SURVEY NEWS
Hydrographic survey for Marine Electronic Highway in Straits of Malacca and Singapore underway A key hydrographic survey within the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore is now underway, as part of the Marine Electronic Highway (MEH) Demonstration Project, a regional project that IMO is executing for the Global Environment Facility (GEF)/World Bank. The purpose is to produce an updated electronic navigation chart of the area.
The specially-refitted survey vessel MV Arifah Adni sailed on 10 February 2010 from the Loyang Offshore Supply Base in Singapore to the survey site, with surveyors/crew from GEMS Survey Limited and the MEH Project Oversight Team, which includes six hydrographers from Indonesia (Dinas Hidro Oceanografic Office (DISHIDROS)), Malaysia (National Hydrographic Centre) and Singapore (Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore).
The surveyors will use shallow-water multi-beam and side-scan sonar technology to acquire accurate hydrographic survey data, including the location of any obstructions such as wrecks, covering an area of 621.28 square kilometres around the One Fathom Bank area, representing around 14 per cent of the total area of the TSS. The target area to be surveyed has a depth of less than 25 metres. Some parts of the target area have been resurveyed at various times between 1972 and 2005, but the survey will provide completely up-to-date data.
Calibration of survey instruments and the deployment of tide gauges are currently taking place. Altogether, the survey will take a total of 50 days, including two port calls in Port Klang, Malaysia.
The US$2.754 million contract for the hydrographic survey in the Straits was signed on 20 May 2009 between GEMS and IMO, following an international competitive tender process.
The MEH Project aims to establish a regional mechanism in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore for enhanced maritime safety and marine environment protection, in a co-operative arrangement with the three littoral States (Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore) as well as the Republic of Korea, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO).
The demonstration project will link shore-based marine information and communication infrastructure with the corresponding navigational and communication facilities aboard transiting ships, while also being capable of incorporating marine environmental management systems. The MEH is being built on a network of electronic navigational charts using electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS) and environmental management tools, all combining in an integrated platform covering the region that allows the maximum amount of information to be made available both to ships and shipmasters as well as to shore-based users, such as vessel traffic services.
The overall system - which will also include positioning systems and real-time navigational information like tide and current data, as well as providing meteorological and oceanographic information - is designed to assist in the overall traffic management of the Straits and provide the basis for sound marine environmental protection and management.
The funding for the hydrographic survey comes out of a US$6.86 million grant agreement signed in June 2006 between the GEF/World Bank and IMO.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
IHO STANDARD S-100
NEW IHO STANDARDS S- 100
IHO Publication 57 (IHO S-57) is the official IHO Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data, formally adopted in 1992. S-57 was intended to support all types of hydrographic data, the associated technology and different user groups, but adoption has been relatively limited. S-57 has been used almost exclusively for encoding electronic navigational charts (ENCs) for use in electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS). One of the reasons for this is that S-57 is not a contemporary standard that is widely accepted in the GIS domain.
Captain Robert Ward
To address this, the IHO hasembarked on the development of a new, more versatile standard – S-100, which will incorporate the requirements of S-57 for ENCs and ECDIS, but will be aligned with the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards. S-100 should therefore form an attractive basis upon which a wider range of digital products and transfer standards for hydrographic and related applications will be developed in the future.
Goals for S-100
S-100 will support items such as imagery and gridded data, 3D and time-varying data (x, y, z, and time), and new applications that go beyond the scope of traditional hydrography; for example, high-density bathymetry, sea floor classification and marine GIS. It will also enable the use of web-based services for acquiring, processing, analysing, accessing and presenting data. It is important to recognise that S-100 is not an incremental revision of the current Edition 3.1 of S-57. S-100 will be a new standard that includes additional content and support of new data exchange formats.
S-100 was released as a draft version in February 2008 and is in its development phase.
Goal/Objectives for S-100
S-100 will become the new base standard for hydrographic data from which the widest variety of applications and uses can be defined.
IHO Geospatial Information Registry
S-100 will be compiled and managed as an ISO-conforming registry on the IHO website and will be a part of the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards. Currently, there are over 40 standards in the ISO 19100 series. These already include both adopted and draft International Standards for spatial and temporal schema, metadata, imagery and gridded data, profiles, portrayal and encoding.
A Registry contains a number of discrete Registers, each owned and managed by the relevant competent authority. At the heart of the IHO Geospatial Information Registry will be the following component Registries, each of which will contain various Registers.
These Registries will accommodate both core hydrographic content and other chart-related content, such as nautical publications, inland ENCs and marine information overlays. The IHO Geospatial Information Registry will also contain a Product Specifications Register. The structure of the IHO Registry is illustrated in Figure 3.
The component Registries and the Product Specifications Register will operate through a web-enabled registry interface and associated database that houses each Register. This is already established and is currently located at web reference 1.
Register Owners
The IHO will own the Geospatial Information Registry and its four component Registries; however, the Register’s subordinate Registers will be owned and therefore controlled by the relevant competent authorities, according to the nature and content of each Register.
