Canadian Hydrographic Service Non-Navigational (NONNA) Intensity Data

With this update the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) offers both a complete inventory of bathymetric data free to the public for non-navigational as well as, for the first time, a collection of intensity image data products. To meet a growing desire in the scientific, commercial, environmental, and Indigenous communities for backscatter intensity data, the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) has embarked on a Pilot Project to produce and distribute intensity imagery products from our current multibeam echo sounder (MBES) and LiDAR data holdings. MBES and LiDAR sensors collect two types of data, seafloor depth and backscatter intensity. The seafloor depth, or bathymetry is well represented on the CHS NONNA Data Portal. These products are available in a spatial resolution of 10 metres or 100 metres. While typically outside of our primary focus on bathymetry and charting for safe navigation, the CHS recognizes the importance of intensity data for the purposes of environmental and ecosystem management as well as the economic benefits associated with increased understanding of our marine environment. Backscatter intensity data, recorded in decibels (dB) is a measure of the…

Publisher

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Resources

7

Catalogue metadata updated

2026-03-24