Software to create underwater (topo) maps

January 18, 2009 5:01 PM

I wat to create a detailed map of dive site including elevation data. I'm looking for a straight forward simple cartograph software which allows me to create these underwater maps. I'm using a mac. Windows tips are also most welcome.
posted by flixz to Science & Nature (2 answers total)

It would help to know what country you are asking about. This really has a substantial bearing on what kind of datasets and software are appropriate for the job.
posted by crapmatic at 6:18 PM on January 18, 2009

If you are in the U.S., NOAA has bathymetric data available here. More international data is here. They also provide a basic map viewer here with some GIS layers you can turn off and on. Hunting around the National Geophysical Data Center might nab you some other data. NOAA also has flat maps here.

You can download the data and use a freeware GIS software like MapWindow GIS.

Or you can use the GeoMapApp from Marine Geoscience for other, more global maps.

USGS has some bathymetric data for specific areas; I'd hunt around their site as well.

Googling "bathymetric GIS data" for the area you're looking in might provide you some better, more specific data.
posted by barchan at 7:03 PM on January 18, 2009 [1 favorite]