NOAA Selects Fugro to Map Florida Atlantic Seafloor

The 3,200 square kilometre survey aims to deliver updated nautical charts for improved maritime navigation in Florida.

Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Geography

NOAA Selects Fugro to Map Florida Atlantic Seafloor

Live Poll

Should local governments prioritize funding for regular seafloor mapping to ensure coastal maritime safety?

NOAA has selected Fugro to perform hydrographic surveys covering 3,200 square kilometres of the Florida Atlantic coast. This project aims to update nautical charts to improve navigation and maritime operations.

Why it matters

Updating seafloor maps is essential for maintaining maritime safety and supporting the efficiency of commercial and recreational navigation along the Florida coast. This data-gathering effort provides the foundational bathymetric intelligence needed for modern nautical charting.

Fugro will utilize hydrography and advanced mapping analytics to survey 3,200 square kilometres of the Florida Atlantic coast. This effort builds upon the company's prior work mapping 56,000 square kilometres of Florida waters.

The players

NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the federal agency responsible for nautical charting and marine environmental monitoring.

Fugro

A geodata firm specializing in site characterization and asset integrity through advanced marine survey technologies.

The details

The project relies on hydrography, which is the science of measuring and describing the physical features of bodies of water. Fugro uses advanced mapping technologies—specialized sonar and sensor arrays that ping the seafloor to measure depth and detect hazards—to process these physical measurements into actionable nautical data. This workflow ensures that official navigation charts accurately reflect current underwater topography, which changes due to erosion and storm activity.

October 26, 2026: The selection of Fugro for the Florida Atlantic mapping project is announced.

The Tech Race

This project continues the systematic effort to digitize U.S. coastal waters under the federal NOMEC mandate. It builds on the prior 56,000 square kilometres of Florida data to refine the resolution of nautical charts.

Professional mariners and recreational boaters will eventually benefit from updated nautical charts that reduce the risk of grounding. While the surveying process occurs offshore, the resulting data will be incorporated into public navigation tools used for safe transit through Florida coastal waters.

The takeaway

Reliable seafloor data is the backbone of modern maritime transit and coastal infrastructure planning. Readers should monitor NOAA's official chart updates for Florida to access the refreshed bathymetric information once the survey data is processed.