{"id":596,"date":"2025-02-19T20:55:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T20:55:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/?p=596"},"modified":"2026-03-02T09:18:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T13:18:13","slug":"2026-hydrospatial-mapping-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/2025\/02\/2026-hydrospatial-mapping-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Hydrospatial Mapping Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 id=\"hydrospatial-modelling\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hydrospatial Modelling<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Prototype the future of hydrospatial products using 100% open-source data.<\/strong> This competition challenges undergraduate and graduate students to integrate multibeam and single-beam surveys with coastal geospatial layers. Develop an original hydrospatial workflow\u2014be it an interactive dashboard, a 3D model, or an AI-driven analysis\u2014and showcase your solutions at the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chc2026.org\/en\">Canadian Hydrographic Conference 2026<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/event\/2026-hydrospatial-mapping-challenge\/\" data-type=\"tribe_events\" data-id=\"633\">Inscription<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"1-overview\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">1) Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In a context of climate change, increasing pressures on coastal environments, and the rapid evolution of remote sensing technologies, hydrographic data play a strategic role in understanding, managing, and developing maritime territories. Multibeam systems, now widely used for high-resolution bathymetric mapping, allow for detailed characterization of the seafloor. However, single-beam data, still prevalent in many contexts (particularly in under-mapped regions or areas with historical coverage), remain valuable for supporting longitudinal spatial analyses and enhancing hybrid datasets. The integration of these various sources with coastal geospatial data (topographic, cadastral, land use, etc.) paves the way for next-generation hydrospatial products that are useful for modelling, integrated management, and scientific or public communication. This competition aims to mobilize the creativity and analytical skills of undergraduate and graduate students to explore the potential for showcasing the value of integrated hydrospatial products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"objective\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Objective<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To encourage students to explore, develop, and propose integrated hydrospatial products by leveraging MBES and SBES data in combination with coastal geospatial data, in response to current challenges in marine environment management, communication, or research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"competition-summary\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Competition Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students in hydrography, geomatics, oceanography, or related fields. Working in teams, participants will access datasets composed of MBES and SBES bathymetric surveys, along with coastal geospatial layers (land topography, property boundaries, orthophotos, land use, etc.) (see sample dataset sources at the bottom of this page). They will be asked to develop an original hydrospatial product that addresses one or more issues related to understanding or managing coastal environments (e.g., navigation safety, sediment dynamics, coastal planning, public awareness).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Teams will be evaluated based on the methodological quality of their data processing and integration, the originality and relevance of their proposed final product, and their ability to demonstrate its usefulness in an applied or forward-looking context. Final outputs \u2013 hydrospatial product &#8211; may take the form of an interactive dashboard, an analytical model, an enriched cartographic product, a 3D\/4D visualization tool, or a functional prototype. A jury composed of experts in hydrography, geomatics, and coastal management will assess submissions according to a criteria grid provided in the guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"2-goal\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">2) Goal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Prototype a hydrospatial production chain using only open-source data. Apply your workflow to one of the proposed coastal areas and generate a hydrospatial product. Your final submission must include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A proposed cartographic product (chart, 3D model, point cloud, etc.);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A clear presentation of your methodology (report, presentation, video, etc.), explaining your processing workflow and the design choices;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quality control process of the generated product.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Your workflow should consider the integration of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Multibeam and single-beam bathymetric data<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Topographic and coastal geospatial layers (e.g., land use, orthophotos, property boundaries)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal is to develop next-generation hydrospatial products that address modern coastal challenges, such as sediment dynamics, navigation safety, coastal planning, and public outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"3-who-can-participate\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">3) Who can participate?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The competition is open to all Canadian university and college students (Undergraduate, Master&#8217;s, or PhD).