Notice2023-03795
Request for Public Comment on a Draft Standard Ocean Mapping Protocol
Primary source
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Published
February 24, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization (NOMEC) Council and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) request public comment from all interested parties on the IWG-OCM's draft Standard Ocean Mapping Protocol (SOMP). The draft SOMP was developed in accordance with Objective 2.1 of the National Strategy for Ocean Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (National Strategy). Objective 2.1 directs the IWG-OCM to establish a SOMP to encourage consistency in data acquisition, stewardship and data management across a subset of ocean sensing capabilities for seafloor mapping, including bathymetry (acoustic and airborne), seabed backscatter, water column backscatter, side scan sonar imagery, sub-bottom profiling, and magnetometer data readings.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 37 (Friday, February 24, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 37 (Friday, February 24, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11900-11901]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03795]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Request for Public Comment on a Draft Standard Ocean Mapping
Protocol
AGENCY: Office of Coast Survey, National Ocean Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization
(NOMEC) Council and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal
Mapping (IWG-OCM) request public comment from all interested parties on
the IWG-OCM's draft Standard Ocean Mapping Protocol (SOMP). The draft
SOMP was developed in accordance with Objective 2.1 of the National
Strategy for Ocean Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United
States Exclusive Economic Zone (National Strategy). Objective 2.1
directs the IWG-OCM to establish a SOMP to encourage consistency in
data acquisition, stewardship and data management across a subset of
ocean sensing capabilities for seafloor mapping, including bathymetry
(acoustic and airborne), seabed backscatter, water column backscatter,
side scan sonar imagery, sub-bottom profiling, and magnetometer data
readings.
DATES: Comments must be received via email by 5 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)
on June 2, 2023.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the draft SOMP may be downloaded or viewed at:
<a href="https://iocm.noaa.gov/standards/Standard_Ocean_Mapping_Protocol_draft_Feb2023.pdf">https://iocm.noaa.gov/standards/Standard_Ocean_Mapping_Protocol_draft_Feb2023.pdf</a>. A copy of the
National Strategy may be downloaded or viewed at: <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-08/NOMEC%20Strategy.pdf">https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-08/NOMEC%20Strategy.pdf</a>. A copy of the
National Strategy Implementation Plan may be downloaded or viewed at:
<a href="https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/210107-FINALNOMECImplementationPlan-Clean.pdf">https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/210107-FINALNOMECImplementationPlan-Clean.pdf</a>.
Comments can be submitted by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a8c1dfcfc7cbc586dbdcc9cecee8c6c7c9c986cfc7de"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e9809e8e868a84c79a9d888f8fa987868888c78e869f">[email protected]</span></a> by 5
p.m. ET on June 2, 2023.
Instructions: Response to this notice is voluntary. Please include
``Public Comment on Draft SOMP'' in the subject line of the message. If
applicable, clearly indicate the section and page number to which
submitted comments pertain. All submissions must be in English. Email
attachments will be accepted in plain text, Microsoft Word, or Adobe
PDF formats only. Each individual or institution is requested to submit
only one response. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay
for response preparation, or for the use of any information contained
in the response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
should be directed to Paul Turner, NOAA Integrated Ocean and Coastal
Mapping, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2a435d4d45494704595e4b4c4c6a44454b4b044d455c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="caa3bdada5a9a7e4b9beabacac8aa4a5ababe4ada5bc">[email protected]</span></a>, (240) 429-0293.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Pursuant to Objective 2.1 of the National Strategy, this SOMP was
drafted to encourage consistency in data acquisition, stewardship and
data management for seafloor mapping. The SOMP is organized into the
following seven chapters:
1. Data Management--The data management chapter covers methods for
effective data management, metadata, and archive techniques, which
allow data to be accessed by and shared freely with the public.
2. Bathymetry--The bathymetric data chapter focuses on procedures
for collecting, processing, and delivering bathymetry acquired by
multibeam, single beam, and phase-discriminating sonar, and light
detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems. This chapter summarizes best
practices for:
[[Page 11901]]
positioning, system calibration and Quality Assurance/Quality Control
(QA/QC) techniques, coverage and resolution, uncertainty, tides and
water levels, and general gridded data specifications.
3. Seabed and Lakebed Backscatter--The backscatter data chapter
focuses on establishing common backscatter acquisition and processing
methods, acoustic signal corrections and image processing steps
leveraging existing guidelines and recommendations from the Marine
Geological and Biological Habitat Mapping Backscatter Working Group, as
well as expert input from government, industry, academic institutions
and other relevant bodies.
4. Water Column Sonar--The water column sonar chapter focuses on
collecting, processing, and delivering raw and interpreted backscatter
from single beam and multibeam echosounders. This chapter summarizes
best practices for system configurations, operating frequencies and
depth ranges, system calibration, QA/QC techniques, and analysis, and
interpretation of backscatter.
5. Side Scan Sonar--The Side Scan Sonar chapter focuses on
collecting, processing, and delivering side scan sonar data. This
chapter summarizes best practices for acquisition standards and system
set-up, range scales, frequencies and ping rates, coverage
requirements, positioning, system calibration, QA/QC techniques, and
derivation of products.
6. Sub-bottom--The sub-bottom profiling chapter focuses on common
system types, practical survey design, conventional acquisition
procedures, processing protocols, data formats, and publication of
subsurface imaging data. The chapter describes the standard operating
procedure for the use of single-channel acoustic systems that commonly
operate in the 0.2 to 24 kilohertz frequency range to remotely image
the surface morphology and near-surface stratigraphy.
7. Magnetometer--The magnetometer chapter focuses on general
magnetic theory as it relates to anomaly detectability, factors that
influence data quality, instrument configuration and selection,
platforms, coverage specifications, testing and calibration, and
resolution/line spacing based on survey objectives.
The SOMP encourages use of national standards and best practices to
guide all ocean mapping actions in order to ensure the widest access
to, use of, and integration of data while minimizing duplication of
effort and archiving of ocean and coastal mapping data in publicly
accessible repositories and databases. Collecting, processing, and
archiving data to established standards expands its utility for
multiple uses. Ocean mapping data are required to meet many Federal
government missions. To make the most of every survey mile collected,
the IWG-OCM works with and encourages participation from partnering
federal, state, local, academic, private industry, and non-profit
organizations on mapping activities, data collection, and data sharing.
Authority: 33 U.S.C. 883e.
Benjamin K. Evans,
Rear Admiral, Director, Office of Coast Survey, National Ocean Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-03795 Filed 2-23-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-JE-P
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