Next-generation coastal mapping to further the National Ocean Enterprise

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the US Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) formed the Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of eXpertise (JALBTCX) in 1998 under a collaborative agreement to support coastal mapping and charting requirements at their respective agencies. The two-decade legacy of the JALBTCX includes the development of state-of-the-art remote sensing platforms in coordination with industry and academia. The Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL) is the Center´s next-generation remote sensing technology initiative. Fielded and operated by the (USACE), it provides advanced coastal mapping capabilities and environmental information products to researchers, engineers and decision makers in government and academia. Previous technology initiatives of the JALBTCX produced the Scanning Hydrographic Operational Airborne Lidar Survey (SHOALS) system and the Compact Hydrographic Airborne Rapid Total Survey (CHARTS) system. The third-generation CZMIL system builds upon these initiatives by integrating state-of-the-art laser, receiver, scanner, and imaging hardware with a custom data processing package to facilitate efficient field-to-finish survey operations. This paper compares CZMIL data coverage acquired along the West Ship Island, MS to previous coverage acquired with JALBTCX´s SHOALS and CHARTS systems. The comparison demonstrates CZMIL´s system performance in shallow, turbid coastal environments where the capabilities of legacy systems were limited by water clarity. CZMIL data supports the development of traditional and innovative information products to address regional environmental challenges. Accessible via web services a consumable and understandable form, the products provide critical, baseline ocean information layers that are required to achieve a conceptual National Ocean Enterprise.