2019 IMEKO TC-19 International Workshop on Metrology for the Sea Genoa, Italy, October 3-5, 2019 Shallow water bathymetry by satellite image: a case study on the coast of San Vito Lo Capo Peninsula, Northwestern Sicily, Italy Anselme Muzirafuti 3 , Antonio Crupi 2,3 , Stefania Lanza 2,3 , Giovanni Barreca 3 , Giovanni Randazzo 1,2,3 1Dipartimento di Scienze Matematiche e Informatiche, Scienze Fisiche e Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Messina, Via F. Stagno d’Alcontres, 31 – 98166 – Messina; grandazzo@unime.it 2GEOLOGIS s.r.l. Spin Off, Via F. Stagno d’Alcontres, 31 – 98166 – Messina; antoniocrupi5@hotmail.it , lanzas@unime.it 3Interreg Italia – Malta – Progetto : Pocket Beach Management & Remote Surveillance System Via F. Stagno d’Alcontres, 31 – 98166 – Messina ; muzansel@gmail.com, giovanni.barreca83@gmail.com Abstract –Mapping coastal areas and shallow water depth has become an interesting topic for hydrographers and scientists. Many techniques using traditional methods have been used to map and study seabed evolutions of these areas. However, ships, vessels and aircrafts used for bathymetric surveys in shallow water present some limitations, especially their inability to map hard-to-reach areas and very near shoreline waters. In addition, the cost and human resources deployed to conduct these surveys make them very expensive, even for small projects. In this paper we present a cost-effective tool and a practical method for bathymetric studies of shallow water using multispectral satellite images. We applied the Satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) method on the coast of San Vito Lo Capo with a Geoeye-1 satellite image, using available field data for calibration and vertical referencing. The results show bathymetric information for a depth of 10 m with R 2 =0.753, contributing to the management of ports, maritime transport and the coastal environment in general. Keywords: Satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB); Geoeye- 1 satellite image; coastal management; port; San Vito Lo Capo I. INTRODUCTION Mapping shallow water bathymetry in coastal and near- shore areas is of great interest to explorers, hydrographers and scientists who want to have a better understanding of this highly dynamic environment [1, 2]. Water depth information is essential for many applications, especially for coastal environment impact assessment and protection, nautical charting, construction planning and leisure, hydro-dynamic modeling, and environmental exploration [3, 4]. With on-going climate change, temporal monitoring of shallow water depth can reveal geomorphological and land cover changes occurring in coastal areas, which are important parameters for hydro- dynamic and wave modelling [3]. For example, the position of the shoreline is influenced by the level of the sea, and knowledge of water depth can help identify the location of the sand beach and sediment deposits and also improve coastal erosion studies [5]. In underwater archeology, water depth information is used for mission planning and therefore facilitates the discovery of lost objects and artifacts [6]. In seismic survey exploration, water depth information constitutes an important component for seabed determination and improves natural resources mapping. Usually, ocean, sea and lake bathymetry studies are conducted using traditional methods such as multi beam echo sounder and single beam echo sounder (SBES) fixed on ships and vessels [7, 8] and Lidar fixed on aircraft [9, 10]. These methods need on-site deployment; exploration license permits and their equipment are very expensive [11]. They are highly precise but time-consuming when studying large areas. In addition, they present some challenges when they are used in very near-shore due to area inaccessibility and hidden seabed rocks which can halt the passage of ships and vessels [12]. For Lidar, the main challenge is in its high cost which makes it unsuitable for small projects; in addition administrative procedures needed for flight authorization can also complicate the planned missions. To overcome these issues, SDB is presented as an answer for shallow water bathymetry mapping in order to complete the gap left by traditional methods as well as to update previously available bathymetric data [13]. Since the 1970s, different SDB approaches have been used to extract depth water information using multispectral satellite images [14]; however, advances in satellite sensors and the development of new algorithms are making this technology more attractive, and it is now being used in many sectors and industries such as oil and gas, coastal engineering [15], aquaculture and ports and