Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
AGENCY:
National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION:
Notice of request for public comment.
SUMMARY:
The National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization (NOMEC) Council and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) request input from all interested parties on the draft addendums to the Standard Ocean Mapping Protocol (SOMP). The SOMP was developed in accordance with Objective 2.1 of the National Strategy for Ocean Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (NOMEC Strategy), which directed the IWG-OCM to establish a SOMP to encourage consistency in data acquisition, stewardship, and management across a subset of ocean sensing capabilities for seafloor mapping. The first version of the SOMP was released in April 2024 and includes sections on bathymetry, seabed backscatter, water column backscatter, side scan sonar imagery, sub-bottom profiling, and magnetometer data readings. The draft addendums to the Bathymetry and Data Management chapters are focused on Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB).
DATES:
All comments on this Federal Register Notice must be received by 5 p.m. ET on May 22, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Written comments on the draft addendums must be submitted via email to iwgocm.staff@noaa.gov. Please include “Public Comment on SOMP SDB Addendums” in the subject line of the email message. If applicable, clearly indicate the section and page number to which submitted comments pertain. The written comments NOAA receives are considered part of the public record, and the entirety of the comment, including the name of the commenter, email address, attachments, and other supporting materials, will be publicly accessible. Sensitive personally identifiable information, such as account numbers and Social Security numbers, should not be included with the comment. Comments that contain profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate language will not be considered. All submissions must be in English. Email attachments will be accepted in plain text, Microsoft Word, or Adobe PDF formats only. Each individual or institution is requested to submit only one comment. Commenting on this FRN is voluntary. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for comment preparation, or for the use of any information contained in the comment.
Documents are available at the following locations:
- The draft SDB-addendum to the Bathymetry chapter of the April 2024 SOMP may be downloaded or viewed at:https://iocm.noaa.gov/standards/DRAFT+-+SOMP+SDB+Addendum+Chapters+1+and+2_+01.09.2026.pdf
- The April 2024 SOMP may be downloaded or viewed at:https://iocm.noaa.gov/standards/SOMPFinal2024.pdf
- The 2020 NOMEC Strategy may be downloaded or viewed at:https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/NOMECStrategy.pdf
- The 2024 NOMEC Strategy Implementation Plan may be downloaded or viewed at:https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/2024%20NOMEC%20Implementation%20Plan_FINAL.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Paul Turner, NOAA Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping, 240-429-0293, iwgocm.staff@noaa.gov.