IHO Owners
Registers owned by the IHO will be confined to those that directly support those objects and attributes (to be known as ‘Features’ and ‘Feature Attributes’ under S-100) that are required to support the official hydrographic products and services required to meet the chart and publications carriage requirements of the Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The numbering convention for the IHO standards relying on these Registers will be part of an S-1xx series; for example, S-101 will be the product specification for the next-generation ENC.
Non-IHO Owners
Other Registers that complement marine navigation or support the activities of national hydrographic authorities can be established in the IHO Registry by relevant organisations. This could be for such things as inland ECDIS services, sea ice reports, maritime weather services and vessel traffic information. In these cases, the relevant competent authority or organisation would control the Register within the rules and procedures of the IHO Geospatial Information Registry as a whole. Those owners would have full control over the compilation and maintenance of their Registers and any product specifications that they may wish to derive. Registers for sea ice information and inland ENCs are already in the process of being established.
?Other product specifications that rely or reference some of the S-100 Features and Feature Attributes in the IHO Registry but that have more distant relationships to the primary marine navigation roles of national hydrographic authorities would usually be established elsewhere as part of the ISO 9100 series of standards. Any Registers and product specifications for these would then be organised, authorised and maintained by the appropriate non-IHO competent authorities under their own Registry arrangements. Examples might include maritime spatial data infrastructure (MSDI), oil and gas industry applications, and coastal zone/littoral management applications.
Product specifications for non-IHO products and standards should be distinguishable from the IHO S-1xx series.
Benefits
There are a number of benefits to be gained from adopting S-100.
Using ISO-developed components and terminology will help ensure that S-100 and future extensions are in the mainstream of the geospatial information industry. This will help to encourage a greater use and thereby lower costs in implementing S-100 for hydrographic and other types of geospatial applications; for example, marine GIS.
Conformance with the ISO/TC211 standards will maximise the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software applications and development.
New components of S-100 will not be developed in isolation from the rest of the geospatial information technology community.
Any new requirements can be incorporated within the established framework of ISO/TC211-based standards.
Rather than being regarded as simply a standard for hydrography, S-100 will be interoperable with other ISO/TC211 standards and profiles such as NATO DIGEST.
Users will be able to define applications and product specifications by drawing upon any combination of elements from any of the ISO 19100 series, including S-100.
S-100 will also allow for a much more flexible and manageable change control structure. Because the content of S-100-based product specifications will be a subset of S-100, this will allow the core standard to evolve (through extension) without the need to introduce new versions of product specifications.
There are many national standards bodies that will take full advantage of S-100 being aligned with ISO/TC211 standards.
Compatible hydrographic data will be available to more than just hydrographic offices and ECDIS equipment users.
Effect on S-57 ENCs and ECDIS
ENC data conforming to S-57 Edition 3.1 will continue to be a requirement for type-approved, IMO-compliant ECDIS for the foreseeable future – even after S-100 becomes an active standard. As a consequence, hydrographic offices will continue, as at present, to produce Edition 3.1 ENC data to support this.
The next-generation ENC product specification based on S-100, which will be known as S-101, will take several years to develop and test, and will involve the active participation of all IHO stakeholders. It will have forwards compatibility with S-57 ENCs; that is, an S-101 ECDIS will accept S-57 ENCs. This means that the managed introduction of S-101 will not result in the withdrawal or early termination of S-57 or S-57 ENCs.
Timetable
The first draft of S-100 – IHO Geospatial Standard for Hydrographic Data was released for stakeholder comment in March 2008. S-100 is not expected to be aneffectivestandard until at least 2010.
Stakeholder Involvement
Stakeholder involvement will play an important part in the development of S-100. The IHB hosted its first stakeholders’ user requirements workshop in March 2008. All potential S-100 stakeholders are encouraged to participate in S-100 development. In particular, non-IHO stakeholders are needed to ensure that S-100 will be suitable for the widest possible user community. Further details about S-100 and how to participate are available at web reference 2.
Biography of the author
Captain Robert Ward has served both afloat and ashore in various appointments associated with nautical chart making and surveying. He is one of three Directors of the International Hydrographic Bureau. His principal responsibility is the oversight of the technical programme of the International Hydrographic Organization.*robert.ward@ihb.mc
IHO Publication 57 (IHO S-57) is the official IHO Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data, formally adopted in 1992. S-57 was intended to support all types of hydrographic data, the associated technology and different user groups, but adoption has been relatively limited. S-57 has been used almost exclusively for encoding electronic navigational charts (ENCs) for use in electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS). One of the reasons for this is that S-57 is not a contemporary standard that is widely accepted in the GIS domain.
Captain Robert Ward
To address this, the IHO hasembarked on the development of a new, more versatile standard – S-100, which will incorporate the requirements of S-57 for ENCs and ECDIS, but will be aligned with the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards. S-100 should therefore form an attractive basis upon which a wider range of digital products and transfer standards for hydrographic and related applications will be developed in the future.
