Notice2026-05585
Request for Comment on Satellite-Derived Bathymetry Addition to Standard Ocean Mapping Protocol
Primary source
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Published
March 23, 2026
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 input from all interested parties on the draft addendums to the Standard Ocean Mapping Protocol (SOMP). The 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 (NOMEC Strategy), which directed the IWG-OCM to establish a SOMP to encourage consistency in data acquisition, stewardship, and management across a subset of ocean sensing capabilities for seafloor mapping. The first version of the SOMP was released in April 2024 and includes sections on bathymetry, seabed backscatter, water column backscatter, side scan sonar imagery, sub- bottom profiling, and magnetometer data readings. The draft addendums to the Bathymetry and Data Management chapters are focused on Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 55 (Monday, March 23, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 55 (Monday, March 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13820-13821]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05585]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Request for Comment on Satellite-Derived Bathymetry Addition to
Standard Ocean Mapping Protocol
AGENCY: National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of request for public comment.
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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 input from all interested parties on the
draft addendums to the Standard Ocean Mapping Protocol (SOMP). The 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 (NOMEC Strategy), which directed the IWG-OCM to
establish a SOMP to encourage consistency in data acquisition,
stewardship, and management across a subset of ocean sensing
capabilities for seafloor mapping. The first version of the SOMP was
released in April 2024 and includes sections on bathymetry, seabed
backscatter, water column backscatter, side scan sonar imagery, sub-
bottom profiling, and magnetometer data readings. The draft addendums
to the Bathymetry and Data Management chapters are focused on
Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB).
DATES: All comments on this Federal Register Notice must be received by
5 p.m. ET on May 22, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the draft addendums must be submitted
via email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#721b05151d111f5c0106131414321c1d13135c151d04"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="49203e2e262a24673a3d282f2f0927262828672e263f">[email protected]</span></a>. Please include ``Public Comment on
SOMP SDB Addendums'' in the subject line of the email message. If
applicable, clearly indicate the section and page number to which
submitted comments pertain. The written comments NOAA receives are
considered part of the public record, and the entirety of the comment,
including the name of the commenter, email address, attachments, and
other supporting materials, will be publicly accessible. Sensitive
personally identifiable information, such as account numbers and Social
Security numbers, should not be included with the comment. Comments
that contain profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate
language will not be considered. 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 comment. Commenting on this FRN is voluntary. Please
note that the U.S. Government will not pay for comment preparation, or
for the use of any information contained in the comment.
Documents are available at the following locations:
<bullet> The draft SDB-addendum to the Bathymetry chapter of the
April 2024 SOMP may be downloaded or viewed at: <a href="https://iocm.noaa.gov/standards/DRAFT+-+SOMP+SDB+Addendum+Chapters+1+and+2_+01.09.2026.pdf">https://iocm.noaa.gov/standards/DRAFT+-+SOMP+SDB+Addendum+Chapters+1+and+2_+01.09.2026.pdf</a>
<bullet> The April 2024 SOMP may be downloaded or viewed at:
<a href="https://iocm.noaa.gov/standards/SOMPFinal2024.pdf">https://iocm.noaa.gov/standards/SOMPFinal2024.pdf</a>
<bullet> The 2020 NOMEC Strategy may be downloaded or viewed at:
<a href="https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/NOMECStrategy.pdf">https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/NOMECStrategy.pdf</a>
<bullet> The 2024 NOMEC Strategy Implementation Plan may be
downloaded or viewed at: <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/2024%20NOMEC%20Implementation%20Plan_FINAL.pdf">https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/2024%20NOMEC%20Implementation%20Plan_FINAL.pdf</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Turner, NOAA Integrated Ocean and
Coastal Mapping, 240-429-0293, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f09987979f939dde8384919696b09e9f9191de979f86"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="533a24343c303e7d2027323535133d3c32327d343c25">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Request for Technical Feedback
The NOMEC Council and IWG-OCM issued this FRN to solicit public
input that will inform the IWG-OCM's refinement of the SDB-addendums to
the Bathymetry and Data Management chapters of the April 2024 SOMP.
Specifically, the IWG-OCM is looking for feedback to address technical
aspects relevant to the scope and content of the SDB addendums.
II. Background
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.
Pursuant to Objective 2.1 of the NOMEC Strategy, the April 2024
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
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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 and satellite-derived bathymetry.
This chapter summarizes best practices for: 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 (GeoHab) Backscatter Working
Group (BSWG), 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 (MBES). 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 (SSS) chapter focuses on
collecting, processing, and delivering SSS 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 [dash]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 (kHz) 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.
Authority: 33 U.S.C. 883e; 33 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
Christiaan van Westendorp,
RDML, NOAA, Director, Office of Coast Survey, National Ocean Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2026-05585 Filed 3-20-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-G1-P
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