Selecting the Right Technology: A Comparative Look at Remote Sensing Bathymetric Technologies for Nearshore Surveys

Efficiency, accuracy, detail, and capability are the fundamental factors that need to be evaluated when selecting an appropriate remote sensing technology for nearshore surveys. The land/water interface is one of the most challenging areas to acquire survey data in and it is often the site of many engineering projects that require exceptional characterization of geospatial and geological conditions. Sonar has been the principle technology for mapping the seafloor since World War I. Lidar technology has been in use for hydrographic mapping for more than thirty years, with much significant advancement made in the last decade. More recently, research has been advancing the use of satellite imagery for the derivation of bathymetric maps. There are many benefits and limitations to each of these techniques for mapping the seabed and where capabilities overlap, it is essential to understand the relative advantages and disadvantages of each. This presentation will briefly summarize the effective capabilities inherent with today’s multibeam acoustic sonar, Lidar (both topographic and bathymetric), and the current state of imagery derived bathymetry technologies, and offers a comparative discussion regarding functional trade-offs (principally between cost, accuracy and detail), as well as the synergies between using them collaboratively.