Mapping for People and Planet

The majority of planet Earth’s surface is covered in ocean, yet about only one-quarter of the seabed has been mapped to a resolution comparable to a single depth measurement within the area of a football field. The Mapping for People and Planet project aims to increase access to seabed maps to enable governments and regions to plan appropriate coastal activities, understand risks of geohazards such as tsunamis, and build more accurate digital models of the ocean for storm surge and climate prediction.

 

With increasing global reliance on marine resources and commerce, the project aims to enable coastal states, particularly small islands and developing states, to maximize the benefits derived from being next to the ocean and to reduce the risks of rising sea levels and melting ice sheets.