Goals for S-100
S-100 will support items such as imagery and gridded data, 3D and time-varying data (x, y, z, and time), and new applications that go beyond the scope of traditional hydrography; for example, high-density bathymetry, sea floor classification and marine GIS. It will also enable the use of web-based services for acquiring, processing, analysing, accessing and presenting data. It is important to recognise that S-100 is not an incremental revision of the current Edition 3.1 of S-57. S-100 will be a new standard that includes additional content and support of new data exchange formats.
S-100 was released as a draft version in February 2008 and is in its development phase.
Goal/Objectives for S-100
S-100 will become the new base standard for hydrographic data from which the widest variety of applications and uses can be defined.
IHO Geospatial Information Registry
S-100 will be compiled and managed as an ISO-conforming registry on the IHO website and will be a part of the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards. Currently, there are over 40 standards in the ISO 19100 series. These already include both adopted and draft International Standards for spatial and temporal schema, metadata, imagery and gridded data, profiles, portrayal and encoding.
A Registry contains a number of discrete Registers, each owned and managed by the relevant competent authority. At the heart of the IHO Geospatial Information Registry will be the following component Registries, each of which will contain various Registers.
These Registries will accommodate both core hydrographic content and other chart-related content, such as nautical publications, inland ENCs and marine information overlays. The IHO Geospatial Information Registry will also contain a Product Specifications Register. The structure of the IHO Registry is illustrated in Figure 3.
The component Registries and the Product Specifications Register will operate through a web-enabled registry interface and associated database that houses each Register. This is already established and is currently located at web reference 1.
Register Owners
The IHO will own the Geospatial Information Registry and its four component Registries; however, the Register’s subordinate Registers will be owned and therefore controlled by the relevant competent authorities, according to the nature and content of each Register.
IHO Owners
Registers owned by the IHO will be confined to those that directly support those objects and attributes (to be known as ‘Features’ and ‘Feature Attributes’ under S-100) that are required to support the official hydrographic products and services required to meet the chart and publications carriage requirements of the Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The numbering convention for the IHO standards relying on these Registers will be part of an S-1xx series; for example, S-101 will be the product specification for the next-generation ENC.
Non-IHO Owners
Other Registers that complement marine navigation or support the activities of national hydrographic authorities can be established in the IHO Registry by relevant organisations. This could be for such things as inland ECDIS services, sea ice reports, maritime weather services and vessel traffic information. In these cases, the relevant competent authority or organisation would control the Register within the rules and procedures of the IHO Geospatial Information Registry as a whole. Those owners would have full control over the compilation and maintenance of their Registers and any product specifications that they may wish to derive. Registers for sea ice information and inland ENCs are already in the process of being established.
?Other product specifications that rely or reference some of the S-100 Features and Feature Attributes in the IHO Registry but that have more distant relationships to the primary marine navigation roles of national hydrographic authorities would usually be established elsewhere as part of the ISO 9100 series of standards. Any Registers and product specifications for these would then be organised, authorised and maintained by the appropriate non-IHO competent authorities under their own Registry arrangements. Examples might include maritime spatial data infrastructure (MSDI), oil and gas industry applications, and coastal zone/littoral management applications.
Product specifications for non-IHO products and standards should be distinguishable from the IHO S-1xx series.
Benefits
There are a number of benefits to be gained from adopting S-100.
Using ISO-developed components and terminology will help ensure that S-100 and future extensions are in the mainstream of the geospatial information industry. This will help to encourage a greater use and thereby lower costs in implementing S-100 for hydrographic and other types of geospatial applications; for example, marine GIS.
Conformance with the ISO/TC211 standards will maximise the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software applications and development.
New components of S-100 will not be developed in isolation from the rest of the geospatial information technology community.
Any new requirements can be incorporated within the established framework of ISO/TC211-based standards.
Rather than being regarded as simply a standard for hydrography, S-100 will be interoperable with other ISO/TC211 standards and profiles such as NATO DIGEST.
Users will be able to define applications and product specifications by drawing upon any combination of elements from any of the ISO 19100 series, including S-100.
S-100 will also allow for a much more flexible and manageable change control structure. Because the content of S-100-based product specifications will be a subset of S-100, this will allow the core standard to evolve (through extension) without the need to introduce new versions of product specifications.
There are many national standards bodies that will take full advantage of S-100 being aligned with ISO/TC211 standards.
Compatible hydrographic data will be available to more than just hydrographic offices and ECDIS equipment users.
Effect on S-57 ENCs and ECDIS
ENC data conforming to S-57 Edition 3.1 will continue to be a requirement for type-approved, IMO-compliant ECDIS for the foreseeable future – even after S-100 becomes an active standard. As a consequence, hydrographic offices will continue, as at present, to produce Edition 3.1 ENC data to support this.
The next-generation ENC product specification based on S-100, which will be known as S-101, will take several years to develop and test, and will involve the active participation of all IHO stakeholders. It will have forwards compatibility with S-57 ENCs; that is, an S-101 ECDIS will accept S-57 ENCs. This means that the managed introduction of S-101 will not result in the withdrawal or early termination of S-57 or S-57 ENCs.
Timetable
The first draft of S-100 – IHO Geospatial Standard for Hydrographic Data was released for stakeholder comment in March 2008. S-100 is not expected to be aneffectivestandard until at least 2010.
