Course Descriptions Home

This course is designed to provide the students with an opportunity to discover and apply the theoretical and practical elements associated with ocean mapping within a real-world environment.

Students will develop a hands-on appreciation and working knowledge of terrestrial and hydrographic surveying techniques and practices, implementation and analysis of oceanographic instrumentation as well as the adoption and appreciation for general ship knowledge, regulations and fundamental seamanship skills for non-crew personnel.

This course will be delivered using modern equipment and methods from a wide variety of sectors and will aid in the development and understanding of the multi-dimensional nature of a typical ocean mapping field camp practicum.

Terrestrial Surveying; Hydrographic Surveying; Instrumentation Oceanography; General Ship Knowledge, Regulations and Basic Seamanship.

Prerequisite - SC 1807 (Safety in Science Lab (Lab Safety)), SC 1808 (WHMIS), and OMAP 2000 (Underwater Acoustic Applications)

Duration - 147 total hours over the six-week technical session

This course is designed to introduce students to the principles and applications of acoustic remote sensing with specific emphasis on its utilization in the marine environment.

Introduction; Principles; Applications.

Prerequisites - SC1807 (Safety in Science Lab (Lab Safety); SC1808 (WHMIS); Physics 1100, Physics 1101 or Physics 1105

Duration - 13 weeks

Lectures - 2 hours/week = 26 hours total

Laboratories - 2 hours once per week x 10 weeks = 20 hours total

This course provides the student with the opportunity to build upon introductory knowledge previously acquired and become familiar with advanced tides and water level theory.

The student will become familiar with and be able to utilize the concepts of surface water levels and their controls including tides, waves and swells and vertical reference surfaces.

Vertical Datums and Reference Surfaces; Tide Generation Forces; Signal Processing Primer; Introduction to Fourier Theory; Tidal Spatial Phase and Amplitude Variations; Tidal Constituents; Development of Tidal Predictions; Non Tidal Sea Level Variation; Tidal Zoning

Prerequisites: MATH 1101 (Introduction to Calculus); ONGR 1302 (Hydrography and Tides) or OMAP 1302 (Ocean Mapping Field Camp I)

Duration: 13 weeks

Lectures: 3 hours per week = 39 hours total

Laboratories: 2 hours once per week = 26 hours total

This course provides the student with an introduction to the theoretical, technical and practical application of Side Scan Sonar and Geophysical Remote Sensing systems and techniques.

The course will be taught using modern equipment and methodologies, allowing the student to better understand the benefits and limitations associated with this technology, from data acquisition to data dissemination.

Introduction to Side Scan Sonar; Fundamentals of Underwater Acoustics; Side Scan Sonar Fundamentals; Side Scan Sonar Survey Techniques; Trends in Side Scan Sonar Technology; Introduction to Sub Bottom Profiling; The Sub Bottom Record; Return Signal Amplification; Sub Bottom Profiler Design Characteristics; Underwater Acoustic Environments; Sub Bottom Profiler Data Interpretation; Trends in Sub Bottom Profiler Technology; Introduction to Magnetometers; Principles of Magnetometer Surveys; Magnetic Survey Data; Magnetic Survey Problems; Combined Side Scan Sonar and Magnetometer Surveys; Side Scan Sonar and Magnetometer Towing Best Practices; Introduction to Marine Gravimetry.

Prerequisites - OMAP 2000 (Underwater Acoustics Applications)

Duration - 13 weeks

Lectures - 3 hours/week = 39 hours

Laboratories - 2 hours/week = 26 hours

This course provides the student with the opportunity for practical application of the technical capabilities associated with system deployment, hydrographic data acquisition, ROV survey operations, data processing, and data visualization.

This course is taught within a variety of analysis environments, offering an avenue for the student to become exposed to the elements required to collect, evaluate and format hydrographic data for the post-processing delivery stage through to the analysis, visualization and dissemination stages of a professional product.

Marine Safety and Vessel Orientation; Vessel Navigation; Single Beam Sonar; Sub Bottom Profiler; Side Scan Sonar; Multibeam Sonar; ROV Survey Operations; Data Delivery, Visualization and Dissemination.

Prerequisites - SC 1807 (Safety in Science Lab (Lab Safety)) and SC 1808 (WHMIS); GEOG 2103 (Introduction to Geographic Information Systems); OMAP 2200 (Side Scan Sonar and Geophysical Remote Sensing); OMAP 2201 (Multibeam Sonar); OMAP 2000 (Underwater Acoustics Applications); and OMAP 1302 (Ocean Mapping Field Camp I); GEOG 2201 (Intermediate Surveying); GEOG 2104 (Intro to Geodesy)

Duration - 17 Days or 119 hours

This course provides the student with an introduction to typical mobilization practices necessary to integrate offshore surveying equipment and systems on board a marine survey vessel.