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teams must have 2 to 4 members<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged (e.g., combining geomatics, oceanography, data science, or others)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"4-timeline\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">4) Timeline <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>February 10<sup>th<\/sup>, 2026 \u2013 Launch of the \u201cSpeed Hydrospatial Modelling Challenge \u2013 The integrated products of tomorrow\u201d and registration opens;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>February 10<sup>th<\/sup>, 2026 \u2013 Publication of complete guidelines and rules<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>March 20<sup>th<\/sup>, 2026<\/strong> \u2013 Submission deadline: send deliverables to the evaluation committee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>April 3<sup>rd<\/sup>, 2026<\/strong> \u2013 Announcement of the 3 winning teams<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Week of April 27<sup>th<\/sup> to 30<sup>th<\/sup>, 2026 \u2013 Canadian Hydrographic Conference 2026 (CHC-2026): Winning teams present their solutions (in person or remotely via pre-recorded video)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To participate, you must register your team before 24 February 2026 via the <strong>following link<\/strong>.  You must provide the names and affiliations of the team members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"5-deliverables\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">5) Deliverables<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Each team must submit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A presentation of their methodology: format is flexible (written report, video, slide deck, etc.), but must clearly explain the data sources, tools, processing steps, and decision-making behind the chart production<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 hydrospatial product based on their selected area and aligned with the project\u2019s hydrospatial goals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You must submit your deliverables to the evaluation committee before 13 March 2026, by sending an email to the following address: <a href=\"mailto:speedmappingchallenge@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">speedmappingchallenge@gmail.com<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"6-evaluation-criteria\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">6) Evaluation criteria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of experts from academia, industry, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each team\u2019s product and methodology will be assessed based on the following weighted criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A. Hydrospatial Representation &amp; Cartography \u2013 50%<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Submissions must demonstrate the effective transformation of raw data into a meaningful, usable, integrated hydrospatial product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Accuracy &amp; Safety \u2013 25%<ul><li>Safe and meaningful representation of depth changes \u2013 10%<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Relevant and selective information, clearly communicated \u2013 10%<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Correct topological logic and shoreline consistency \u2013 5%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clarity &amp; Communication \u2013 15%<ul><li>Readability and legibility of the final product (3D visualization and temporal analysis)<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Thematic clarity and intuitive symbology<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Relevance to Coastal Issues \u2013 10%\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The product must reflect a real-world coastal challenge (e.g., sediment transport, access planning, navigation hazards, marine habitats, coastal erosion, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>B. Methodology \u2013 30%<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Data Integration Strategy \u2013 10%<ul><li>Quality and rigour of integrating hydrospatial and coastal geospatial data<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Smart combination of spatial and temporal dimensions, if applicable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Workflow Flexibility \u2013 10%\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Adaptability of the process to other sites or applications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use of Open Tools &amp; Data \u2013 10%\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Effective and innovative use of open-source software (e.g., QGIS, Python, CloudCompare) and public datasets<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>C. Innovation &amp; Impact \u2013 10%<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Novelty of Product \u2013 5%<ul><li>Originality in form and function (e.g., public outreach, research tool, planning support)<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The use of AI for product generation is encouraged<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Potential for Real-World Application \u2013 5%\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Demonstrated or argued relevance for stakeholders (scientific, operational, public)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>D. Team Composition \u2013 10%<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Interdisciplinary &amp; Multi-Level \u2013 5%\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Teams that combine technical, scientific, and communication skills across academic levels (e.g., undergrad + master\u2019s) or disciplines (e.g., hydrography + ecology)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Inter-Institutional \u2013 5%\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Teams composed of members from multiple institutions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"7-prizes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">7) Prizes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Les 3 meilleures solutions seront r\u00e9compens\u00e9es.