Woolpert wins $13M contract to collect bathymetric lidar data for FSMI

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has tasked Woolpert with acquiring bathymetric survey data using lidar technologies to support the Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative (FSMI) and its mission to produce a comprehensive, publicly available, high-resolution seafloor surface model of Florida’s coastal waters by 2026.

Once completed, the FSMI dataset is expected to be merged with existing terrestrial lidar.

According to DEP, the data will be used by federal and Florida state agencies to help better understand the state’s coastal vulnerability and hurricane impacts, evaluate the performance of restoration projects, and support ongoing coastal resilience efforts and flood risk mapping.

Under this task order, Woolpert will collect 23,418 square kilometers of bathymetric lidar data off Florida’s southern coast, including the Florida Keys and extending southwest to Dry Tortugas National Park.

Woolpert Program Director Rick Householder said that FSMI will acquire the data in two phases.

Phase I will include the aircraft acquisition of topographic and bathymetric lidar data up to 20 meters of depth.

Phase II will include the acquisition of data beyond 20 meters in depth up to 200 meters using marine vessels equipped with multibeam sonar.

The full set of data is expected to be acquired by May and delivered in summer. The contract is currently underway.