Fugro joins 4S project to improve satellite seafloor mapping

Fugro has joined an EU co-funded research and innovation project to develop a remote solution for global satellite derived seafloor mapping.

The 3-year project, named ‘4S’ (Satellite Seafloor Survey Suite), will develop an online cloud-based solution that will use highly automated earth observation algorithms and workflows to remotely map and also monitor seafloor habitats, morphology and shallow water bathymetry.

Specifically, Fugro will lead the project’s business and integration actions, and their hydrographers and Geo-data specialists will evaluate the solution via several use cases around the globe.

4S will leverage artificial intelligence, physics models, as well as satellite and airborne data to derisk marine site characterisation activities in the shallow water zone by analysing seafloor properties using less personnel and equipment.

The 4S consortium includes experts from the fields of satellite data analytics, hydrography and biology, and is being led by EOMAP, experts in optical remote sensing of aquatic environments.

Other project partners include the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, QPS, Länsstyrelsen Västerbotten, CNR ISMAR, the Hydrographic Institute and Smith Warner International.

Dr. Knut Hartmann, 4S project coordinator and COO of EOMAP, said: “The aim of 4S is to achieve a seamless integration of satellite-data analytics into marine and coastal workflows. We’re combining recent advances in satellite sensors, data analytics and cloud infrastructure to benefit marine reporting, monitoring and surveying methods.”

Dhira Adhiwijna, Fugro’s 4S project manager, noted that upon completion, the company will integrate the 4S into its hydrography offering and provide innovative solutions that will also derisk marine site characterisation activities.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.