Hydrographic, geophysical and geomatics services
We cover the full hydrographic data cycle: geodetic control, acquisition, quality control, processing and delivery of technical products. Each service can be contracted on its own or combined within a single project under a common reference frame.
Singlebeam bathymetry
Dual-frequency singlebeam echosounder surveys for depth control in channels, basins, marinas, rivers and reservoirs. The most efficient method for frequent coverage of large areas, with consistent performance in highly turbid water.
Applications
Daily dredging control, periodic siltation monitoring in ports, river and reservoir surveys, and areas where turbidity limits other technologies.
Deliverables
Processed sounding data, seabed surface, contours, profiles, volume computation against the theoretical surface and charts in the agreed reference frame.
Methodology
Dual-frequency transducer on a survey vessel, GNSS positioning tied to the project monument network, sound velocity profile and tide reduction. Data are cleaned and checked before delivery.
Scope factors
Available draft for the vessel, tidal windows, sea state and port traffic. On active dredging works, the dredger's production rate.
Track record
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera / Jan de Nul, 2025–2026: daily singlebeam and multibeam monitoring over 51 days of dredging.
· Marina Loros, Golfito, 2025: 118 ha with singlebeam echosounder and RTK GNSS.
· Dutch Dredging, Suriname River, 2024: daily dredging control over a 68 km channel for ten months.
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera, 2022–2025: semi-annual siltation monitoring, 44 ha per campaign, and disposal areas of up to 100 ha.
· AyA, Isla Caballo, 2022–2023: 132 ha.
Multibeam bathymetry
Full-coverage seabed surveys with multibeam echosounder, motion sensor, GNSS positioning and sound velocity profiles. High-resolution digital seabed models for access channels, berths, quay toes and precision dredging.
Applications
Access channels, turning basins, berths, quay toes and precision dredging control, where full seabed coverage is required.
Deliverables
Digital seabed model, high-resolution surface, contours, profiles, volumes and charts. Surface density is agreed with the client before the survey.
Methodology
Multibeam echosounder with motion sensor and GNSS heading, patch test calibration before each campaign, sound velocity profiles and tide reduction, in line with the company's internal procedures.
Scope factors
Water depth, which sets swath width and line count; sea state and proximity to structures.
Track record
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera / Jan de Nul, 2025–2026: 44 ha pre- and post-dredge, a 100 ha disposal area and daily monitoring.
· Marina Flamingo, 2025: 90 ha.
· DEME Group, RECOPE, Moín, 2025: 152 ha preliminary and 311 ha pre-dredge, with patch test and multibeam verification.
· DEME Group, JAPDEVA, Moín, 2025: preliminary multibeam survey.
· INCOP, Puerto Caldera, 2023: 29 ha.
· UNOPS – AyA, Puerto Viejo, 2018–2019: 1,411 ha (general, complementary and detail).
Dredging control and supervision
Independent control of the full dredging cycle: pre-dredge survey, progress monitoring during execution and post-dredge survey. Volumes are computed against theoretical design surfaces with maximum and minimum slopes, as the basis for verifying the contracted scope.
Applications
Maintenance and capital dredging where executed volume must be independently verified and design depth confirmed.
Deliverables
Pre-dredge survey, progress surveys, post-dredge survey, theoretical design surfaces with maximum and minimum slopes, and volume computation between surfaces.
Methodology
The geodetic network is installed or verified before the first measurement to ensure comparability between campaigns. During the works, surveying and processing are carried out daily.
Scope factors
Duration of the works, agreed monitoring frequency and number of areas in the contract: channel, basin, berths and disposal area.
Track record
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera / Jan de Nul, 2025–2026: pre- and post-dredge, disposal area, slope surfaces and 51 days of daily monitoring.
· DEME Group, RECOPE, Moín, 2025: pre-dredge survey of berths, basin, channel and disposal area (311 ha).
· Dutch Dredging, Suriname River, 2024: daily control for ten months.