Stakeholder Involvement
Stakeholder involvement will play an important part in the development of S-100. The IHB hosted its first stakeholders’ user requirements workshop in March 2008. All potential S-100 stakeholders are encouraged to participate in S-100 development. In particular, non-IHO stakeholders are needed to ensure that S-100 will be suitable for the widest possible user community. Further details about S-100 and how to participate are available at web reference 2.
Biography of the author
Captain Robert Ward has served both afloat and ashore in various appointments associated with nautical chart making and surveying. He is one of three Directors of the International Hydrographic Bureau. His principal responsibility is the oversight of the technical programme of the International Hydrographic Organization.*robert.ward@ihb.mc
HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYOR
Job description
A hydrographic surveyor specialises in precise positioning, data acquisition and processing in marine environments.
The role involves measuring and mapping the world's underwater surfaces and studying the morphology (construction) of the seabed. The information is used in:
* the production of charts and related information for navigation;
* dredging;
* locating offshore resources (oil, gas, aggregates);
* planning dock installations.
Hydrographic surveyors are expected to work in a wide range of differing situations and applications: from inland waters and rivers, to ports and oceans. The work may be onshore or offshore, depending on your area of specialism.
The role also demands an understanding of and consideration for environmental issues.
Typical work activities
Typical work activities include:
* using specialised technical software, global and some terrestrial positioning systems, sonars and echo sounders to provide data for the production of nautical charts and maps;
* using remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles to acquire data in deep oceans;
* using specialised technical software and geographical information systems (GIS) to manage the integration, processing and presentation of data to clients;
* dealing with clients, internally and externally, to provide tenders and results in appropriate formats;
* managing projects, both onshore and offshore, as vessel-based managers;
* producing reports;
* providing accurate and reliable information for other disciplines, such as: navigation; oil, gas and mineral resource exploration; dredging; coastal works; seabed telephone cables; environmental monitoring; aquaculture; marine wind farm development; oceanographic research; and bridge construction;
* working in a wide range of differing situations and applications: seabed mining; oil and gas exploration; the construction of ports; the provision of navigational charts; and the positioning of navigational aids;
* sourcing information on seabed type, water movements and waves;
* provision of data for oceanographic studies;
* for those working onshore; responding to technical queries from onshore engineering teams and problem-solving for colleagues working offshore;
* reviewing company procedures and software projects, and providing feedback on courses and in-house training;
* working as part of a team of technical specialists.
Work conditions
* Typical starting salaries: £18,000 - £25,000 plus an allowance of £70 - £110 a day for each day spent offshore. In a full year, you will spend between 130 and 180 days at sea, earning an additional £10,000 - £17,000 (salary data collected Mar 09).
* The base salary for a party chief is around £40,000 with £100 to £170 per day for every day offshore, which is usually around 150 days per year, so earning potential can reach £70,000. An experienced freelance could earn up to £400 a day (salary data collected Mar 09).
* Salaries vary greatly depending on employer, location and experience.
* Working hours typically include regular unsocial hours and may be determined by weather and daylight. Work includes shifts.
* Work is largely offshore. For company personnel offshore work tends to be continuous from March to September with only slight slackening in the winter months due to the weather conditions. Onshore work generally follows a nine-to-five day, though hours may be longer if particular problems arise. For senior staff, weekend duty, which involves being on-call to handle any offshore problems, usually falls one weekend in every five. To see what conditions are like offshore, go to Oil and Gas 4U (http://www.oilandgas4u.com) .
* Opportunities for self-employment/freelance work are currently excellent, but depend on levels of commercial activity and your personal contacts. Contract surveyors would normally be expected to have five years' experience or more.
* The role is male-dominated, although this has changed from a 90:10 ratio to a 70:30 ratio in the last ten years and there is nothing about the job that precludes women from applying.
* The working and living environment may be in cramped and uncomfortable surroundings.
* Jobs are available worldwide at coastal and offshore sites. The work may involve international activity, onshore and port work. Staff are generally encouraged to live within commuting distance of the main office, although this is not essential as you will be flown to the port where you will join the ship.
* The role involves living away from home for extended periods, sometimes at short notice, which can be disruptive to your personal life. Long periods away from home are interspersed with short breaks onshore, spent either at home or at shore locations for reporting, training and development.
* Overseas work is common: oil and gas exploration currently provide many opportunities in countries such as Norway, the Arabian Gulf, China, the Pacific Rim, Venezuela, Mexico, the United States, West Africa and Angola.
Entry requirements
Although this area of work is open to all graduates and Diplomates, the following subjects may increase your chances:
* land/estate surveying;
* surveying, mapping science and cartography;
* geography and geographical information systems;
* engineering;
* physical, mathematical and applied science;
* computer science and software engineering;
* marine sciences and oceanography.
Although entry is technically feasible with any degree or HND, a postgraduate qualification in hydrographic surveying, hydrography or geomatics, is often necessary for those from non-relevant subjects. Computing and mathematical ability combined with one of the specialisms listed above is essential. There is no minimum degree requirement but, since there are currently fewer jobs than applicants, a high degree qualification will help.
