University of South Florida Won NOAA Mapping Grant
The $8.5 million agreement funds a five-year effort to map the seafloor around Tampa using sensor integration and AI.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Geography
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In September 2026, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the University of South Florida an $8.5 million cooperative agreement to expand seafloor mapping. This five-year project aims to improve maritime safety and habitat identification.
Why it matters
The funding supports efforts to better understand coastal topography in a region where Port Tampa Bay contributes $35 billion to the Florida economy. Following the 2024 hurricanes, identifying rapidly changing seafloor areas has become a priority for local maritime infrastructure.
The project represents a $8.5 million investment over five years, building on a $9 million foundation established in 2020. Researchers are developing workflows that integrate satellite, airborne LiDAR, and in-water sensor data.
The players
University of South Florida
A public research university hosting the Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The federal agency responsible for scientific research and stewardship of oceanic and atmospheric resources.
The details
Researchers at the Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies will fuse data from airborne LiDAR — a remote sensing method that uses pulsed laser light to measure ranges — with satellite and underwater systems. The team will collaborate with the College of Engineering and the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing to deploy AI for filling data gaps. These workflows are designed to identify errors in existing sources and map rapidly changing sections of the seafloor.
Timeline
2020: The Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies was founded.
2024: Hurricanes Helene and Milton occurred.
September 2026: The NOAA cooperative agreement was announced.
The Tech Race
The funding expands the mandate of the Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies to meet modern maritime challenges. This effort positions the institution as a leader in integrating multi-modal sensor data with machine learning to track rapidly changing coastal geomorphology.
Local maritime stakeholders and port authorities will eventually benefit from more accurate seafloor maps that enhance navigation safety. The project's success relies on new data integration workflows that are currently in the research and development phase.
The takeaway
The project aims to improve maritime transportation safety by refining how seafloor data is processed and interpreted. Readers should watch for future updates on the implementation of AI-driven data gap analysis in regional mapping workflows.
Further reading
For more on how local landscape research informs coastal management, explore Geography.
Source note: This article includes information reported by St Pete Catalyst.
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