· Dutch Dredging, APM Terminals, Moín, 2023: pre-dredge of the channel (175 ha) and disposal area (38 ha), daily monitoring and two theoretical design surfaces.
· Dutch Dredging, Puerto Caldera, 2023: pre-dredge, intermediate and post-dredge surveys, with maximum and minimum slope theoretical surfaces.
Port and channel surveys
Surveys of berths, turning basins, access channels, breakwaters and disposal areas for the operation, maintenance and expansion of port terminals.
Applications
Verification of operating drafts, dredging planning, infrastructure maintenance and studies ahead of terminal modernisation or expansion.
Deliverables
Seabed surface by area — berths, basin, channel and disposal area — contours, profiles, volumes and charts in CRTM05 referred to mean low water springs.
Methodology
Geodetic network installed or verified at the outset; multibeam in detail areas and singlebeam over large areas; survey lines scheduled in coordination with terminal operations.
Scope factors
Vessel traffic and terminal operating windows, number of areas and the depth of each.
Track record
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera, 2022–2026: monitoring campaigns in 2022, 2023, 2024 (including an extra area), 2025 and 2026, and a survey of the disposal ground (Oct 2025).
· DEME Group, RECOPE, Moín, 2025: berths 5-0 and 5-1, basin and access channel (463 ha).
· DEME Group, JAPDEVA, Moín, 2025: preliminary survey.
· INCOP, Puerto Caldera, 2023: characterisation for the port's modernisation (63 ha).
· Dutch Dredging, APM Terminals, Moín, 2023: access channel and disposal area (213 ha).
· Dutch Dredging, Puerto Caldera, 2023: access channel and disposal area (144 ha).
Side scan sonar
High-resolution acoustic imaging of the seabed for object and obstruction detection, seabed classification and inspection of breakwaters and jetties.
Applications
Obstruction detection before dredging or construction, inspection of breakwater and jetty toes, and seabed classification.
Deliverables
Georeferenced seabed mosaic with objects, obstructions and texture changes identified.
Methodology
StarFish 452F side scan sonar (450 kHz) run on overlapping lines with GNSS positioning. It can be acquired simultaneously with bathymetry and sub-bottom profiling.
Scope factors
Water depth, which sets the useful swath width; sea state and safe navigation distance from structures.
Track record
· Marina Flamingo, 2025: breakwater inspection and georeferenced mosaic.
· INCOP, Puerto Caldera, 2023: 16.9 ha with a StarFish 452F sonar.
Marine geophysics and sub-bottom profiling
Characterisation of sub-seabed layers with a sub-bottom profiler, in support of dredging design, marine structure foundations and coastal engineering studies.
Applications
Studies ahead of dredging in uncharacterised material, foundation design for quays and breakwaters, and technical baselines for port projects.
Deliverables
Sub-bottom profiler records interpreted alongside the bathymetry and, when contracted, sedimentological studies with laboratory analysis.
Methodology
EdgeTech 3400-OTS wideband sub-bottom profiler (CHIRP, 2–16 kHz), pole-mounted over the side and acquired together with side scan sonar and GNSS positioning on a single field system.
Scope factors
Seabed type, which governs signal penetration; water depth and extent of the study area.
Track record
· INCOP, Puerto Caldera, 2023: EdgeTech 3400-OTS sub-bottom profiling over 16.9 ha with 6 m penetration, and sedimentological studies with laboratory analysis.
Tides and tidal analysis
Tide gauge installation, continuous water-level recording and harmonic analysis to derive tidal constituents, project datums and predictions for planning surveys, works and dredging.
Applications
Every bathymetric survey, which must be reduced to a reference datum, and projects that need design levels, tidal windows or predictions to plan operations.
Deliverables
Validated water-level series, harmonic constituents, project datums (mean sea level and mean low water springs) tied to the geodetic network, and tide predictions for the period required.
