GEOG40990 INFOMAR marine seabed data

Academic Year 2023/2024

With an increasing awareness of the role of our oceans in regulating global climate and
providing a sustainable and economically important resource – seabed mapping data is
improving our understanding of our oceans and the natural processes occurring at the
seafloor.

INFOMAR (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s marine
resource) is a well-established national programme of seabed mapping. The programme has
been running since 2000 and during that time has become one of the global leaders in seabed
mapping. INFOMAR acquires, processes and interprets seabed mapping datasets to address
important issues that have an environmental, societal and economic impact. These include
safe navigation, sustainable fisheries, climate change, sea-level rise, the increased incidence
of storms, coastal defence / flooding, pollution, offshore renewable energy and management
of marine ecosystems.

This module is based on theory lectures, tutorials and introduces (i) coastal and marine
remote sensing its framework, applications and impacts (ii) the Irish national seabed mapping
programme, INFOMAR, detailing the science behind ocean mapping, survey planning, data
acquisition, processing techniques, and product development (iii) spatial data management
tools for coastal and ocean remote sensing.

Topics include;
1. Overview of seabed mapping in Ireland and worldwide
2. Ocean science policy framework
3. Applications of mapping surveys
4. Oceanography
5. Seafloor processes
6. Historical development of ocean Remote Sensing
7. Platforms and systems
8. Positioning and uncertainty
9. Scales and spatial resolution issues
10. Datums and projections
11. Processing marine datasets
12. Marine ecosystems
13. Satellite derived bathymetry
14. Photogrammetry in the coastal zone
15. Data interpretation and 3D visualization
16. Mapping data products
17. European marine data portals
18. Stakeholders and users
19. Big data and connectivity
20. Societal and economic impacts
21. Training and career opportunities

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of the module, students will have gained the knowledge to:
1. Appreciate the importance of our ocean resource.
2. Recognise seabed mapping applications and mapping activity in Ireland and worldwide.
3. Identify key systems and practices used in the field of coastal and marine remote sensing.
4. Recognize the range of integrated data and products associated with ocean remote sensing
5. Demonstrate an appreciation of mapping scales, data resolutions and density in the context of seabed and coastal mapping.
6. Analyse system calibration methodologies and assess data quality.
7. Select and apply suitable hydrographic and seabed mapping workflows.
8. Propose image processing techniques for correcting and analysing marine remote sensing datasets.
9. Detail the user requirements, stakeholders and added value products in the INFOMAR catalogue
10. Identify the policy framework underpinning ocean science and recognise the economic value of marine sector
11. Identify and source additional marine data and supports via repositories such as the Copernicus Marine Environment Service.
12. Identify career paths and training opportunities in marine related disciplines

Indicative Module Content:

Topics include;
1. Overview of seabed mapping in Ireland and worldwide
2. Ocean science policy framework

3. Applications of mapping surveys
4. Oceanography
5. Seafloor processes
6. Historical development of ocean Remote Sensing
7. Platforms and systems
8. Positioning and uncertainty
9. Scales and spatial resolution issues
10. Datums and projections
11. Processing marine datasets
12. Marine ecosystems
13. Satellite derived bathymetry
14. Photogrammetry in the coastal zone
15. Data interpretation and 3D visualization
16. Mapping data products
17. European marine data portals
18. Stakeholders and users
19. Big data and connectivity
20. Societal and economic impacts
21. Training and career opportunities

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

18
Tutorial

6
Autonomous Student Learning

76
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures
Problem-based learning
Practical lab work / student presentation 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Essay: Essay dealing with aspects of module content (suggested maximum of 5000 words). The essay should demonstrate student engagement with the module and personal exploration of the topic through reading. Week 11 n/a Graded No

80
Multiple Choice Questionnaire: MCQ exam on aspects of the module. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

20

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback by request on performance in in-trimester MCQ exam and module essay.

Name Role
Janine Guinan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Xavier Monteys Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Tine Ningal Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Jonathan Turner Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Autumn
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 Thurs 10:00 - 12:50
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 2, 4, 6 Thurs 10:00 - 12:50
Autumn