Training project

Postgraduate Certificate in Ocean Bathymetry at the University of New Hampshire, USA (2010-2011)

The Nippon Foundation of Japan has provided funding for GEBCO to train a new generation of scientists and hydrographers in ocean bathymetry. The 12-month course, leading to a Postgraduate Certificate in Ocean Bathymetry (PCOB), has been held at the University of New Hampshire, USA since 2004. Further details about the course are available below.

To apply for entry onto the course in 2010, download, complete and return the preliminary application form MS Word version of the preliminary application form for the GEBCO/Nippon Foundation PCOB training course 2010 (40 KB)

Please note that submission of applications for entry in 2010 closes on 22 March 2010.

  1. Introductory statement and description
  2. Eligibility and application process
  3. Finances and fees
  4. Location of the course
  5. Dates of the course
  6. Course content
  7. Final assessment
  8. Further information

Introductory statement and description

The General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) has been funded by the Nippon Foundation, based in Tokyo, Japan, to carry out the training of ocean bathymetrists. GEBCO has formal links to the scientific and hydrographic communities through the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). GEBCO produces bathymetric charts and digital grids of the world ocean by collating, interpreting and contouring, with the aid of directional fabrics revealed by satellite gravity, single and multibeam soundings collected by surface ships, submarines and other underwater vehicles. To view the most recent products, click on "Data and Products" on this website. GEBCO also evaluates and authorizes undersea feature names for use on its products which are published in a Gazetteer. (See "Undersea Feature Names", this website).

Bathymetry contributes substantially to solving societal problems. For example, the demand for accurate and up-to-date bathymetric charts and gridded data sets is increasing in the fields of oceanographic modeling to predict ocean circulation and its impact on climate, modeling that predicts tides and tsunami propagation, evaluating fisheries resources and habitats, assessing the impact of coastal sediment transport and pollution, geological modeling of ocean basin evolution, delineating the limits of the Continental Shelf (UNCLOS) and assisting the International Seabed Authority to manage the oceans. GEBCO charts are routinely used as base maps in every day planning on a regional scale and, often on a global scale, as wall charts wherever marine scientists gather to discuss their work.

GEBCO consists of a network of volunteering scientists, hydrographers and engineers who freely contribute their time, effort, knowledge and skill. GEBCO is run by a Guiding Committee and underpinned by two main Sub-Committees and specialist Working Groups that meet at least annually. It is supported by two full-time staff, one in the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK (Bathymetric Editor) and one in the British Oceanographic Data Centre, Liverpool, UK (Digital Atlas Manager) who are employed by a separate organization, and by a voluntary part-time Permanent Secretary. In addition, the US NOAA operates a digital bathymetric data center in Boulder, Colorado, USA, which archives ocean mapping data.

The success of GEBCO depends on a relatively small number of active individuals. In order to broaden the GEBCO community and to encourage more younger scientists and hydrographers to become involved in mapping the ocean floor, GEBCO and the Nippon Foundation established the Postgraduate Certificate in Ocean Bathymetry (PCOB) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), USA. Students who have completed the course have returned to their home organizations where they apply the skills and knowledge they acquired on the course to build capacity within their own country.

Eligibility and application process

Students for the PCOB will be selected by a competitive application process. Minimum qualifications for acceptance are a four year undergraduate degree in a related science or engineering discipline, and proof of ability to successfully complete graduate level courses conducted in English. Potential applicants are advised that the candidates selected for previous years' programs have possessed more than these minimum qualifications. They are also advised that the intense coursework requires ease and fluidity in written and spoken English. The selection process will aim at choosing candidates from a wide geographic distribution of coastal countries.

From these applications, a selection committee will establish a short list of the most suitable applicants, who will be interviewed by telephone. Based on the telephone interviews, some applicants will be invited to face-to-face interviews at a location near them. From the face-to-face interviews, six students will be selected to enroll in the Postgraduate Certificate Program at the University of New Hampshire's Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center (CCOM/JHC) in Durham, New Hampshire, USA. The selected students must meet the minimum international entry requirements established by the Graduate School of the University of New Hampshire.

The Course Director and the University of New Hampshire's Office of International Students and Scholars will help the selected students through all immigration and application processes. All fees associated with the application process (for the student) will be covered by the Training Project.

Housing. Graduate Students normally live on campus at Babcock Hall. This residence is for single students only. Accommodation for married students is not plentiful in the Durham area. Applicants are strongly advised not to bring family with them. The cost of housing and subsistence must be paid directly by the student.

Finances and fees

Tuition and fees will be paid directly by the Training Project. In addition to the tuition and fees, the Training Project will also provide each selected student with

  1. An annual stipend of US$22,000. "Under review"
  2. Computer hardware, software and textbooks necessary to complete the course.
  3. One return airfare for the student to cover travel to UNH from the student's home base at the beginning of the program and back to the student's home base at the end of the program.
  4. Return airfare and living expenses for the student for one trip to obtain work experience at another institution active in bathymetry (subject to opportunities).
  5. Return airfare and living expenses for the student to participate in a data collection cruise on a research or survey ship (subject to opportunities).

