The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) annually collects large quantities of bathymetric survey data. As part of this effort, the USACE performs a triple-sweep centerline survey of the entire Intracoastal Waterway in Florida (Nassau through Miami-Dade Counties) at four-year intervals (1996, 2000, 2004). These surveys cover around 650 miles of channel. In an effort to improve access to this data, both the USACE and the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) - acting as local sponsor of the ICWW - have retained Taylor Engineering to develop a user-friendly, GIS-based data viewer specific to these surveys.

The software selectively displays the channel centerline, color-coded channel depths throughout the waterway, data points color-coded by depth, cut information, aids to navigation, shorelines, and adjacent roads and bridges. The software also displays maintenance dredging summaries and projected channel maintenance requirements in separate tables. With an interactive tool, the user can calculate shoal volumes anywhere in the waterway using one of several methods to define areas of interest. The deliverables for this project include a CD or DVD containing the software, a User's Guide, and updated tables of dredged material storage requirements.

At each new release Taylor Engineering has expanded the software's capabilities. The original package, SURVEY96, was developed with the Avenue programming language for use with Arc View 3.1. Version 2, SURVEY2000, added six counties in southwest Florida covering sections of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. This version also included a more efficient shoal volume calculation algorithm, improved data display, more accurate basemap themes, and other additional data. The current version, SURVEY2004, included a complete rewrite of the code in Visual Basic for use with ArcGIS 9.1. SURVEY2004 also includes new aerial photography throughout the waterway and detailed information on planned and existing dredged material management areas.