Relevant experience through a sandwich placement or vacation work is very helpful and is recommended. Nautical, surveying or computing experience is highly valued by employers. It is also possible to qualify as a land surveyor, and then acquire the skills needed to move into hydrographic surveying by taking a postgraduate diploma or MSc in hydrography. Graduates with these qualifications are highly valued by employers.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
* the ability to work closely and get on with others in pressured situations;
* patience and a sense of humour;
* the ability to adapt sensibly to changing circumstances;
* communication skills, cultural awareness and foreign language skills;
* conscientiousness and the ability to maintain concentration - carelessness or a lapse in concentration may have drastic consequences in terms of the overall quality or efficiency of a survey.
Knowledge of global positioning systems/navigation, geographic information systems, nautical studies and emergency procedures is helpful, though not essential. A driving licence is usually required.
Recruitment is often through contacts with university departments and graduate fairs, though speculative applications are worth considering. See theInternational Federation of Hydrographic Societies (http://www.hydrographicsociety.org) list of members in the UK for contact details. Use your personal network of previous employers or contacts made through work experience or project work.
Here are some more ideas for improving your employment prospects.
* Joining a relevant professional body, such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) (http://www.rics.org) , the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (ImarEST) (http://www.imarest.org) , or the Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES) (http://www.ices.org.uk/) , as a student member is a plus and will be evidence of your interest in the sector. Active involvement in a professional body as a student introduces you to potential employers, gives you an insight into developments in the surveying profession and shows professional commitment.
* Attend employer presentations and contact recruitment consultancies regarding possible temporary and permanent vacancies.
* Keep in touch with your academic department, since employers may approach your tutors directly.
* Working over the summer or doing a placement will help you to get your foot in the door and may lead to full-time employment after graduation.
The lifestyle and nature of the work may favour younger entrants. However, experience may lead to organisational and analytical roles as consultants.
For more information, see work experience (www.prospects.ac.uk/workexperience) and find courses and research (www.prospects.ac.uk/pg).
Training
Training is generally all in-house. New graduate entrants spend one month, usually August, doing their initial training. The first week is usually spent on induction into the employing organisation; the next two weeks are a review of surveying and engineering, with an emphasis on what the organisation does; the final week is an offshore survival and orientation course, including fire fighting, helicopter escape skills, and offshore safety. For those who follow the naval entry route (see Royal Navy - scientific careers (http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/careers-roles/scientific/) ) training is available via basic and long hydrographic courses at the Royal Naval Hydrographic School. These courses are accredited by the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) (http://www.iho-ohi.net/) .
Career development
The usual career path is to start as a graduate entrant at the level of trainee surveyor, engineer or geophysicist (depending on your area of specialism). After completing your training, you then become a surveyor (engineer or geophysicist). The next step is senior surveyor and then principal surveyor. Principal surveyors may be assigned a management role as party chief or project manager. An alternative is to move into specialist technical support and development.
There are generally only a small number of management roles but often technical support provides a means of progressing into this area. As a manager, you start to play a different role, focusing more on client liaison, health and safety, procedural matters, overseeing staff, time-management, and offshore management.
There are also roles as base and staff surveyors, who provide onshore technical backup and training, although these posts are very limited in number.
Having gained four or five years' experience working in a company, it is quite common for hydrographic surveyors to set up on their own as self-employed contract surveyors.
Most promotion in the industry takes place by moving from company to company, although mergers and consolidation have limited the opportunities for this. Prospects may depend on mobility and economic climate.
Typical employers
Types of employers may be differentiated according to survey activity:
* National charting agencies concerned with the production of nautical charts. They are usually part of the Royal Navy (http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk) or civilian companies under contract to the navy.
* Port and harbour authorities. Most major ports and harbours have a self-contained survey department (which may consist of only one person). Others may rely on bringing in expertise from a contracting company.
* Contract survey companies who rely on winning contracts by competitive tendering to client companies. Some contract companies cover a wide range of expertise through their employees; others may limit themselves to a particular specialism, such as offshore geophysical work or onshore work associated with coastal engineering projects. The major UK companies are Fugro Survey, Gardline, Sonsub and Subsea7.
* Client survey companies that require survey work to be carried out and contract it to a contract survey company. They range from small port authorities and local government authorities to huge international oil companies and national government authorities.
* Equipment and software companies. Numerous service companies, including equipment development companies and software houses, employ hydrographic surveyors. Usually a minimum of four to five years' experience is required. There is a particular demand for software developers.
* Freelance surveyors and consultants. Those with considerable experience and confidence in the field generally obtain work by networking or through specialised consultancies. Contract survey companies largely recruit via agencies.
Some hydrographic surveyors, mostly those who are self-employed, undertake contract work in England during the UK's summer months and then work in the southern hemisphere during the UK's winter months. This pattern is proving to be on the increase, with Europe and Australia as popular work destinations.
A hydrographic surveyor specialises in precise positioning, data acquisition and processing in marine environments.