All other costs must be met by the student.

Location of the course

The course will be based in the University of New Hampshire's Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center (CCOM/JHC) in Durham, New Hampshire, USA.

Dates of the course

The course will last 12 months and start at the end of August 2010.

Course content

A prescribed program offering both required and elective courses for achievement of the Postgraduate Certificate in Ocean Bathymetry includes:

Required courses

OE 810 Ocean Measurements Lab. Measurements of fundamental ocean processes and parameters. Emphasis on understanding typical offshore measurements, their applications, and the use of the acquired data. The latter is in terms of the effects on structures and processes in the ocean.
ESCI/OE 870 Fundamentals of Ocean Mapping. An introduction to the principles and practices of hydrography and ocean mapping. Methods for the measurement and definition of the configuration of the bottoms and adjacent land areas of oceans, lakes, rivers, estuaries, harbors and other water areas, and the tides or water levels and currents that occur in those bodies of water.
ESCI/OE 871 Geodesy and Positioning. The science and technology of acquiring, managing, and displaying geographically referenced information; the size and shape of the earth, datums and projections; determination of precise positioning of points on the earth and the sea, including classical terrestrial-based methods and satellite-based methods; shoreline mapping, nautical charting and electronic charts.
ESCI/OE 972 Hydrographic Field Course. A lecture, lab, and field course on the methods and procedures for the acquisition and processing of hydrographic and ocean mapping data. Practical experience in planning and conducting hydrographic surveys. Includes significant time underway (day trips and possible multi-day cruises) aboard survey vessel(s).
ESCI/OE 759/859 Marine Geology and Geophysics. Major geological features and processes of the ocean floor; geological and geophysical methods; plate tectonics.
ESCI 995 Research Tools in Ocean Mapping. An introduction to fundamental software tools and investigative techniques necessary to study and perform modern Ocean Mapping.
ESCI 896 Bathymetric Spatial Analysis. This course will integrate a range of topics in a manner that is applicable to the scope and scale of GEBCO mapping, which is global or ocean-basin sized, which must use disparate data sets of different type and age, and which must integrate all possible pertinent information.

In addition to these courses, students are required to take one elective from the following list

ESCI 858 Introduction to Physical Oceanography. A descriptive treatment of atmosphere-ocean interaction; general wind-driven and thermohaline ocean circulation; waves and tides; continental shelf and near-shore processes; instrumentation and methods used in ocean research.
ESCI 973 Seafloor Characterization. Remote characterization of seafloor properties using acoustic (echo sounders, sub-bottom profilers, side-scan, multibeam and interferometric sonars) and optical (video and laser linescanner) methods. Models of sound interaction with the seafloor will be explored as well as a range of possible geologic, geotechnical, morphologic, acoustic, and biologic descriptors.
EOS/OE 854 Ocean Waves and Tides. Introduction to waves: small-amplitude, linear wave theory, standing and propagating waves, transformation in shallow water, energy and forces on structures, generation by wind and specification of a random sea, long waves with rotation, and internal waves. Introduction to tides: description of tides in ocean tidal generation forces, equilibrium tide, and tidal analysis
OE 885 Underwater Acoustics. Vibrations; propagation; reflection; scattering; reverberation; attenuation; sonar equations; ray and mode theory; radiation of sound; transducers; and small- and large-signal considerations.
OE/CS 867 Data Visualization. Detailed discussion of how an understanding of human perception can help us design better interactive displays of data. Topics include: color, space perception, object perception and interactive techniques.
OE Special Topics.
NR 860 GIS in Natural Resources. Theory, concepts, and applications of geographic information systems (GIS) for use in natural resources and related fields. Discussion of database structures, sources of data, spatial data manipulation/analysis/modeling, data quality standards and assessment, and data display/map production including many examples and practical applications.
ESCI 895,896 Topics in Earth Sciences.
ESCI 959 Data Analysis Methods in Ocean and Earth Science. Methods of analysis of oceanographic, geophysical, geological, and environmental data. Introductory tutorial on important mathematical concepts precedes the development of the bases for a number of data analysis techniques; digital filtering, regression analysis, cross-spectral analysis, objective analysis, and elementary inversion theory, etc. Students use these techniques on real data.
ESCI 995,996 Advanced Topics.

Throughout the year, visiting specialists will provide lectures on Ocean Mapping topics particularly pertinent to GEBCO practitioners.

In addition, short training courses in the use of common hydrographic processing packages (CARIS, Fledermaus, etc.), other software and Seamanship will be available, if needed by the students.

Final assessment

The Course Director will determine whether a student qualifies for the Postgraduate Certificate in Ocean Bathymetry based on grades achieved in course work, examinations, and participation in work and at-sea experience programs.

Further information

Requests for further information should be sent to the Project Manager.

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