Florida's shoreline is second only to Alaska's in terms of length — and what lies below that expanse of the Sunshine State's coast is, in many places, uncharted.
In an effort to resolve that lack of data, Saildrone — a company with expertise in using uncrewed water-borne drones for research — has been selected by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to map a section of Florida’s coastal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
That mapping plan is part of the Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative (FSMI), a multiyear effort to provide statewide stakeholders with accessible, high-quality, and high-resolution seafloor data of Florida’s coastal waters within the continental shelf.
Brian Connon, Saildrone vice president of Ocean Mapping, tells a bit about the effort: " In order to support any of the modeling that we're trying to do for coastal resilience, or for storm surge and things are happening with the heavy weather events, you've got to have a really good knowledge of the bottom of the ocean, because it really impacts the water as it's moving. So if you don't know what's down there, then you can't model it, and you can't predict and keep the public safe."
Updated mapping data of coastal systems is critical for protecting offshore infrastructure, habitat mapping, restoration projects, emergency response, coastal resilience, and hazard studies for the state’s citizens.
Saildrone has been tasked with collecting high-resolution multibeam data in a region known as Middle Grounds. The mission, valued at $1.66 million, will use two 10-meter Saildrone Voyager uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) equipped with NORBIT WINGHEAD i80s echo sounders for high-resolution mapping, and radar, AIS, and cameras for maritime domain awareness.
Saildrone will map 2,817 square kilometers of seafloor, approximately 130 kilometers northwest of St. Petersburg.
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— In early March, two months before Falkor departed for the same mission, two saildrones were deployed from San Francisco. They have been transmitting data in real time, listening for the acoustic tags that researchers attached to great white sharks and using sonar to detect other creatures deep under the surface.
In early March, two months before Falkor departed for the same mission, two saildrones were deployed from San Francisco. They have been transmitting data in real time, listening for the acoustic tags that researchers attached to great white sharks and using sonar to detect other creatures deep under the surface.
SOI/Monika Naranjo Gonzalez
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— A drone sailed into Hurricane Sam and sent back this image.
A drone sailed into Hurricane Sam and sent back this image.
Saildrone
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— NOAA and Saildrone Inc. are piloting five specially designed saildrones in the Atlantic Ocean to gather data around the clock to help understand the physical processes of hurricanes.
NOAA and Saildrone Inc. are piloting five specially designed saildrones in the Atlantic Ocean to gather data around the clock to help understand the physical processes of hurricanes.
Saildrone
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— Credit: Saildrone
Credit: Saildrone
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— sd-1078_cam24_1663851420734-logos.jpg
Saildrone, Inc. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have released video and still photos gathered by a Saildrone uncrewed surface vehicle from inside Hurricane Fiona, a Category 4 hurricane, barreling across the Atlantic Ocean.
Saildrone, Inc.
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— 2022 Saildrone Atlantic hurricane operation areas.jpg
Map showing a rough outline of the operation areas during the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane mission. One saildrone will be assigned to each op area.
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— 20230623_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0461.jpeg
Saildrone has launched 12 drones as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 2023 hurricane deployment and domain areas.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230522-AtlanticHurricaneDeploy-5128.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230522-AtlanticHurricaneDeploy-5290.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230608-Hurricane STVI Deploy-Sunset Tow.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230619_Hurricane STVI Deploy_7183.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230622_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0364.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230622_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0370.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230622-Hurricane STVI deploy-3501.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230623_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0461.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230623_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0474.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230624_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0495.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230624_Atlantic Hurricane Deploy St Pete_0501.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230627_Hurricane Kickoff_1996.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— 20230627_Hurricane Kickoff_2011.jpeg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— hurricane saildrone config-final-simplified-logo.jpg
Saildrone is launching 12 drones this storm season as part of a mission of ongoing research into how and why some relatively mild tropical storms rapidly intensify into major hurricanes, which is particularly destructive when it happens just before landfall. Of all recorded weather disasters in the US, hurricanes have had the most significant impact: Between 1980 and 2021, hurricanes were responsible for over $1.1 trillion total in damages and 6,697 deaths
Saildrone / Special to WGCU
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— SD 1045.jpg
Jenn Virskus for Saildrone
“Mapping the Florida coastline is vital for understanding our dynamic coastal environments, supporting sustainable resource management, and enhancing resilience against extreme weather events. FSMI will provide critical insights that empower policymakers, researchers, and local communities to protect vital ecosystems and infrastructure along Florida’s coasts,” said Connon. “Saildrone USVs efficiently and safely collect high-resolution bathymetric data while minimizing environmental impact.”
