19 June 2001

EVALUATION OF INTEGRATED REMOTE SENSING
AND GIS FOR REAL-TIME BATHYMETRIC DATA

H. Morris
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA 70118
B. Bourgeois
Naval Research Laboratory
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-5004
F. Petry
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA 70118

Abstract

This paper chronicles a search to find the best integration of Remote Sensing (RS) with GIS for handling bathymetric data. Using the Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) Oceanographic Remotely Controlled Automaton (ORCA), we have collected bathymetric data over a previously surveyed NOAA site. Due to the cost of survey ship time, we need to optimize the time spent at sea. Providing processed data to the scientists on ship as quickly as possible best does this. To this end, we have evaluated systems that are capable of storing and ingesting large amounts of data, projecting images in near real-time, performing GIS and cartographic functions, and are capable of raster data functionality, particularly neighborhood operations. Many special purpose remote sensing software packages are incapable of performing the GIS and charting functions we require. Likewise, many GIS packages are unable to ingest our voluminous amounts of data, and are totally unable to provide anything resembling our idea of a near real-time GIS. Our final solution is a single package that we hope will be able to integrate the remote sensing and data acquisition features with GIS functionality. We are looking for what is effectively a real-time GIS. We have evaluated 28 different packages and combinations of packages for our system. Our selection and process should prove interesting to anyone who has to deal with bathymetric data.

Sponsored by the Oceanographer of the Navy via SPAWAR PMW 185.

Published as a Memorandum Report, November 12, 1998.
Naval Research Laboratory Contribution Number NRL/MR/7442 98-8217.
NRL Memorandum Report