurityMedal.AverysuccessfulapplicationofourAISworkhasbeenitsuseinmonitoringrightwhalesinanLNGshippingrouteapproachingBostonHarbor.ThisWhaleALERTapplicationcannowberunontheiPad,iPhone,andotherhand-helddevices.Thereisnowalsoaweb-basedversionoftheapplicationandtheabilitytogenerateKMLfilessothatWhaleAlertdatacanbevieweddynamicallyinGoogleEarth.Thesystembecamefullyoperationalin2014andhasbeenoperatingauto-nomouslywithoutintervention.

TherevolutionarytrackfortheChartoftheFuturein-volvesthree-andfour-dimensionaldisplaysandmuchmoreinteractivity.Inthelastfewyears,thefocusofthisefforthasbeenthedevelopmentof“GeoCoastPi-lot,”aresearchsoftwareapplicationbuilttoexploretechniquestosimplifyaccesstothenavigationinforma-tionthatamarinerneedspriortoenteringorleavinga

Figure ES-23. Navy version of CHuM with MODUs and Broadcast Notices.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

port.GeoCoastPilotisnotintendedtobeuseddirectlyfornavigationpurposes,butinsteadisintendedtodemonstratewhatispossiblewithcurrenttechnologyandtofacilitatetechnologytransfer.Withsuchadigitalproduct,amarinercould,inreal-timeonavesselorbeforeenter-ingaharbor,explorewiththeclickofamouseanyobjectidentifiedinthetextandseeapictorialrepresen-tation(in2Dor3D)oftheobjectinageospatialcontext.Conversely,aclickonapictureofanobjectwilldirectlylinktothefulldescriptionoftheobjectaswellasotherrelevantinformation.GeoCoastPilotturnstheNOAACoastPilotmanualintoaninteractivedocumentlinkedtoa3Dmapenvironmentthatprovidescon-nectionsbetweenthewrittentext,2Dand3Dviews,webcontentandotherprimarysourcessuchascharts,maps,andrelatedfederalregula-tions.Thisvisualizationtechniquehelpsthemarinerbecomefamiliarwiththerelativelocationofcriticalnavigation-relatedfeatureswithinaportbeforeevergoingthere.

Thisyear'seffortswerefocusedongoingbeyondtheprototypeandworkingdirectlywithOCS-derivedCoastalPilotdata.WorkingwiththeOCSCoastPilotteam,BrianaSullivanisnowworkingdirectlywiththeOCSCoastPilotdatabasetomapouttherelationshipsbetweenthetablessothatthenextiterationoftheDigitalCoastPilotwillworkdirectlyonNOAAdata.AcomponentofthiseffortinvolvesdevelopingautomatedtechniquesforincorporatingLocalNoticetoMarinersintothedigitalproducts.Theproject,called“ChartUpdateMashup”(CHuM),in-volvesthedevelopmentofasmall,specializedmashupapplicationdesignedtoworkwithGoogleMaps.CHuMdisplaysthechartcatalogandnauticalchartsinageo-referencedenvironment,alongwiththecriticalcorrectionstothechartandtheCoastPilotwithgeo-referencedlinks.AnoutgrowthofthisefforthasbeentheinitiationofaprojectwiththeU.S.NavytoexpandthecapabilitiesofCHuMandexplorewaystoservecur-rent,tide,andmeteorologicaldatainsupportofthesubmarinefleet(FigureES-23).

Law of the SeaRecognizingthatimplementingtheUnitedNationsConventionontheLawoftheSea(UNCLOS)couldconfersovereignrightsandmanagementauthorityoverlarge(andpotentiallyresource-rich)areasoftheseabedbeyondourcurrent200nauticalmilelimit,Congress(throughNOAA)fundedtheCentertoevaluatethecontentandcompletenessofthenation’sbathymetricandgeophysicaldataholdingsinareassurroundingourExclusiveEconomicZone,orEEZ(www.ccom.unh.edu/unclos).FollowingupontherecommendationsmadeintheUNHstudy,theCenterhasbeenfunded,throughNOAA,tocollectnewmultibeamsonardatainsupportofapotentialsubmissionforanExtendedCon-tinentalShelf(ECS)underUNCLOSArticle76.

