Much has been said about Satellite Derived Bathymetry (SDB), but with the exception of SHOM, which led to the introduction of a number of SDB charts into the French chart series, next to nothing has been implemented within the international hydrographic community. This article aims to update readers as SDB, thanks to new generation satellites and modelling, seeing the light after going through a thirty years’ tunnel. In 2014, detailed tests and analysis conducted by government hydrographers, cartographers and recognised satellite scientists operating for a number of projects initiated by the European Space Agency, the WWF and other stakeholders, were completed,...
(read more)