Methodology
Solar-powered Onset HOBOlink RX2100 tide gauge, installed on a quay and levelled to the project network. Harmonic analysis uses a record of at least 29 days; long-term extreme levels require longer series.
Scope factors
Record length, quay access for the station and availability of nearby official control points.
Track record
· Marina Loros, Golfito, 2025: levels referred to mean low water springs from MOPT Ports Division control points, with RTK tide and a backup tide gauge.
· DEME Group, RECOPE, Moín, 2025: tide recording and tide checks during the survey.
Currents and waves
Measurement of current speed and direction along sections and vertical profiles, and wave recording, as the basis for the design of marine structures, submarine outfalls and environmental studies.
Applications
Design of submarine outfalls and pipelines, breakwaters and quays, environmental studies and calibration of hydrodynamic models.
Deliverables
Current speed and direction by station and depth, on flood and ebb tide, with tables, current roses and location charts.
Methodology
Acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) or current meter deployed from a vessel, positioned by GNSS, along sections and at several depths, scheduled to the tidal cycle.
Scope factors
Number of sections and stations, campaign duration and the tidal states to be covered.
Track record
· AyA, Isla Caballo, 2023: current speed and direction at 15 sections along 6.6 km, near the surface and the bed, with a Valeport 106 current meter.
GNSS geodetic networks
Design, monumentation and observation of GNSS geodetic networks that ensure traceability and comparability between campaigns, and continuous base stations for real-time dredging control.
Applications
Any project with repeated campaigns: surface comparison and volume computation require a common, stable reference.
Deliverables
Monumented network, coordinates in the official system, observation and adjustment report, and a continuous base station when dredging operates in real time.
Methodology
Dual-frequency static GNSS observation. In Costa Rica the official system is CRTM05; the vertical datum is agreed with the client, usually mean low water springs in ports.
Scope factors
Number of monuments, spacing between them and availability of nearby official control points.
Track record
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera / Jan de Nul, 2025–2026: verification of 4 monuments and a continuous GNSS base for the dredging.
· Marina Loros, Golfito, 2025: 3-point network tied to MOPT control points.
· DEME Group, RECOPE, Moín, 2025: 4 monuments in CRTM05 and mean low water springs.
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera, 2025: static GNSS observation for the February campaign.
· LAICA, Punta Morales, 2024: GNSS base station with post-processing.
· Dutch Dredging, APM Terminals, Moín, 2023: 6-monument network.
· Dutch Dredging, Puerto Caldera, 2023: verification of the 4-monument network.
· AyA, Isla Caballo, 2022–2023: 6-monument network in CRTM05.
· Marina Pez Vela, Quepos, 2022: GNSS network verification.
· UNOPS – AyA, Puerto Viejo, 2018–2019: 6-monument network in CRTM05.
LiDAR scanning and photogrammetry
UAV-borne LiDAR, mobile LiDAR and photogrammetry for orthomosaics and digital terrain models. Available as a stand-alone service or as the land component of a hydrographic survey.
Land surveying and statutory registry work are handled by our sister company, ASINGTOPO.
Applications
Beach fronts, port yards, revetments, slopes and intertidal zones that must be measured to the same accuracy as the seabed.
Deliverables
Classified point cloud, digital terrain model, contours and orthomosaic, in the same reference frame as the rest of the project.
Methodology
Flights tied to the project geodetic network, allowing direct comparison of each campaign with previous ones and with the bathymetry.
Scope factors
Flight windows where port operations are active, tide when the intertidal strip is of interest, and agreed point density.
Track record
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera / Jan de Nul, 2025–2026: LiDAR of the beach and the port.
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera, 2025: LiDAR and photogrammetry of the beach next to Berth 1 in the February and July campaigns.
· Marina Flamingo, 2025: 11 ha of UAV LiDAR and 22 ha of aerial photogrammetry.
Integrated land–sea surveys
GNSS, LiDAR, photogrammetry and bathymetry processed in a single geodetic frame and vertical datum, producing a continuous model from dry land to the submerged seabed.
