Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental SciencesCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder

Seafloor Science Information Center (SSIC) - Under Development

Seafloor Science Information Center (SSIC) - Under Development

The CIRES Seafloor Science Information Center (SSIC) is a seafloor data and product hub developed in partnership with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). SSIC serves as a research and innovation center for NCEI’s seafloor holdings—designing new products, tools, and services that help users apply authoritative NOAA data to real-world questions. NCEI remains the long-term archive and steward of the underlying datasets. SSIC complements NCEI's mission by building robust data ingest pipelines, visualization products, and modern access tools and GIS services, that turn complex data collections into usable information.

SSIC is funded under NOAA grant NA23OAR4050194I

Bathymetry Data

Bathymetric data includes information on the depths and shapes of underwater terrain and is essential for ocean navigation, exploration, and science.

Coastal DEMs

DEMs integrate bathymetric and topographic data to provide a seamless view of coastal and marine environments and are used to inform hazard modeling.

Seafloor Reflectance & Mosaics

Seafloor reflectance and mosaic products reveal bottom texture, composition, and patterns across broad underwater areas.

Trackline Geophysics

Trackline geophysics combines bathymetry, magnetics, gravity, subbottom, and sidescan data to map seafloor shape and structure.

Under Development -- More information to come

NCEI Bathymetric Viewer:

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/bathymetry/

IHO Data Centre for Digital Bathymetry:

https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/iho_dcdb/

Under Development -- More information to come

We’re a small group of CIRES scientists embedded with NOAA NCEI who love turning complex seafloor datasets into things people can actually use. Our day-to-day lives at the intersection of mapping, geospatial science, and data stewardship: we help get new data into the archive, build modern viewers and services so it’s easier to find and explore, and develop products like coastal and bathymetric DEMs, mosaics, and new cloud-ready pipelines.

We’re equal parts researchers and builders—curious about the science, obsessed with data stewardship, and focused on practical outcomes for NOAA, partners, and the broader community. If something’s hard to find or use, let us know—your feedback directly shapes what we build next.

SSIC is funded under NOAA grant NA23OAR4050194I

Under Development -- More information to come

SSIC has focused on the building blocks that make long-term innovation possible: strengthening ingest and stewardship pipelines, modernizing viewers and access services, and advancing mission-critical seafloor products. The goal is straightforward—keep NCEI’s world-class archive authoritative and enduring, while scaling to growing data volumes, supporting more data types, and delivering faster, more usable information to the public and partners.

This foundation enables SSIC’s next phase: smoother paths from acquisition to archive, more consistent discovery and access across datasets, and a clear runway for new products such as seafloor reflectance mosaics, backscatter mosaics, and cloud-delivered services. Throughout, SSIC keeps provenance front and center by pairing modern tools with clear, direct links back to NCEI’s authoritative records.

Across ingest, access, and product development, SSIC is guided by one goal: make authoritative seafloor data easier to archive, easier to discover, and easier to apply to research, decision-making, and the next generation of ocean science and innovation.