Executive Summary
IOGP's Seabed Survey Data Model Version 3, expected in 2027, is the first major overhaul since 2017. The migration from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro 3.x, support for dynamic coordinate reference systems with epoch, and alignment with Land and Offshore Infrastructure models will force most operators to rebuild survey data workflows. We've spent 18 years watching standards adoption fail and succeed – this one matters because it touches every handover between vessel, office, and asset team. But the real challenge isn't technical compliance; it's changing how your people work.
What Happened
The IOGP Geomatics Committee has set up a new group of experts to create the third version of the Seabed Survey Data Model (SSDM) by 2027. ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap) is out, ArcGIS Pro 3.x is in. They add support for dynamic coordinate systems and strengthen the link between SSDM and its relatives: the Land Survey Data Model and the Offshore Infrastructure Survey Data Model.
Seven years between two major releases - you might think this is a time lag, but it’s not. It’s about getting operators, contractors and surveyors to accept the way we work with seabed data. In 2011, Kevin Maclay, now honorary chief surveyor, recognised the data chaos for what it was. His goal? To bring order to this chaos, which no single operator can do alone.
Version 3 improves customisation of ArcGIS Pro folders and workflows (.aprx), adds recommended multimap and layout frames, and reworks style(x) files for symbology to remember. There will be a formal pre-release review as well as a detailed changelog compared to version 2.
Why This Matters
Every reputable operator uses SSDM to support contractors. Whether it’s a line survey or a field survey, the resulting data is in SSDM format. Your GIS team uses it - it’s worth checking - engineers need it, your asset integrity database gets it - usually without realising it. But if the standard is outdated, the chain breaks.
ArcMap will be obsolete by March 2024. Esri stopped selling it a long time ago, and most vendors will stop supporting ArcMap exports in 2022. Keep this in mind, but what’s most important? SSDM version 2 is tied to the ArcMap workspace, so while you can open in Pro due to backwards compatibility, you can expect a conversion every time - broken symbology, layers that need to be manually adjusted. We’ve seen teams spend 40 hours per project reformatting documents that should be plug-and-play.
Dynamic referencing systems are becoming increasingly important. As Australia has redesigned GDA2020 for time-based coordinates and EPSG supports coordinate epochs from 2020 - at least in practice - if you use GDA2020 with two different epochs - 2018 and 2025 - these coordinates will differ by 1.8 metres. The harmonisation of SSDM version 3 with dynamic CRS processing means that you finally get correct temporal metadata.
This harmonisation - SSDM, LSDM, OISDM? It’s about time. Pipeline studies that require three different data formats are a nightmare. Harmonisation version 3 means one GIS workflow, not three.
The Reality on Deck
Implementation of standards for offshore work: First year - ignored. Second year - mandatory requirement in tenders. Third year - contractors complain about rigour. Fifth year - not thought about at all. SSDM? Thirteen years, folks - version 2 will achieve that invisibility for most by 2020.
Automation will disappear. File formats, symbology and project structure are expected to change with the move to ArcGIS Pro - big difference. No shortcuts - automated SSDM document generators will require re-engineering. It’s not just the software, but years of stable workflows that will need to be re-engineered. The contractors have invested £80,000 in version 2 automation; they will spend it again.
Two years until 2027? It doesn’t take that long. When the IOGP releases the new version, your procurement team will update the contracts and the new contracts will be in place by the end of 2027. The first data will be available in 2028 and you’ll be up and running with version 2 within 12-24 months of the handover. A confusing mess of duplicate workflows, validation scripts, import procedures. Pay for it now.
Where Clients Get It Wrong
1. Assuming Standards Compliance Equals Data Quality
A classic mistake: you check whether a document is SSDM-compliant, and that’s it. The standards define data structures and spatial references, but they do not vouch for the quality of the actual data. The multibeam line you processed, refraction distortions, geologically accurate interpretations - SSDM is just a container; quality? That depends on you. This will not change in version 3.
2. Waiting Until 2027 to Prepare
Version 3 requires ArcGIS Pro 3 - x. Have you already switched? Many of you are working with Pro 2 - x because it is supposedly more stable. ArcGIS Pro 3 - 0 comes out in May 2023 with new Python, geo tools, licensing. Your IT team will need at least a year - in the meantime, ships will be updated during planned mobilisations, not in the middle of a project.