Figure ES-24. Perspective view of newly discovered seamount. Bottom panel shows the seamount from Smith and Sandwell (1997) v. 17.1 predicted bathymetry (red arrow). Top panel shows seamount in new multibeam bathymetry.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

multibeammonitorthatonlyvaguelyappearsinthebestavailablebathymetryofthearea(FigureES-24).

Thesecond2014ECScruisecompletedthemap-pingoftheMendocinoRidgeintheeasternPacificofftheCaliforniamarginthatwasstartedin2009.Thecruise,aboardtheR/VAtlantis,beganinAstoria,ORandendedinSanFrancisco,CA,collectingatotalof93,086km2(7939linekilometers)ofhigh-resolutionmultibeamsonarbathymetryandbackscatterdataoveraperiodof19.5days.Thesedatahavewerewiththe2009datatoformasingledatasetthatrepresentsacoverageof107,222km2(FigureES-25)andmostlikelyrepresentsallthedatathatwillbeneededintheregiontoaddressECSissues.

Beyondthefieldprograms,our2014LawoftheSeaactivitiesalsoincludedanupgradetoourLawoftheSeadatabase,thecompletionofapreliminaryArcticbathymetricsynthesis(FigureES-26),analysisofECSdata,andparticipationinnumerousTaskForce,Work-ingGroup,andIntegratedRegionalTeammeetingsthroughthecourseoftheyear.

Since2003,CenterstaffhaveparticipatedinsurveysintheBeringSea,theGulfofAlaska,theAtlanticmargin,theice-coveredArctic,theGulfofMexico,andtheeastern,centralandwesternPacificOcean,collecting2,291,000km2ofbathymetryandbackscatterdatathathaveprovidedanunprecedentedhigh-resolutionviewoftheseafloor.ThesedataarerevolutionizingourunderstandingofmanygeologicalprocessesonthemarginsandwillresultinsignificantadditionstoapotentialU.S.ECSunderUNCLOS,particularlyintheArctic.

TwoECScruiseswerecompetedin2014;oneinthevi-cinityofJohnstonAtollontheR/VKilo Moanaandan-other,areturntoMendocinoRidge,ontheR/VAtlantistocompletemappingthatstartedin2009.JimGardnerorganized,planned,andledthecruisetotheJohnstonAtollareainthecentralPacificinAugust2014.TheobjectiveofthecruisewastomapaprominentgapinKeliRidgetothesouthofJohnstonAtollandanothergapinKarinRidgetotheeastofJohnstonAtoll.Atotalareaof97,250km2wasmappedduringthefull13-daycruise(6275linekilometers).Ahighlightofthecruisewasthediscoveryofaprominentseamountonthe

Figure ES-25. Upper panel shows merged 2009 and 2014 Mendocino Ridge bathymetry; lower panel shows merged backscatter.


Executive Summary


Executive Summary

OutreachInadditiontoourresearchefforts,educationandoutreacharealsofundamentalcomponentsofourprogram.Oureducationalobjectivesaretoproduceahighlytrainedcadreofstudentswhoarecriticalthink-ersthatcanfillpositionsingovernment,industryandacademiaandbecomeleadersinthedevelopmentofnewapproachestooceanmapping.Thirty-eiightstu-dentswereenrolledintheOceanMappingprogramin2014,includingsixGEBCOstudents,threeNOAACorpsofficersandfourNOAAphysicalscientists(three

Figure ES-26. Preliminary Arctic bathymetry synthesis map. The map is generated from a single gridded dataset instead of a combined multi-year map product.

aspart-timePh.D.students).Thispastyear,wegraduatedeightmaster’sdegreestudentsandsixGEBCOstudentsreceivedCertificatesinOceanMapping.Ahigh-lightofthisyear’seducationalprogramwastheparticipationofsomeourGEBCOstudentsinTheFifthExtraordinaryInter-nationalHydrographicConference(EIHC)thatwasheldinMonacofrom6to10October,2014.Atthisevent,HisSereneHighnessPrinceAlbertIIofMonacodeliv-eredtheopeningaddressandvisitedwithourstudentsandfaculty(FigureES-27).

