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Accurately Mapping the Sea Floor

In their video blog, “Sonar Capabilities,” Woolpert’s Mark Smits, Ben Hocker and Andrew Ericson share footage from a recent acoustic survey conducted on the ocean side of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The high-resolution sonar data collected is being used to accurately map the sea floor for multiple applications, including nautical charting, engineering and design, navigation and environmental purposes.
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Mark Smits

Mark Smits, PMP, GCP-G, is a geospatial program director in Woolpert’s maritime market. A technical specialist, Smits is responsible for a wide range of geospatial services, ranging from photogrammetric mapping to multi-sensor digital data collection and processing.

 
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Ben Hocker

Ben Hocker, PLS, is a Woolpert vice president and geospatial project manager. Hocker has more than two decades of marine survey and hydrography experience in multi- and single-beam surveys, side scan sonar, mobile lidar and conventional survey techniques.

 
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Andrew Ericson

Andrew Ericson is a site lead and remote sensing specialist for Woolpert who helps the firm acquire airborne lidar data using a CZMIL sensor and ensures all data is appropriate to each project specification. In addition to his diverse technical background, Ericson also is a UAS pilot.