The official launch of the CoastMap project took place on 5 July at EOC. CoastMap will investigate the potential of hyperspectral remote sensing for analysing water bodies and coastal regions. Using sensors with high spectral resolution makes it possible to map water depths (bathymetry) and classify ground cover.
The factual project kick-off was, however, a prior two-week measurement campaign in April, when several types of sensors collected data from various parts of the Baltic Sea. In addition to aerial measurements with hyperspectral sensors and lasers, in-situ land and water measurements were made with the help of spectrometers, visible depth and sonic depth finders, and from water and ground samples. This data will be used until the beginning of 2019 to assess the potential of hyperspectral approaches for data fusion, classification and bathymetry. In addition, software modules will be developed to analyse the complex hyperspectral data.
Besides DLR, the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (IOSB) is a project participant. The measurement campaign was also carried out with scientists from Munich Technical University (TUM), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, and the navy. The project is financed by the Zentrum für Geoinformation der Bundeswehr (ZGeoBw).
“This project provides us with a unique opportunity to extensively test our hyperspectral methodologies with independent measurements. In addition to yielding more exact bathymetry data for planning purposes, for example for the offshore industry or for early warning systems in connection with natural disasters, our long-term research in the area of coastal and marine ecology will benefit from the project. We will use the data also to considerably improve the determination of environmental parameters”, explains CoastMap project manager Stefan Auer.