Werecognizetheinterestthatthepublictakesinourworkandrealizeourrespon-sibilitytoexplaintheimportanceofwhatwedotothosewhoultimatelybearthecostofourwork.Oneoftheprimarymethodsofthiscommunicationisourwebsite.Therewere42,992visitstothesitein2014withaspikeinhitsassoci-atedwithreportsonthediscoveryofthenewseamountnearJohnstonAtoll(seeabove).Wealsorecognizetheimportanceofengagingyoungpeopleinouractivitiessoastoensurethatwewillhaveasteadystreamofhighlyskilledworkersinthefield.Tothisend,wehavealsoupgradedotheraspectsofourwebpresenceinclud-ingaFlickrstream,Pinterestpage,Vimeosite,andaFacebookpresence.OurFlickrstreamcurrentlyhas1,988photoswithover162,594viewssince2009,andourvideoswereviewed17,599timesin2014.Ourseminarseriesiswidelyadvertisedandwebcast,allowingNOAAemploy-eesandourIndustrialPartnersaroundtheworldtolistenandparticipateintheseminars.OurseminarsarealsorecordedanduploadedtoVimeo.Wehaveactivelyexpandedouroutreachactivitiesandnow

haveadedicatedoutreachstaffer(TaraHicks-Johnson).Thispastyear,TarahostedtoursoftheCenterforthou-sandsofschoolchildrenandmanycommunitygroups.

SeverallargeandspecializedeventswereorganizedbytheCenteroutreachteam,includingnumerousSeaP-erchROVeventsandtheannualUNH"OceanDiscoveryDays.”TheSeaPerchROVeventsarecoordinatedwiththePortsmouthNavalShipyard(PNS).StudentsbuildROVs,thenbringthemtotheCentertotesttheminourdeeptankandtourtheCenterandtheEngineer-ingfacilitiesoncampus.Inthisyear’sannualSeaPerch


Executive Summary


Competition,24teamsfromNewHampshireschools,afterschoolprogramsandcommunitygroupscompet-edinthischallenge,usingROVsthattheybuiltthem-selves(FigureES-28).AlthoughthereisabasicROVdesign,theparticipantshavethefreedomtoinnovateandcreatenewdesignsthatmightbebettersuitedforthatspecificchallenge.Thisyear’scompetitionincludedchallengessuchasanobstaclecoursewherepilotshavetonavigatetheirROVthroughfivesubmergedhoops,asalvagecoursecalled“TheHeist”wherepilotsmustmaneuvertheirROVtoopenadoorandpassthroughtoretrievefoursubmergedboxesonthebottomofthepool,andapostersessionwheretheypresentedpost-ersandexplainedtheirbuildingprocesstoapanelofjudges.

OceanDiscoveryDayssawmorethan1,000studentsfromschoolgroupsandhomeschoolassociationsfromalloverNewHampshirevisitourfacilitiesandlearnabouttheongoingresearchattheCenter.Activitiesanddemonstrationsforallageshighlightedresearchonacoustics,oceanmapping,ROVs,lidar,anddatavisualization.

TheCenteralsohostedaNOAA-sponsoredprofessionaldevelopmentworkshopfocusedonoceanexplora-tionincollaborationwiththeNOAAOfficeofOceanExplorationandResearch.TheNOAAShipOkeanos Explorer wasusedasthefocalpointaseducatorsfromNewHampshire,MassachusettsandMainewereguidedthroughlessonsthatinvolvedinnovative,mod-ernocean-explorationstrategiesandthesophisticatedinstrumentationandequipmentusedtoexploreourlargelyunknownoceans.Lessontopicsincludedhowtargetsareselectedforexploration,mappingtech-

Figure ES-28. Teams prepare for the SeaPerch competition at the Center.

niques,water-columnexploration,remotelyoperatedvehicles,andthetelepresencetechnologythatenablesaccesstoreal-timeoceanexploration.Participantslearnedhowtouselessonstoassistinmeetingper-formanceexpectationsoftheNextGenerationScienceStandards.TheparticipantstouredtheCenterduringtheworkshopandwereabletocommunicatewiththeOkeanos Exploreratseaviathetelepresenceconsole.