The role involves measuring and mapping the world's underwater surfaces and studying the morphology (construction) of the seabed. The information is used in:
* the production of charts and related information for navigation;
* dredging;
* locating offshore resources (oil, gas, aggregates);
* planning dock installations.
Hydrographic surveyors are expected to work in a wide range of differing situations and applications: from inland waters and rivers, to ports and oceans. The work may be onshore or offshore, depending on your area of specialism.
The role also demands an understanding of and consideration for environmental issues.
Typical work activities
Typical work activities include:
* using specialised technical software, global and some terrestrial positioning systems, sonars and echo sounders to provide data for the production of nautical charts and maps;
* using remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles to acquire data in deep oceans;
* using specialised technical software and geographical information systems (GIS) to manage the integration, processing and presentation of data to clients;
* dealing with clients, internally and externally, to provide tenders and results in appropriate formats;
* managing projects, both onshore and offshore, as vessel-based managers;
* producing reports;
* providing accurate and reliable information for other disciplines, such as: navigation; oil, gas and mineral resource exploration; dredging; coastal works; seabed telephone cables; environmental monitoring; aquaculture; marine wind farm development; oceanographic research; and bridge construction;
* working in a wide range of differing situations and applications: seabed mining; oil and gas exploration; the construction of ports; the provision of navigational charts; and the positioning of navigational aids;
* sourcing information on seabed type, water movements and waves;
* provision of data for oceanographic studies;
* for those working onshore; responding to technical queries from onshore engineering teams and problem-solving for colleagues working offshore;
* reviewing company procedures and software projects, and providing feedback on courses and in-house training;
* working as part of a team of technical specialists.
Work conditions
* Typical starting salaries: £18,000 - £25,000 plus an allowance of £70 - £110 a day for each day spent offshore. In a full year, you will spend between 130 and 180 days at sea, earning an additional £10,000 - £17,000 (salary data collected Mar 09).
* The base salary for a party chief is around £40,000 with £100 to £170 per day for every day offshore, which is usually around 150 days per year, so earning potential can reach £70,000. An experienced freelance could earn up to £400 a day (salary data collected Mar 09).
* Salaries vary greatly depending on employer, location and experience.
* Working hours typically include regular unsocial hours and may be determined by weather and daylight. Work includes shifts.
* Work is largely offshore. For company personnel offshore work tends to be continuous from March to September with only slight slackening in the winter months due to the weather conditions. Onshore work generally follows a nine-to-five day, though hours may be longer if particular problems arise. For senior staff, weekend duty, which involves being on-call to handle any offshore problems, usually falls one weekend in every five. To see what conditions are like offshore, go to Oil and Gas 4U (http://www.oilandgas4u.com) .
* Opportunities for self-employment/freelance work are currently excellent, but depend on levels of commercial activity and your personal contacts. Contract surveyors would normally be expected to have five years' experience or more.
* The role is male-dominated, although this has changed from a 90:10 ratio to a 70:30 ratio in the last ten years and there is nothing about the job that precludes women from applying.
* The working and living environment may be in cramped and uncomfortable surroundings.
* Jobs are available worldwide at coastal and offshore sites. The work may involve international activity, onshore and port work. Staff are generally encouraged to live within commuting distance of the main office, although this is not essential as you will be flown to the port where you will join the ship.
* The role involves living away from home for extended periods, sometimes at short notice, which can be disruptive to your personal life. Long periods away from home are interspersed with short breaks onshore, spent either at home or at shore locations for reporting, training and development.
* Overseas work is common: oil and gas exploration currently provide many opportunities in countries such as Norway, the Arabian Gulf, China, the Pacific Rim, Venezuela, Mexico, the United States, West Africa and Angola.
Entry requirements
Although this area of work is open to all graduates and Diplomates, the following subjects may increase your chances:
* land/estate surveying;
* surveying, mapping science and cartography;
* geography and geographical information systems;
* engineering;
* physical, mathematical and applied science;
* computer science and software engineering;
* marine sciences and oceanography.
Although entry is technically feasible with any degree or HND, a postgraduate qualification in hydrographic surveying, hydrography or geomatics, is often necessary for those from non-relevant subjects. Computing and mathematical ability combined with one of the specialisms listed above is essential. There is no minimum degree requirement but, since there are currently fewer jobs than applicants, a high degree qualification will help.
Relevant experience through a sandwich placement or vacation work is very helpful and is recommended. Nautical, surveying or computing experience is highly valued by employers. It is also possible to qualify as a land surveyor, and then acquire the skills needed to move into hydrographic surveying by taking a postgraduate diploma or MSc in hydrography. Graduates with these qualifications are highly valued by employers.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
* the ability to work closely and get on with others in pressured situations;
* patience and a sense of humour;
* the ability to adapt sensibly to changing circumstances;
* communication skills, cultural awareness and foreign language skills;
* conscientiousness and the ability to maintain concentration - carelessness or a lapse in concentration may have drastic consequences in terms of the overall quality or efficiency of a survey.
Knowledge of global positioning systems/navigation, geographic information systems, nautical studies and emergency procedures is helpful, though not essential. A driving licence is usually required.
