IE GSI MI JIBS Joint Irish Bathymetric Survey Data Inshore Ireland WGS84 LAT

Knowing the depth of the sea and its shape is vital for creating nautical charts. Accurate charts allow sailors to safely travel the seas. The charts give water depths so sailors can avoid running aground. They also provide locations of dangers such as rocks, sand banks or shipwrecks which may be located in shallow water or have objects such as a ship mast standing upright. This data is used by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) to update the nautical charts used in Irish Waters.

Seabed maps are useful when building structures on the seabed such as offshore energy devices (wind, tide and wave), bridges and tunnels. The maps help to select the best site for the structure. Understanding the terrain of the seabed will help prevent any disasters or long term problems with a structure. This can be done by avoiding unsuitable seabed terrain or engineering a project to suit the type of seabed terrain it is to be built on.

They are also useful for laying cables and pipelines on the seabed. They help find the best route to lay them and help spot any hazards like shipwrecks.

The maps are important for marine research. They allow us to study how the ocean crust formed and how glaciers once moved over coastal areas. They also help us to model how ocean currents and tides flow around the coastline and predict which coastal areas may be affected by rising sea levels.

The maps help us figure out where marine species live, feed, and breed. This is important for fisheries and conservation.