Centeractivitieshavebeenfeaturedinmanyinterna-tional,national,andlocalmediaoutletsincluding,NationalPublicRadio,ABCNews,Huffington Post,Japan Times,Nature Magazine,Science World Report,Economic Times,Discovery Magazine Blog,Foster’s Daily DemocratandThe Boston Globe.

Thehighlightspresentedhererepresentonlyafrac-tionoftheactivitiesoftheJointHydrographicCenterin2014;moredetaileddiscussionsoftheseandotheractivitiesoftheCentercanfoundbeinthefullprogressreport.

Figure ES-27. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco meeting GEBCO program director Rochelle Wigley (second from right) and some of the alumni of the UNH Nippon Foundation/GEBCO training program as he walked through the IHO Capacity-building exhibition.

Executive Summary


Executive Summary


n4June1999,theAdministratorofNOAAandthePresidentoftheUniversityofNewHampshiresignedamemorandumofunderstandingthatestablishedaJointHydrographicCenter(JHC)attheUniversityofNew

Hampshire.On1July1999,acooperativeagreementwasawardedtotheUniversityofNewHampshirethatpro-videdtheinitialfundingfortheestablishmentoftheJointHydrographicCenter.ThisCenter,thefirstofitskindtobeestablishedintheUnitedStates,wasformedasanationalresourcefortheadvancementofresearchandeducationinthehydrographicandocean-mappingsciences.Inthebroadestsense,theactivitiesoftheCenterfocusontwomajorthemes:aresearchthemeaimedatthedevelopmentandevaluationofawiderangeofstate-of-the-arthydro-graphicandocean-mappingtechnologiesandapplications,andaneducationalthemeaimedattheestablishmentofalearningcenterthatpromotesandfosterstheeducationofanewgenerationofhydrographersandocean-mappingscientiststomeetthegrowingneedsofbothgovernmentagenciesandtheprivatesector.InconcertwiththeJointHydrographicCenter,theCenterforCoastalandOceanMappingwasalsoformedinordertoprovideamechanismwherebyabroaderbaseofsupport(fromtheprivatesectorandothergovernmentagencies)couldbeestablishedforocean-mappingactivities.

TheJointHydrographicCenterwasfundedbyannualcooperativeagreementsfromJuly1999until31December2005.In2005,afive-yearcooperativeagreementwasawardedwithanendingdateof31December2010.InJanu-ary2010,aFederalFundingOpportunitywasannouncedforthecontinuationofaJointHydrographicCenterbeyond2010.Afteranationalcompetition,theUniversityofNewHampshirewasselectedastherecipientofafive-yearaward,fundingtheCenterfortheperiodof1July,2010untilDecember2015.

Thisreportisthenineteenthinaseriesofwhatwere,untilDecember2002,semi-annualprogressreports.SinceDecember2002,thewrittenreportshavebeenproducedannually;thisreportprovidesanoverviewoftheactivitiesoftheJointHydrographicCenter,highlightingtheperiodbetween1Januaryand31December2014.Assuch,itrepre-sentsthefifthwrittenprogressreportforthecurrentgrant(NA10NOS4000073).CopiesofpreviousreportsandmoredetailedinformationabouttheCentercanbefoundontheCenter’swebsite,www.ccom.unh.edu.MoredetaileddescriptionsofmanyoftheresearcheffortsdescribedhereincanbefoundintheindividualprogressreportsofCenterresearchersthatareavailableonrequest.