Recruitment is often through contacts with university departments and graduate fairs, though speculative applications are worth considering. See theInternational Federation of Hydrographic Societies (http://www.hydrographicsociety.org) list of members in the UK for contact details. Use your personal network of previous employers or contacts made through work experience or project work.
Here are some more ideas for improving your employment prospects.
* Joining a relevant professional body, such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) (http://www.rics.org) , the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (ImarEST) (http://www.imarest.org) , or the Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES) (http://www.ices.org.uk/) , as a student member is a plus and will be evidence of your interest in the sector. Active involvement in a professional body as a student introduces you to potential employers, gives you an insight into developments in the surveying profession and shows professional commitment.
* Attend employer presentations and contact recruitment consultancies regarding possible temporary and permanent vacancies.
* Keep in touch with your academic department, since employers may approach your tutors directly.
* Working over the summer or doing a placement will help you to get your foot in the door and may lead to full-time employment after graduation.
The lifestyle and nature of the work may favour younger entrants. However, experience may lead to organisational and analytical roles as consultants.
For more information, see work experience (www.prospects.ac.uk/workexperience) and find courses and research (www.prospects.ac.uk/pg).
Training
Training is generally all in-house. New graduate entrants spend one month, usually August, doing their initial training. The first week is usually spent on induction into the employing organisation; the next two weeks are a review of surveying and engineering, with an emphasis on what the organisation does; the final week is an offshore survival and orientation course, including fire fighting, helicopter escape skills, and offshore safety. For those who follow the naval entry route (see Royal Navy - scientific careers (http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/careers-roles/scientific/) ) training is available via basic and long hydrographic courses at the Royal Naval Hydrographic School. These courses are accredited by the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) (http://www.iho-ohi.net/) .
Career development
The usual career path is to start as a graduate entrant at the level of trainee surveyor, engineer or geophysicist (depending on your area of specialism). After completing your training, you then become a surveyor (engineer or geophysicist). The next step is senior surveyor and then principal surveyor. Principal surveyors may be assigned a management role as party chief or project manager. An alternative is to move into specialist technical support and development.
There are generally only a small number of management roles but often technical support provides a means of progressing into this area. As a manager, you start to play a different role, focusing more on client liaison, health and safety, procedural matters, overseeing staff, time-management, and offshore management.
There are also roles as base and staff surveyors, who provide onshore technical backup and training, although these posts are very limited in number.
Having gained four or five years' experience working in a company, it is quite common for hydrographic surveyors to set up on their own as self-employed contract surveyors.
Most promotion in the industry takes place by moving from company to company, although mergers and consolidation have limited the opportunities for this. Prospects may depend on mobility and economic climate.
Typical employers
Types of employers may be differentiated according to survey activity:
* National charting agencies concerned with the production of nautical charts. They are usually part of the Royal Navy (http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk) or civilian companies under contract to the navy.
* Port and harbour authorities. Most major ports and harbours have a self-contained survey department (which may consist of only one person). Others may rely on bringing in expertise from a contracting company.
* Contract survey companies who rely on winning contracts by competitive tendering to client companies. Some contract companies cover a wide range of expertise through their employees; others may limit themselves to a particular specialism, such as offshore geophysical work or onshore work associated with coastal engineering projects. The major UK companies are Fugro Survey, Gardline, Sonsub and Subsea7.
* Client survey companies that require survey work to be carried out and contract it to a contract survey company. They range from small port authorities and local government authorities to huge international oil companies and national government authorities.
* Equipment and software companies. Numerous service companies, including equipment development companies and software houses, employ hydrographic surveyors. Usually a minimum of four to five years' experience is required. There is a particular demand for software developers.
* Freelance surveyors and consultants. Those with considerable experience and confidence in the field generally obtain work by networking or through specialised consultancies. Contract survey companies largely recruit via agencies.
Some hydrographic surveyors, mostly those who are self-employed, undertake contract work in England during the UK's summer months and then work in the southern hemisphere during the UK's winter months. This pattern is proving to be on the increase, with Europe and Australia as popular work destinations.
What Does a Hydrographic surveyor Do?
Surveying Under the Sea
Despite the cartoon image of a deep-sea diver peering through a surveyor's transit, with air bubbles rising all around, the ability to accurately survey underwater topography is extremely important. Hydrographic surveyors are used to identify all sorts of underwater features and objects. Energy exploration firms employ them to help find oil and gas deposits. The shipping industry uses them to make sure that channels are free of dangerous obstacles, whether natural or man-made. Treasure hunters hire them to map out the location of sunken wrecks, and environmental agencies need them to keep track of erosion.
Always in Motion
Wherever there is moving water-oceans, rivers, streams or tide-affected lakes-there is movement beneath the waves as well. The hydrographic surveyor is called upon to create underwater maps of a lake- or seabed, and to mark the navigable portions of rivers. These maps must be updated regularly because of that movement. Silt builds up to clog harbors, and storms can cause massive shifts in the topography below the water line.