Applications
Works on the shoreline — breakwaters, beach fronts, estuaries and marinas — where a continuous land–sea model is required.
Deliverables
Continuous land–sea model, orthomosaic, LiDAR point cloud and bathymetric surface in the same reference frame and vertical datum.
Methodology
The UAV flight and vessel navigation are tied to a single geodetic network, which ensures continuity of the model.
Scope factors
Extent of the intertidal strip and flight permits where port operations are active.
Track record
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera / Jan de Nul, 2025–2026: beach LiDAR and multibeam bathymetry in a single model.
· Marina Flamingo, 2025: 123 integrated ha of multibeam bathymetry, UAV LiDAR, photogrammetry and side scan sonar.
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera, 2025: combined bathymetry and beach LiDAR.
Siltation and morphological change
Comparison of surfaces between successive campaigns to quantify siltation and erosion, estimate rates of change and plan the maintenance of channels, basins and reservoirs.
Applications
Ports, marinas, estuaries and reservoirs losing draft or capacity, to schedule maintenance on measured data.
Deliverables
Surface for each campaign, difference surface, erosion and siltation volumes, and comparative profiles.
Methodology
The same geodetic network and reference level on every campaign, a prerequisite for differences to reflect real seabed change.
Scope factors
Campaign frequency, area extent and preservation of monuments between campaigns.
Track record
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera, 2022–2025: semi-annual siltation monitoring (44 ha per campaign) and campaign comparisons, such as February against July 2025.
· INCOP, Puerto Caldera, 2023: sedimentological studies with laboratory analysis.
· Marina Pez Vela, Quepos, 2022: erosion and siltation analysis including bathymetry of the Boca Vieja estuary.
Wave, current and transport modelling
Numerical models of wave propagation, tide- and wind-driven hydrodynamics, sediment transport and contaminant dispersion, built on the project bathymetry and calibrated with field measurements.
Applications
Design of ports, marinas and breakwaters; assessment of siltation in channels and basins; dispersion of outfalls and dredging plumes for environmental impact studies.
Deliverables
Wave and current fields, transport rates and siltation zones, plume concentration and extent maps, and a technical report including model calibration.
Methodology
Spectral wave models and tide- and wind-driven hydrodynamic models built on the project bathymetry, with sediment transport and dispersion modules. Calibration uses tides, currents and waves measured in the field.
Scope factors
Model domain extent, scenarios assessed (average conditions, storms, proposed works) and availability of field data for calibration.
Track record
· UNOPS – AyA, Puerto Viejo, 2018–2019: 1,411 ha of multibeam bathymetry used as input to the dispersion model of the treatment plant's submarine outfall.
Hydrographic processing and technical products
Cleaning, quality control and processing of hydrographic and LiDAR data, delivering surfaces, profiles, contours, models, charts, point clouds, volumes and technical reports.
Applications
Any campaign whose results support a technical decision or a payment: surfaces, volumes, charts and reports.
Deliverables
Cleaned and verified data, surfaces, profiles, contours, models, charts, point clouds, volumes, comparisons and a technical report in the agreed reference frame.
Methodology
HYPACK for hydrography and gAirHawk for the LiDAR point cloud. Calibration, uncertainty computation and cleaning follow the company's internal procedures.
Scope factors
Data density, number of products and delivery frequency, which is daily on active dredging works.
Track record
· Sociedad Portuaria de Caldera / Jan de Nul, 2025–2026: daily progress charts and volume computation against maximum and minimum slopes.
· Marina Flamingo and Marina Loros, 2025: surfaces, 5 to 20 m grids, contours and charts.
· Dutch Dredging, Suriname River, 2024: daily processing and volumes for ten months.
· Dutch Dredging, APM Terminals and Puerto Caldera, 2023: theoretical design surfaces and volume computation.
· UNOPS – AyA, Puerto Viejo, 2018–2019: contours and charts in WGS84 and CRTM05.