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td>\ud83e\udd471st prize<\/td><td>\ud83e\udd482nd prize<\/td><td>\ud83e\udd493rd prize<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bourse<\/td><td>4000 CAD $<\/td><td>2000 CAD $<\/td><td>1000 CAD $<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Presentation of the proposal at CHC-2026<\/td><td>X<\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Free access to CHC-2026<\/td><td>X<\/td><td>X<\/td><td>X<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Accompagnement par un comit\u00e9 de r\u00e9daction pour la publication d\u2019un article dans la revue IHR<\/td><td>X<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td>&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Prizes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"8-example-data-sources\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">8) Example Data Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Seules des <strong>sources de donn\u00e9es ouvertes<\/strong> peuvent \u00eatre utilis\u00e9es. Ci-dessous une liste non exhaustive de donn\u00e9es ouvertes pertinentes :<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>CHS NONNA-100<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/ouvert.canada.ca\/data\/fr\/dataset\/d3881c4c-650d-4070-bf9b-1e00aabf0a1d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/ouvert.canada.ca\/data\/fr\/dataset\/d3881c4c-650d-4070-bf9b-1e00aabf0a1d<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CHS NONNA-10<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/ouvert.canada.ca\/data\/fr\/dataset\/d3881c4c-650d-4070-bf9b-1e00aabf0a1d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/ouvert.canada.ca\/data\/fr\/dataset\/d3881c4c-650d-4070-bf9b-1e00aabf0a1d<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CanVec Series<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/open.canada.ca\/data\/fr\/dataset\/8ba2aa2a-7bb9-4448-b4d7-f164409fe056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/open.canada.ca\/data\/fr\/dataset\/8ba2aa2a-7bb9-4448-b4d7-f164409fe056<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>HRDEM<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/open.canada.ca\/data\/en\/dataset\/957782bf-847c-4644-a757-e383c0057995\">https:\/\/open.canada.ca\/data\/en\/dataset\/957782bf-847c-4644-a757-e383c0057995<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ENC Maritime Chart Service<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/open.canada.ca\/data\/en\/dataset\/12b769c8-48b8-4562-80fb-4a2e5ee9b45b\">https:\/\/open.canada.ca\/data\/en\/dataset\/12b769c8-48b8-4562-80fb-4a2e5ee9b45b<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expedition Database<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/ed.marine-geo.canada.ca\/index_e.php\">https:\/\/ed.marine-geo.canada.ca\/index_e.php<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CIOOS Data Explorer<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/cioos.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/cioos.ca\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Oceans 3.0 API<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/data.oceannetworks.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/data.oceannetworks.ca\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CMAR Data Portal<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/cmar.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/cmar.ca\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vessel Density (AIS)<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/open.canada.ca\/data\/en\/dataset\/5b86e2d2-cec1-4956-a9d5-12d487aca11b\">https:\/\/open.canada.ca\/data\/en\/dataset\/5b86e2d2-cec1-4956-a9d5-12d487aca11b<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CAN-EWLAT<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca\/science\/oceanography-oceanographie\/accasp-psaccma\/can-ewlat-ocanee\/index-eng.html\">https:\/\/www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca\/science\/oceanography-oceanographie\/accasp-psaccma\/can-ewlat-ocanee\/index-eng.html<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sentinel-2 Satellite Imagery<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu\/?zoom=5&amp;lat=68.6965&amp;lng=-91.58203&amp;themeId=DEFAULT-THEME&amp;visualizationUrl=U2FsdGVkX182VE%2Bvy3xv88xC5lTyOBT8dChDs3mJAAPmUeRYdpLpT5Tp29H5X1OLlh5dfmru8n8MlezChsro8aLmonyqtJOAZvQ2AjSca%2BtPaUwwxcMEEaZJLdH2KEHZ&amp;datasetId=S2_L2A_CDAS&amp;demSource3D=%22MAPZEN%22&amp;cloudCoverage=30&amp;dateMode=SINGLE\">https:\/\/browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu\/ <\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hydrospatial Modelling Prototype the future of hydrospatial products using 100% open-source data. This competition challenges undergraduate and graduate students to integrate multibeam and single-beam surveys with coastal geospatial layers. Develop an original hydrospatial workflow\u2014be it an interactive dashboard, a 3D model, or an AI-driven analysis\u2014and showcase your solutions at the Canadian Hydrographic Conference 2026. Registration&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":643,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-funding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=596"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":659,"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596\/revisions\/659"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oceanmapping.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}