Order high-resolution bathymetry

(The dybdedata.no service ended on 29 January 2024.)

Classified data

Information on seabed conditions shallower than 30 metres is not classified – with some exceptions. This applies in Norwegian territorial waters, including Svalbard.

You can apply for declassification and access to high-resolution bathymetry. If you plan to collect bathymetry yourself, you must apply for permission for this.

How bathymetry is classified:

• From 0-30 metres deep: Unclassified data, with certain exceptions.
• Deeper than 30 metres: Data is classified under the Security Act.
• Bathymetry with grid/resolution of 25x25 metres or better is classified as CONFIDENTIAL.
• Bathymetry with grid/resolution of 25x25 metres up to 50x50 metres is classified as RESTRICTED.
• Bathymetry with grid/resolution of 50x50 metres and coarser is unclassified.
• Bathymetry outside the territorial limits is unclassified.

Ref. regulations on recording and other use of information on specified seabed conditions (lovdata.no).

Order bathymetry

More detailed bathymetry than what is available on geonorge.no must be ordered directly via the Norwegian Mapping Authority.

The Norwegian mapping autority applies to the Norwegian armed forces to release data on behalf of the orderer.

The data itself is free of charge, but the person who orders must pay for the hourly rate for the work of facilitating data and the application to the Norwegian armed forces to have the data set declassified.

Information about price, data coverage and delivery conditions can be clarified with the Norwegian mapping autority by email at sjodata@kartverket.no.

For the application, the Norwegian mapping autority needs the necessary information, cf. Section 7 of the Regulations on recording and other use of information on specified seabed conditions.

Collected bathymetry

The detailed bathymetry is collected by the Norwegian Mapping Authority itself and by other parties such as the Norwegian armed forces and the MAREANO programme.