Crowdsourced bathymetry is the collection of depth measurements from vessels using standard navigation instruments. Many vessels on the Great Barrier Reef – from dive boats to fishing boats – use some type of echo sounder to measure the depth of water. Combined with GPS satellite navigation, these instruments are used for safe navigation in the GBR Marine Park.
MV ARGO volunteer vessel in CairnsThe ‘Crowdsourced bathymetry on the Great Barrier Reef’ project collects bathymetry and navigation data from volunteer vessels using their own echo sounder and GPS sensors. We use SmartLog data loggers developed by TeamSurv in the UK to store the data onto USB flash drives.
SmartLog USB data loggerWe were funded by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to establish a pool of SmartLog USB data loggers for volunteer vessels. This project is also an activity of the Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, which gives people an increasing role in contributing citizen science data that helps the Reef.
Our aim is to improve the accuracy of the 3D depth models for the GBR. Detailed knowledge of seafloor depths are critical for understanding the distribution of seabed habitats, to provide data for coastal inundation forecasting, flood plume modelling and crown-of-thorns starfish control efforts.
It is important to preserve and share the data already collected, and to work together to help fill bathymetry data gaps to support these important uses for the Reef. More broadly, the crowdsourced bathymetry data will be shared with the IHO Data Centre for Digital Bathymetry and the global Seabed 2030 Project.
We invite enquiries by potential volunteer vessels to collect crowdsourced bathymetry data across the Reef.
Movie
Volunteer vessel MV Aroona sailing on the Great Barrier Reef. Credit: The Tailor/Aroona Luxury Boat Charters
Map
3D view of northern GBR showing all vessel tracks as of December 2019
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