World Wetlands Day highlights how vital these ecosystems are, and it also marks an important moment for SeaBee. SeaBee has spent years developing drone based mapping and machine learning tools that reveal fine scale habitat patterns across the coastal zone. This expertise is now a core element of EOCEAN, a project funded The Research Council of Norway to provide municipalities with reliable information about their coastal ecosystems. The project responds to the fact that many authorities are working with limited data and are therefore at risk of making decisions without a clear picture of the coastal ecosystem they aim to manage.

EOCEAN uses SeaBee’s capabilities to map wetlands across the full land to sea interface. When SeaBee surveys a coastline, its drones capture ultra high resolution imagery that shows the textures and boundaries of salt marshes, the structure of coastal meadows and the exposed surfaces of tidal flats. These images, together with ground truth data and machine learning models, allow EOCEAN to map wetland habitats with unprecedented clarity. The project expands SeaBee’s existing habitat classifications to include these semi marine and terrestrial coastal ecosystems, ensuring that wetlands are represented as connected systems rather than isolated features.

All EOCEAN maps and accounts will be made available through the SeaBee GeoNode platform, which ensures that municipalities can discover, view and download updated wetland data. This accessibility is a crucial part of the project. Without easy access to reliable information, wetlands remain invisible in planning processes. With it, local authorities can identify vulnerable areas, guide sustainable development and prioritise protection and restoration measures backed by evidence.

Wetlands do not ask for attention, yet they provide services that reach far beyond their boundaries. They stabilise coastlines, store carbon that helps moderate the climate and support a network of life that thrives in the narrow band between land and sea. On this World Wetlands Day, SeaBee is proud to help bring these ecosystems into clearer view. By combining advanced drone technology, high resolution mapping and open data, SeaBee and EOCEAN are creating a stronger foundation for understanding and safeguarding Norway’s coastal wetlands for the future.