NOAA Hydrographic Surveys
In 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded DEA a five-year contract to help address the nation’s critical survey backlog for nautical charting.
The first task order under this contract was to provide high resolution multibeam and side scan sonar surveys over 100 square miles of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.
New specifications from NOAA required all-digital deliverables for production of electronic and conventional nautical charts. This project was unique for DEA in that no hard-copy deliverables were required and the firm invested in cutting edge technology to meet its demands.
Crews worked aboard a 55-foot vessel 12 hours per day, seven days per week, from May through September. DEA will be charting the Chesapeake for the next few field seasons to update the nautical charts in this navigationally significant area.