Connon added that there's lot of land underwater that is unmapped.
"It could be something significant, whether it's a marine archeological type thing, like a shipwreck or underwater springs that may have impact on the biology that's living there. there's, there's so much we don't know about what's under the water that could really impact what we're doing on land," he said. "And that's really where it all starts with mapping the bottom and knowing what that structure looks like underwater."
At 2,170 kilometers long, Florida’s coastline is second only to Alaska among U.S. states. Since many parts of the Florida coast remain not surveyed, existing nautical charts rely on outdated and low-resolution data.
"If you look at the entirety of the United States, our exclusive economic zone, which generally reaches out to 200 miles from the coast, we've only mapped 56% of that, you know, across all the United States, and certainly you know a lot of water in Alaska and in our territories, in the West Pacific, but even, you know, within our own land and and part of the reason for Florida, why it's it hasn't been mapped, is that it it's we consider to be shallow, so less than 200 meters depth as you're going out," Connon said. "And there's a lot of water, Gulf of Mexico, around Florida, that is, you know, less than 200 meters water, and that takes a very long time to map and and when you're using crude vessels, traditionally, that becomes a very expensive proposition, and you're putting people at risk."
That's where Saildrone really comes into play, Connon said.
"By being able to do this mapping with an uncrewed system that can stay out for months at a time is providing an opportunity to do this mapping in a way that's economical, it's efficient, and it's also environmentally friendly. Because we're we're harnessing the wind and and solar power for the vehicles," he said.
That FSMI effort builds on the efforts of the Florida Coastal Mapping Program (FCMaP), an initiative led by federal and Florida state agencies and other community stakeholders to generate a comprehensive high-resolution seafloor data set of Florida’s coastal waters by 2028.
The data will be available for immediate use to update navigational charts and identify navigation hazards, provide fundamental baseline data for scientific research, and provide information for use by emergency managers and responders.
Connon said just two years ago the data collected would have to be downloaded first. He said the use of Starlink — the telecommunications satellite provider and subsidiary of SpaceX — will allow for real-time data collection and use.
"There's a lot of data, but now with Starlink, we can pull it back. What we generally do is pull back a subset that we watch to make sure we're getting that" he said. "And then daily we'll pull back the entire data set, we can then run all of our quality assurance and quality control checks on and potentially even deliver to the customer the next day. So it's a very efficient system."
The data Saildrone collects will help better understand Florida’s coastal vulnerability and hurricane impact, evaluate the performance of restoration projects, and support ongoing coastal resilience efforts and flood risk mapping.
And, it's quite possible that some new and unexpected things will be found during the mapping.
"(We) saw some very interesting formations up there, just how the Aleutian island chain being volcanic was formed. And then off the coast California, we discovered a seam out that no one knew was there. And what, you know, what might we see off of Florida? Again, this is very shallow water, but I expect we're going to see some interesting geological features, just based on the history of what previously has been looked at out there, and then, you know, potential for shipwrecks, you know, in that side of the Gulf<" Connon said. "You know, the very first time we tried this, you know, a sonar on a sail drone in the Gulf of Mexico, we discovered a shrimper that had sunk, that no one had on a chart. So, you know, that'll be the that's the exciting part for us, is to be able to find things that improve the safety of navigation."
About Saildrone: The company provides comprehensive data solutions for defense, commercial, and research, enabling real-time access to critical data from any ocean on Earth. Proprietary software applications and machine learning technology transform that data into actionable insights and intelligence for maritime security, ocean mapping, and science. Saildrone’s fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), powered by renewable wind and solar power, are designed to scale ocean data collection with a minimum carbon footprint. Saildrone vehicles operate 24/7/365 without the need for a support vessel. Saildrone USVs have sailed more than 1,000,000 nautical miles from the Arctic to the Antarctic and spent over 32,000 days at sea in the harshest ocean conditions on the planet.
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