Mapping the Archipelago of Tonga

EOMAP Australia, together with project partner iXsurvey, have been contracted by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) to map Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) for Tonga, Tokelau and areas within Niue and the Cook Islands. The mapping of Tonga is part of the world’s first ever survey project on this scale: It utilises Satellite-Derived Bathymetry, airborne bathymetric lidar and a vessel-mounted multibeam echo sounder in parallel. The resulting 2-m grid (horizontal resolution) SDB product is one of the largest very-high resolution SDB datasets completed worldwide. The dataset allowed LINZ to accurately position all of the islands across the survey area in a very cost-effective manner.

A total of 74 datasets from MAXAR’s WorldView-2, 3 and 4 and GeoEye satellites have been processed, covering more than 1,000 km² with Satellite-Derived Bathymetry data. New satellite imagery was commissioned for sites where archived data did not fulfil the client’s specifications. A supplementary layer, outlining vertical uncertainties for the entire, area was also provided.

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