Hydrography is the science that supports the surveying and charting of bodies of water for safe navigation.
With previous Oceans Protection Plan investments, the Canadian Hydrographic Service made significant progress on surveying Canadian Arctic waters. As of March 2022, 43% of proposed low impact shipping corridors have been surveyed to modern standards.
Through the next phase of the Oceans Protection Plan, this initiative will build on these efforts, using modern and emerging technologies, to continue to fill important gaps in surveying and charting in Canadian Arctic waters to improve safety of navigation. Additionally, this initiative will support the empowerment of Indigenous and coastal communities to collect and use bathymetric data to support their requirements regarding understanding the sea floor and navigation hazards in their local waters.
Together, these two initiatives will improve the understanding of the sea floor in data-sparse areas, increasing the safety and efficiency of marine navigation and supporting economic and environmental activities in communities.