International insurer Catlin’s Seaview Survey is hopeful that it will be able to create panoramic, underwater images of Bermuda’s coral reefs for public view as early as next year.The survey, sponsored by the Bermuda-based re/insurer has been gathering spectacular photography of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.The remarkable images will be available in the Street View feature of Google Maps through a global partnership established by the Catlin Seaview Survey and Google.In a statement yesterday, Catlin said the survey planned to continue next year “in selected global locations, including Bermuda, Hawaii and the Philippines”.A Catlin spokesman told The Royal Gazette that the survey was “extremely interested” in surveying Bermuda’s reefs and was exploring the possibility.Using specially designed, cutting-edge technology and the world’s first tablet-operated underwater camera, the Catlin Seaview Survey will capture up to 50,000 high-resolution, 360-degree panoramic images. When stitched together, these images will allow people to choose a location along the Great Barrier Reef, dip underwater and go for a viewer-controlled virtual dive in Google Maps.The public will be able to witness the breathtaking imagery at the same time as the Survey collects important scientific data that will give researchers better insights into how climate change could affect coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef.“The Catlin Seaview Survey will use new technology to gather important scientific information about coral reefs that has never been previously collected,” explained Stephen Catlin, chief executive of Catlin Group Ltd.“Catlin is sponsoring the Survey so that we can better understand the changes that are occurring to our planet. We believe that the more we understand about what is happening to the world in which we live, the better we can decide how to insure the risks we will face in the future.“We have always taken the view at Catlin that we must do things that are socially responsible and that add value to our risk assessment abilities. To be able to sponsor important scientific research like the Catlin Seaview Survey is a fantastic opportunity and privilege.”Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, director of the Global Change Institute at The University of Queensland and the Survey’s chief scientist, said: “The possibilities of what we will discover about coral reefs are almost endless.“And right now, information on how these endangered ecosystems are responding to climate change is incredibly important, given that almost 25 percent of marine species live in and around coral reefs.”Bermuda’s coral reefs are unique as they are the most northern massive coral reefs in the Atlantic Ocean.Coral reefs act as a risk indicator, providing early warnings of environmental changes occurring across the planet. They also provide an important source of food, livelihoods and shoreline protection for tens of millions of people and businesses around the world.This is the second major scientific project sponsored by Catlin. The Catlin Arctic Survey investigated the potential impacts of climate change on the Arctic, including the loss of floating Arctic sea ice, from 2009 to 2011.Useful websites: The Catlin Seaview Survey, www.catlinseaviewsurvey.com. The Google Street View Gallery: www.maps.google.com/ocean