Gozo News

A project has been launched to study the seabed through a technology called LiDAR. Using laser technology, precise data on the depth and structure of the seabed will be collected.

The project aims to develop national infrastructure in the marine sector and study the seabed using advanced technologies. The project is based on data collected in 2012 and aims to analyze possible changes in the seabed.

The project was launched at a press conference by Keith Azzopardi Tanti, Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Youth, Research and Innovation of Malta, Professor Saviour Formosa of the University of Malta, who leads the project, and Professor Alfred J. Vella, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malta.

According to reports, the project will also use GIS technology to analyze geographic data. With the help of this system, important designs and trends in the field of navigation can be created, so as to make more informed and effective decisions.

Parliamentary Secretary Keith Azzopardi-Tanti said: “Through this project, which uses advanced technology, we will be able to better understand our marine environment and make informed decisions to protect our oceans.”

“There is a linear scientific process by which the data collected is transformed into information and then into wisdom and action,” said President Alfred J. Vella. “This project is critical to making the best decisions by collecting accurate data from the seafloor. The use of lasers in the bathymetric area is critical by which data can get us closer to the process of setting policy and guiding our decisions.”

Savior Professor Formosa explained that through this project, they will collect data from the air through aircraft using LiDAR technology, up to 50 meters underwater, to help them better understand what is happening under the surface of the sea, so that they can make evidence-based decisions.

Photo: DOI/Kian Bugeja