The FAMOS multi-partner project aims at improving safety of navigation in the Baltic Sea by increasing hydrographic survey efficiency.

The largest part of this project (Activity 1) is to finalize the hydrographic surveying of those parts of the Baltic Sea that are important for commercial shipping. The main purpose of Activity 2 (Harmonising vertical datum) is to support the introduction of the Baltic Sea Chart Datum 2000 as the unified chart datum in the Baltic Sea by improving certain geodetic tools and infrastructure.

A harmonized chart datum will contribute to navigation safety especially in shallow areas, where deep-going ships navigate close to the seabed with tight vertical error margins. The most crucial issue is to improve the geoid model for the Baltic Sea, to be achieved by making new marine gravity measurements on-board the FAMOS hydrographic surveying vessels.

TUT is involved in the following sub-activities: establishment/validation of gravity databases, geoid modelling computations; mean sea surface modelling; studies of shipborne GNSS to evaluate geoid models at sea.