Upgrade to ArcGIS Pro 3.x now. Don’t wait for SSDM to push you into it.
3. Ignoring Coordinate Epoch in Existing Data
Fifteen years of seabed survey data and we continue to ignore the epochs. Regional dynamic systems like Australia or New Zealand? Important - without epoch data it is impossible to correlate the past with current surveys. Open old archives, dig up metadata on epochs. This is months of work, but urgently needed.
4. Treating All Three Models as Separate Problems
SSDM, LSDM and OISDM projects inevitably overlap. Your offshore work connects onshore and offshore infrastructures. The harmonisation theory only works if your GIS covers all three areas together. Separate databases and workflows are the norm. This is inefficient.
Version 3 basically offers consolidation - a single schema, feature classes, a single GIS environment - but it requires organisational changes, not just technical changes.
5. Underestimating Training Requirements
Everyone is familiar with SSDM Version 2 - they know how to do it. But switching to ArcGIS Pro turns central workflows upside down. Layout frameworks, Python scripts? Everything is different, not just small changes. Expect 3-5 days of formal training to result in months of lost productivity. Countless industry-wide retraining efforts represent a monumental shift.
What Version 3 Still Won’t Solve
SSDM sorts out seabed characterisation data, but ignores mobilisation surveys, daily positioning and raw sensor data. This is not a rough assumption - separate specifications are required for these data.
The standard assumes delivery at the end of the project. The reality is that projects require additional data. SSDM does not support partial deliveries or updates, not should it. Include interim delivery clauses in contracts.
Worldwide use of SSDM is not uniform. The oil and gas industry is enthusiastic (yes, really), the offshore wind industry is increasing, the dredging industry less so, and the fishing industry isn’t even close. Other industries are still delivering in their own formats, so differences are to be expected.
Standards That Actually Work
For 20 years, we have been monitoring which standards are still valid. The successful standards? They solve real problems, are supported by users and keep pace with technology.
SSDM has proven its value by correcting messy survey results and saving operators millions. Kevin McLay knew the industry needed a united approach, and it has paid off. The IOGP Geomatics Committee, made up of industry veterans, is not an ivory tower. We create standards that are grounded in reality and create workable, challenging compromises.
But seven years between major updates is slow. Technology is moving faster - version 3 needs faster updates. I would say small annual updates are the future. The industry can’t afford to lag behind - IOGP needs to listen.
Your 2025 Action Plan
Use ArcGIS Pro 3;x in your organisation now. Test with version 2 SSDM data to identify any issues before version 3 is released. Ensure your geodetic archives are organised by epoch.
Check the 2024-2025 contracts for data deliveries up to 2027-2028 - does it specify SSDM versioning? If not, expect confusing mixed data - specify SSDM versions and plan for parallel formats. Ask the surveying providers about their plans for the transition to version 3. Good providers are already on board, others will probably not switch until 2027 at the earliest.
What We’re Watching
The official review by the IOGP will take until 2025-2026 - perhaps the technical details will be changed, but the switch to ArcGIS Pro? Not negotiable. Reviews can change the class structure and mapping rules.
LOI concepts from OISDM may impact SSDM version 3 - setting data detail markers for project phases. When this is adopted, the specifications expand and recognise the value of what was once informal. This is now formalised.
The integration of EPSG datasets goes even further. Vertical offsets, time-dependent transformations, composite CRS are all important for the rigorous management of vertical transformations in marine surveys.
Changes are noted in the change log - incremental? Revolutionary? Incremental changes seem to make more sense - the industry needs stability, not abrupt innovations. It quickly becomes clear: version 3 cannot turn the game on its head, but it must strengthen the foundations.
The Bigger Pattern
New SSDM version is associated with the gradual professionalisation of geodata. Twenty years ago, operators suffered from a fatal data management chaos that resembled a file archive nightmare. Standards, including SSDM, have transformed geospatial data into something that can be found and trusted.
Consistent CRS and easy data integration seemed impossible a decade ago. SSDM has driven this development. The recognition of dynamic coordinates shows that they are not eternal truths - they are just time stamps.
Your task: capture every bit of that value. A standard is only as good as its application. How your organisation uses it is the real game.
Based on: New Geomatics initiative set to enhance IOGP’s Seabed Survey Data Model