Infrastructure

Personnel TheCenterhasgrownoverthepast14years,fromanoriginalcomplementof18peopletomorethan80faculty,staff,andstudents.Ourfacultyandstaffhavebeenremarkablystablebut,aswithanylargeorganization,therehaveinevitablybeenchanges.In2014,Lee AlexanderformallyretiredasaresearchassociateprofessorwiththeCenterthough,inhisretirement,hewillretainanassociationwiththeCenterasanAffiliateAssociateResearchProfessorEmeritus.Dave MonahanretiredfromhispositionastheDirectoroftheGEBCOprogrambutalsoremainsassociatedwiththeUniversityasanAffiliateProfessorandremainsinvolvedinthelong-termplanningoftheGEBCOprogram.Rochelle Wigley,aformerGEBCOstudentandaresearchscientistwhohasbeenassistingDaveforthepasttwoyearshastakenchargeoftheGEBCOprogramattheCenter.Jonathan BeaudoinreturnedtohisnativeNewBrunswick,NBtotakeajobwithQPS.WewillverymuchmissJonathanbutwillcontinuetoworkcloselywithhimasheworkswithIndustrialPartnerQPStoimplementsomeofthesoftwaredevelopedinthelab.Alsoin2014,Chris Parrish,aNOAAemployeewhohasbeensecondedatthelab,tookafacultypositionatOregonStateUniversity.ChriswillmaintainhisaffiliatefacultystatuswiththeUNHCenter.Finally,anewresearchscientistErin NagelhasjoinedtheCenterteamasaGISspecialisttoexplorenewmethodsandbestpracticesofusinglidarandotherremotelysenseddataforobjectdetectionandtounderstandtheimpactofstormeventslikeSuperStormSandy.Outsidedirectfundingfromthisgrant,fundingfromSuperStormSandySupplementalfundshaveresultedinalargeincreaseinpersonnelatthelabincludingVictoria PriceandformergraduatestudentKevin JerramwhohavebeenhiredasresearchscientistsunderaSuperStormSandyresearchgrant(withBrianCalderastheP.I.)andJuliet Kinney,Michael Bogonko,andCassandra BongiovanniwhoareESLemployeessecondedtothelabtoprocessdatarelatedtoSuperStormSandy.

O

Introduction

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Wehavealsohadsomechangesinstatusforourpersonnel.Asmentionedabove,Rochelle WigleyisnowtheDirectoroftheGEBCOprogramandKevin Jerram beaomearesearchscientistontheSuperStormSandygrantafterhisgraduation.Sarah WolfskehlwhohasbeenworkingforNOAAontheIOCMproject,hasbeentransferredtotheSuperStormSandyproject.OneofourM.S.studentswhograduatedin2013,Lindsay McKenna,wasoriginallyhiredbytheSuperStormSandygrantbuthassincetakenajobwithNOAA’sOfficeofOceanExplorationandResearch(althoughsecondedtotheCenter).Christy Fandel,another2013graduateofourprogram,wasalsooriginallyhiredundertheSuperStormSandygrantbuthassincetakenapermanentpositionwithNOAAOfficeofCoastSurveyinSilverSpring.NOAAhiredformerCentergraduatestudentDerek SowersaspartoftheOERmappingteamassignedtotheCenter.Finally,twonewpost-doctoralscientistshavejoinedthelab(bothfundedbyexternalsources).Angelia VanderlaanandAnn BlombergarebothworkingwithDr.TomWeber—AngeliaontheacousticandvisualdetectionofbluefintunaandAnnonthedetectionandmonitoringofgasseeps.

Faculty

Lee Alexander isaResearchAssociateProfessorattheCenterforCoastalandOceanMappingandJointHydrographicCenterattheUniversityofNewHampshire,andanAdjunctProfessoratboththeUniversityofNewBrunswickandMemorialUniversityofNewfoundland,Canada.PreviouslyaResearchScientistwiththeU.S.CoastGuard,hewasalsoaVisitingScientistwiththeCanadianHydrographicService.HisareaofexpertiseisappliedResearch,Development,TestandEvaluation(RDT&E)one-Navigationrelatedtechnologies,internationalstandardsdevelopment,andtheuseofelectronicchartsforsafety-of-navigationandmarineenvironmentalprotection.Heservesonseveralinterna-tionalcommitteesandworkinggroupsdealingwithelectronicchartingande-Navigation,includingtheInternationalHydrographicOrganization,InternationalMaritimeOrganization,andtheInternationalAssociationofLighthouseAuthorities.Dr.Alexanderhaspublishedover150papersandreportsonelectronicchart-relatedtechnologies,andistheco-authorofatextbookonElectronicCharting,nowinitsThirdEdition.Dr.AlexanderreceivedhisM.S.fromtheUniversityofNewHampshire,andPh.D.fromYaleUniversityinNaturalResourceManagement.HeisalsoaCaptain(nowretired)intheU.S.NavyReserve.LeeformallyretiredasaResearchAssociateProfessorattheendof2014andwillchangehisstatustothatofaResearchAssociateProfessorEmeritus.

