Category Archives: Hydro/Marine

xyHt April 202 cover banner

Another Curveball: Coronavirus and Geospatial

Out of the blue, we’re facing another curveball. The current global concern (COVID-19, aka the Coronavirus) was generally not anticipated, and the situation changes daily. It was hoped that, by the time this is published, the situation would have calmed dramatically—but sadly it has taken a turn for the worse. Thus far disruptions have only...

Mapping the Ocean Floor

It is said that we know less about our own planet than we do of the Moon and Mars. Over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, and yet we have a far-from-complete understanding of what lies at the seabed. Understanding the shape of the seafloor will enable us to effectively manage resources,...

Outlook 2020’s 40 Under 40

The following is xyHt’s 2020 collection of 40 under 40: profiles of motivated and accomplished young professionals under 40 years of age. Click on each name to view their profiles below. Kwabena Obeng Asiam Researcher & Lecturer – Leibniz University Published PhD candidate in land administration; FIG Young Surveyors Ghana Evaluating the evidence and making...

Plastic Islands No More

4Ocean uses geospatial technology to clean oceans, helping to reduce and reimagine plastic waste. The mess is big enough that it can be seen from outer space. These days, satellite imagery reveals massive islands of plastic in oceans, and the waste is so vast that various groups and inventors are trying to combat the problem...

Data Fusion

Robotics Above, On, and Underwater

Demo-ing Drones at UAS Colorado’s “Robotics on the Rez” Event In the September 10th issue of Pangaea we talked about Future Prepping: getting ready for the next generation of geospatial technology. I’d like to add another educational resource to that list: product demos. Product demonstrations are a great way to get a hands-on look at...

Clear Scanning on the Clearwater

Above: The survey included collecting bathymetric data on the river bottom and bridge substructure with multibeam sonar as well as capturing above- and below-waterline mobile mapping data with the Leica Pegasus: Two mobile sensor platform. Two well-paired engineering firms used high-accuracy mobile mapping to combine bathymetry and lidar data for a fast-turnaround topographic survey of...