Second Day of SDB Conference 2021 - The 3rd Global Gathering on Satellite-Derived Depth Measurement
Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) Day Embraces Technological Advances
Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) is gaining traction across various sectors, including industry, government, and academia. This technology, which uses satellite imagery to estimate water depths in shallow coastal and inland waters, is being celebrated at the annual SDB Day conference.
The conference, which began in 2018, is dedicated to the discussion, development, and dissemination of knowledge related to SDB technology. While the specific history, origin date, and previous locations of SDB Day conferences are not explicitly known, the event generally focuses on the significant applications and benefits of SDB technology in marine and coastal science and mapping.
Richard Stumpf (NOAA) and Fajar Adi have expressed optimism about the ground-breaking stage that SDB is about to initiate. Stumpf emphasised the huge recognition of the need for SDB technology due to its remote areas, rapid response, and practical use. Adi, on the other hand, expressed optimism about the future of SDB, noting that it is about to initiate a ground-breaking stage.
The significance of SDB technology includes its cost-effectiveness and safety, large area coverage, environmental monitoring, support for hydrographic charting, and applications in marine geosciences. SDB avoids the need for extensive ship-based acoustic surveys, which are costly, time-consuming, and sometimes hazardous. It can survey large and often remote or difficult-to-access areas efficiently. SDB supports ecosystem monitoring, habitat mapping, and coastal change detection with frequent revisit times. It complements traditional bathymetric surveys to enhance nautical chart accuracy, especially in shallow or poorly charted waters. Bathymetry data help geological studies, oceanography, sediment transport, and resource management.
Recent advances and research highlighting SDB include its integration with other remote sensing methods, such as spectral stratification techniques combined with lidar data like ICESat-2 to improve bathymetric mapping in Arctic supraglacial lakes. The value of satellite and remote sensing data in water quality, aquatic environment monitoring, and bathymetry is underscored by recent international efforts like the global bio-optical datasets and AquaWatch initiatives.
The SDB Day conference brings together the scientific community, industry, and government agencies to share best practices, research findings, and innovations related to satellite-derived bathymetry and its growing role in marine science, coastal management, and hydrography. The virtual format of the SDB Day 2021 allowed for many SDB stakeholders to join the meeting, with a total of 250 participants from more than 30 countries.
If you want further precise historical details specifically about the conference origins or past locations, these may be found on dedicated SDB Day event websites or organizers. The recordings of the two virtual SDB Day events are accessible free of charge at SDBDAY.org. The conference included three sessions: one on SDB technology and applications, one on SDB software, and one on standards and best practice. Impressive keynote talks were given by Commander Waterson of the Royal Australian Navy and Captain Yanuar Handwiono of Pushidrosal.
EOMAP, the organizer and co-sponsor of the SDB Day conferences, provides innovations in aquatic Earth Observation services since 2006. Among its key developments is Satellite-Derived Bathymetry, which is offered as data service and as online and desktop SDB software packages (Watcor-X, Litecor-X and eoLytics SDB) and tools to support image identification (eoLytics SWIFT).
The inaugural SDB Day 2018 took place in the Lake District of Bavaria, Germany. Due to the pandemic, the 3rd SDB Day 2021 was held virtually and was separated into two events. Fajar Adi announced the foundation of EOMAP Indonesia during the SDB Day Asia and Oceania event. He is now the CEO of EOMAP Indonesia and believes it can better cater to SDB data requirements and deliver solutions.
Contact information for the SDB Day team is [email protected]. Stephen Rump (Fugro Germany) commented on the benefits of SDB for surveying cable landing sites, citing its low cost, global coverage, accessibility to remote locations, ease of processing, and reduced HSE risks. The 2nd SDB Day 2019 took place at Mooloolaba Beach in Australia. Captain Yanuar Handwiono stated that the demand for bathymetric data has increased dramatically in the past decade and Satellite-Derived Bathymetry has become a cost-effective choice compared to conventional methods.
The SDB Day 2021 concluded with a working group Kick-Off for the best practice group, which is scheduled for the end of April 2021. Approximately two dozen researchers, developers, and users of SDB have signed up for the 'Satellite-Derived Bathymetry best practice group'. About 60% of participants identified a need to work on best practice and standards for SDB, and about half were interested in contributing. As a result, a 'Satellite-Derived Bathymetry best practice group' was initiated.
- The future of SDB technology, as expressed by Richard Stumpf and Fajar Adi, is filled with optimism, particularly due to its potential applications in space-and-astronomy, such as bathymetric mapping in Arctic supraglacial lakes using combined lidar data and spectral stratification techniques.
- The SDB Day conferences, which started in 2018, have not only discussed the development and utilization of SDB technology but also its potential integration with other technology fields, like remote sensing, for improved accuracy in marine science, coastal management, and hydrography.
