Earth Imaging Journal

Home

Free Subscription

Subscribe in NewsGator Online

Industry Resources

Industry Directory

Missions/Launches



	There's a growing emphasis among U.S. and foreign militaries to improve littoral zone mapping. Comprising some of the world's most politically and economically significant urban areas, accurate and up-to-date information about these dynamic land-sea environments is of critical importance to naval, ground and air forces. Fugro offers a full range of integrated services to this end. As a worldwide leader in the collection and interpretation of information related to Earth's surface and sea, Fugro has the technology, experience and global resources to provide seamless littoral zone mapping, regardless of project size or location. Technology From an operational perspective, the littoral zone represents an area extending roughly 200 nautical miles offshore, down to depths of 200 feet and approximately 100 nautical miles onshore from the coast. Key terrain elements of the littoral area include continental shelves, harbors and approaches, straights/narrows, inland rivers, beachheads, airspace above and all land area from the shoreline to the hinterlands. Fugro capabilities for mapping the littoral zone include: Ocean Mapping. Using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), single-beam, multibeam, and side-scan sonar, and airborne bathymetric light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology, Fugro provides a wide range of ocean mapping services, including seafloor imaging and characterization, underwater surveillance and inspection, navigation obstacle detection, volumetric studies and nautical charting. Coastal Mapping. Using airborne bathymetric LiDAR and multispectral imagery from airborne and satellite sensors, Fugro performs mapping and coastal characterization, including land-use/land cover, benthic habitat mapping and change analysis. Inland Mapping. Using airborne and satellite systems to collect LiDAR, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IfSAR) and optical data, Fugro's imaging and terrain mapping capabilities include topographic mapping, terrain and elevation modeling, land-use/land-cover mapping, ground stability analysis and subsidence monitoring.



	Onshore mapping operations are aided by Fugro's OmniSTAR service, which delivers wide-area differential corrections for Global Positioning System (GPS) and GLONASS data. Available throughout the world, OmniSTAR is especially useful in remote or inaccessible areas where available ground stations are limited. Similarly, Fugro's Starfix solution provides GPS corrections within the marine environment to support offshore surveys. To ensure optimal offshore mapping conditions, Fugro relies on its renowned metocean services, which include comprehensive ocean observing and forecasting. In addition to ensuring the success of individual ocean and coastal mapping projects, these services help unify land-sea coverage for unified, void-free data among the various littoral environments. Experience Fugro has a long and proven track record of providing military-significant data about the land-sea environment. Comprising multiyear, multimillion dollar contracts, this experience includes work for every branch of the U.S. military, as well as friendly foreign governments. But Fugro's experience isn't limited to the defense market; the company's commercial operations also support some of the world's largest oil and gas, construction and mining projects. Given this broad range of international experience and proven ability to complete large, complex projects, Fugro is uniquely qualified to meet the most challenging data needs anywhere in the world. Global Reach With offices in 60 countries, Fugro's global resources include more than 50 vessels, 50 aircraft, 100 remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), four AUVs and advanced satellite positioning systems. In addition to these assets, Fugro's global presence yields invaluable on-the-ground logistical support and local knowledge to ensure efficient and successful land-to-sea mapping operations. From ocean surveys to riverine studies to terrain analysis,Fugro's global geospatial services answer military needs for littoral zone data.

See more Featured Articles See Featured Images Subscribe to Earth Imaging Journal Go to Home Page

[none]

Copyright ©2003-2009 Earthwide Communications LLC - Powered by eNetwork Marketing