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Abstract
The oceans remain one of Earth’s last great unknowns, with about 74% still unmapped to modern standards. Consequently, interpolation is employed to create seamless digital bathymetric models (DBMs) from incomplete hydrographic datasets, but this introduces unquantified depth uncertainties. This study aims to estimate and characterize uncertainties arising from set-line spacing hydrographic surveys, which are important for nautical charting, navigational safety, and many other applications. By sampling at different line spacings four complete coverage testbeds that vary in slope and roughness, the study interpolates across entire testbed areas using Spline, Inverse Distance Weighting, and Linear interpolation. The resulting interpolation uncertainties are evaluated from both scientific and operational perspectives. Linear regression and machine learning techniques are used to model the relationship between these uncertainties and three ancillary predictors (distance to the nearest known measurement, slope, and roughness) for interpolation uncertainty quantification. Results show operational equivalence among the three interpolators, how line spacing and morphology impact uncertainty, and the statistical significance of the examined uncertainty predictors. However, the relationships between the combined ancillary predictors and interpolation uncertainty are weak. These findings suggest the potential presence of unaccounted-for factors influencing uncertainty, yet provide a foundational understanding for improving uncertainty estimates in DBMs within operational settings.
Date Created
2/18/2025
Department
Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping
Publication Date
2-18-2025
Journal Title
International Journal of Geo-Information
Language
English
Publisher
MDPI
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14020090
Document Type
Article
Link to Full Text URL
https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/14/2/90
Recommended Citation
Adediran, Elias; Kastrisios, Christos; Lowell, Kim; Rice, Glen; and Zhang, Qi, "Toward Quantifying Interpolation Uncertainty in Set-line Spacing Hydrographic Surveys" (2025). International Journal of Geo-Information. 2475.
https://scholars.unh.edu/faculty_pubs/2475
Included in
Data Science Commons, Other Computer Sciences Commons, Other Engineering Commons, Other Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons, Theory and Algorithms Commons
Comments
This is an open access article published by MDPI in International Journal of Geo-Information in 2025, available online: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14020090