The course will be taught with reference to proper installation practices used for many of the surveying systems required to conduct a typical offshore oceanographic/hydrographic survey.

This will serve as a framework that students can use to ensure proper system function and integration necessary for safe and efficient conduct of field operations.

Prerequisites - ELTK 1200 (Electrotechnology); ELTR 2118 (Introduction to Computer Networking) or ELTR 2119 (Marine Communications and Networking)

Lectures - 3 hours/week = 39 hours

Laboratories - 2 hours/week = 26 hours

This course provides the student with an introduction to the theoretical, technical and practical application of specialized industry-related hydrographic practices.

These practices will focus on hydrographic support for port management and coastal engineering, offshore geophysical surveying and offshore construction hydrography.

The course will be taught using modern equipment and methodologies, allowing the student to better understand the benefits and limitations associated with this technology, from system deployment and data acquisition to data processing, analysis and dissemination.

Specialized Hydrography (Fundamentals); Hydrographic Practices for Port Management and Coastal Engineering; Hydrographic Practices for Offshore Geophysical Surveying; Hydrographic Practices for Offshore Construction Hydrography; Hydrographic Survey Reporting; Future Trends in Specialized Hydrography.

Prerequisites - OMAP 2200 (Side Scan Sonar and Geophysical Remote Sensing); OMAP 2201 (Multibeam Sonar); and ONGR 2107 (Marine Geology and Geophysics) or ONGR 2203 (Applied Oceanography)

Duration - 13 weeks

Lectures - 3 hours per week = 39 total hours

Laboratories - 2 hours once per week = 26 total hours

This advanced practical field course takes place on-board a hydrographic survey vessel enabling students to acquire valuable experience in the overall planning and managing of a hydrographic survey.

Students will build upon their existing skills by gaining further experience in the safe deployment and operation of hydrographic data collection systems, acquisition, evaluation and formatting of hydrographic data.

They will also practice an advanced application of the technical capabilities associated with advanced acoustic data processing and visualization.

Survey Planning; Vessel Navigation; Geophysical Survey; Bathymetric Survey; Land Survey; Data Delivery, Visualization and Dissemination

Prerequisite - OMAP 2302 (Ocean Mapping Field Camp II); GEOG 3201 (Advanced Surveying Practices); OMAP 3202 (Specialized Hydrography); and

OMAP 3101 (System Performance); GEOG 3403 (ENC Production)

Duration - 28 days (7 hours per day = 196 hours)

This course is designed to provide students with the required knowledge to conceptualize and manage an ocean mapping project.

Students will also be exposed to spatial data infrastructure and metadata standards related to multidimensional marine data types.

This course is structured so that, by the end, students will have completed a formal project proposal, which they will then implement in OMAP 3501.

Project Development; Project Data Scoping, Specifications and Management; Marine Data Types.

Prerequisites - OMAP 2302 (Ocean Mapping Field Camp II)

Duration - 13 weeks

Lectures - 3 hours per week = 39 total hours

This course follows successful completion of OMAP 3401 where students identified an ocean mapping project and completed a proposal.

In this course, students will develop skills in data compilation, conversion techniques and management.

Students will produce metadata that is compliant with ocean mapping standards and will collect, interpret and disseminate temporal and spatial data sets pertaining to multidimensional marine data types culminating in a final project.

Project Data Scoping, Specifications and Management; Data Formats; Project Development.

Prerequisites - OMAP 3401*

*NOTE: There must be no longer than a three-semester period between completing OMAP 3401 and registering for OMAP 3501. If there is a longer period of time between these two courses, students must repeat OMAP 3401.

Duration - 13 weeks

Laboratories - 2 hours twice per week = 52 total hours

This course provides the student with an introduction to the theoretical, technical and practical application of multibeam sonar systems and techniques.

The course will be taught using modern equipment and methodologies, allowing the student to better understand the benefits and limitations associated with this technology, from data acquisition to data dissemination.

Introduction to Multibeam Sonar; Fundamentals of Multibeam Echosounding; Seabed Bathymetry and Acoustic Backscatter; Multibeam Echosounding Process; Multibeam Echosounding Methods; Multibeam Echosounder System Installation; Multibeam Echosounding Survey Design; Future Trends in Multibeam Echosounding Technology.

Prerequisites - OMAP 2000 (Underwater Acoustics Applications)

Duration - 13 weeks

Lectures - 3 hours/week = 39 hours

Laboratories - 2 hours/week = 26 hours