Thomas ButkiewiczreceivedaBachelorofSciencedegreeinComputerSciencefromIthacaCollegein2005wherehefocusedoncomputergraphicsandvirtualrealityresearch.DuringhisgraduatestudiesatTheUniversityofNorthCarolinaatCharlotte,hedesignedanddevelopednewinteractivegeospatialvisualizationtechniques,receivingaMaster’sinComputerSciencein2007andaPh.D.inComputerSciencein2010.AfterayearasaresearchscientistatTheCharlotteVisualizationCenter,hejoinedJHC/CCOMasapost-doctoralresearchfellowin2011.In2012,hejoinedthefacultyasaresearchassistantprofessor.

Dr.Butkiewiczspecializesincreatinghighlyinteractivevisualizationsthatallowuserstoperformcomplexvisualanaly-sisongeospatialdatasetsthroughunique,intuitiveexploratorytechniques.Hisresearchinterestsalsoincludemulti-touchandnaturalinterfaces,virtualreality,stereoscopicdisplays,andimageprocessing/computervision.Hiscurrentresearchprojectsincludevisualanalysisof4Ddynamicoceansimulations,usingMicrosoft'sKinectdevicetoenhancemulti-touchscreensandprovidenewinteractionmethods,multi-touchgestureresearch,anddevelopingnewinter-faceapproachesforsonardatacleaning.

Brian CaldergraduatedinwithanM.Eng.(Merit)andaPh.D.inElectricalandElectronicEngineeringin1994and1997,respectively,fromHeriot-WattUniversityinScotland.HisdoctoralresearchwasinBayesianstatisticalmethodsappliedtoprocessingofsidescansonarandotherdatasources,andhispost-doctoralresearchincludedinvestigationofhigh-resolutionseismicreconstruction,infrareddatasimulation,high-resolutionacousticpropagationmodelingandreal-timeassessmentofpebblesizedistributionsforminingpotentialassessment.BrianjoinedCCOMasafound-ingmemberin2000.Hisresearchhasfocusedmainlyonunderstanding,utilizing,andportrayingtheuncertaintyin-herentinbathymetricdata,andinefficientsemi-automaticprocessingofhigh-densitymultibeamechosounderdata.HeisaResearchAssociateProfessorandtheAssociateDirectorofCCOM,theChairoftheOpenNavigationSurfaceWorkingGroup,andapastAssociateEditorofIEEEJournalofOceanicEngineering.

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Jenn DijkstrareceivedherPh.D.inZoologyin2007attheUniversityofNewHampshire.ShehasaB.A.fromtheUniversityofNewBrunswickinCanada,andanM.S.inMarineBiologyfromtheUniversityofBremeninGermany.Shehasconductedresearchinavarietyofgeographicalareasandhabitats,frompolartotropical,andfromintertidaltodeep-water.Herresearchincorporatesobservationandexperimentalapproachestoaddressquestionscenteredaroundtheecologicalcausesandconsequencesofhuman-mediatedeffectsonbenthicandcoastalcommunities.HerresearchatCCOMfocusesontheuseofremotesensing(videoandmultibeam)todetectandcharacterizebenthiccommunities.

Semme Dijkstra isahydrographerfromtheNetherlandswhohasseveralyearsofhydrographicexperiencewithboththeDutchNavyandindustry.Dr.DijkstraearnedhisPh.D.InGeodesyandGeodeticEngineeringfromtheUniversityofNewBrunswickinCanada.Histhesisworkinvolvedartifactremovalfrommultibeam-sonardataanddevelopmentofanechosounderprocessingandsedimentclassificationsystem.From1996to1999,Dr.DijkstraworkedattheAlfredWegnerInstituteinGermanywherehewasinchargeoftheirmultibeam-sonardataacquisitionandprocessing.Dr.Dijkstra'scurrentresearchfocusesonapplicationsofsingle-beamsonarsforseafloorcharacterization,smallobjectdetection,andfisherieshabitatmapping.In2008,Dr.Dijkstrawasappointedafull-timeinstructorandhastakenamuchlargerroleinevaluatingtheoverallCCOMcurriculum,thede

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