Hardware of the Hydrographic Surveyor
Naturally, the surveyor does not go underwater to achieve his goals. However, the most primitive tool at the disposal of a hydrographic surveyor is nothing more than a rock at the end of a string. Measure the depth of a channel by dunking the rock into the water; note the place where the water's surface strikes the string when the rock hits bottom; finally, measure the distance between the rock and the string marking once you hoist the rock out of the water. Note the location on a hand-drawn map and repeat-oh, perhaps a million times or so. Naturally there is a better way to do this. Sonar, the same device that helps surface ships locate enemy submarines, is highly useful for mapping the bottom of a body of water. Sound waves are generated and directed straight down. They then bounce off something, whether the bottom or an obstacle, and return to the electronic device for notation. By blanketing the bottom of a body of water with sound waves, it is possible to create an incredibly accurate picture of what lies below.
Bathymetrics
The term bathymetry is also used to describe hydrographic surveying. In addition to determining the depth of water at any given point, plus providing a picture of the bottom, GPS data are used to fix each exact sonar return to a specific point on the globe. This process allows surveyors to tie in land-based monuments with their over-water equivalents, helping engineers and other end-users of this information understand exactly where a particular peak, valley, rift or underwater piling rests on a map. Bathymetric and hydrographic surveying is usually conducted aboard some sort of watercraft. Depending upon the body of water under examination, this could be a sea-going vessel, a smaller craft such as a tugboat, or even an inflatable device like a Zodiac. There are even hydrographic surveyors who use underwater vehicles, but these are generally employed for picture taking since GPS signals cannot penetrate the water's surface. Lacking the ability to collect GPS data, it is difficult to determine an exact x/y point on water through some lesser function.
Using Software to Perfect Hydrographic Surveys
Data collected under one of several processes-sonar is standard, but some companies have employed LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) in shallower areas-is post-processed and then used to create something called a digital terrain model. This is similar in method to what is done for land features, except that elevation readings are replaced by depth readings. A number of factors can affect the viability of data, including the motion of the collection platform (boat), tides, and even water temperature. Once corrections have been made, many software programs have the ability to directly create maps and charts to show what has been collected beneath the waves.
Despite the cartoon image of a deep-sea diver peering through a surveyor's transit, with air bubbles rising all around, the ability to accurately survey underwater topography is extremely important. Hydrographic surveyors are used to identify all sorts of underwater features and objects. Energy exploration firms employ them to help find oil and gas deposits. The shipping industry uses them to make sure that channels are free of dangerous obstacles, whether natural or man-made. Treasure hunters hire them to map out the location of sunken wrecks, and environmental agencies need them to keep track of erosion.
Always in Motion
Wherever there is moving water-oceans, rivers, streams or tide-affected lakes-there is movement beneath the waves as well. The hydrographic surveyor is called upon to create underwater maps of a lake- or seabed, and to mark the navigable portions of rivers. These maps must be updated regularly because of that movement. Silt builds up to clog harbors, and storms can cause massive shifts in the topography below the water line.
Hardware of the Hydrographic Surveyor
Naturally, the surveyor does not go underwater to achieve his goals. However, the most primitive tool at the disposal of a hydrographic surveyor is nothing more than a rock at the end of a string. Measure the depth of a channel by dunking the rock into the water; note the place where the water's surface strikes the string when the rock hits bottom; finally, measure the distance between the rock and the string marking once you hoist the rock out of the water. Note the location on a hand-drawn map and repeat-oh, perhaps a million times or so. Naturally there is a better way to do this. Sonar, the same device that helps surface ships locate enemy submarines, is highly useful for mapping the bottom of a body of water. Sound waves are generated and directed straight down. They then bounce off something, whether the bottom or an obstacle, and return to the electronic device for notation. By blanketing the bottom of a body of water with sound waves, it is possible to create an incredibly accurate picture of what lies below.
Bathymetrics
The term bathymetry is also used to describe hydrographic surveying. In addition to determining the depth of water at any given point, plus providing a picture of the bottom, GPS data are used to fix each exact sonar return to a specific point on the globe. This process allows surveyors to tie in land-based monuments with their over-water equivalents, helping engineers and other end-users of this information understand exactly where a particular peak, valley, rift or underwater piling rests on a map. Bathymetric and hydrographic surveying is usually conducted aboard some sort of watercraft. Depending upon the body of water under examination, this could be a sea-going vessel, a smaller craft such as a tugboat, or even an inflatable device like a Zodiac. There are even hydrographic surveyors who use underwater vehicles, but these are generally employed for picture taking since GPS signals cannot penetrate the water's surface. Lacking the ability to collect GPS data, it is difficult to determine an exact x/y point on water through some lesser function.
Using Software to Perfect Hydrographic Surveys
Data collected under one of several processes-sonar is standard, but some companies have employed LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) in shallower areas-is post-processed and then used to create something called a digital terrain model. This is similar in method to what is done for land features, except that elevation readings are replaced by depth readings. A number of factors can affect the viability of data, including the motion of the collection platform (boat), tides, and even water temperature. Once corrections have been made, many software programs have the ability to directly create maps and charts to show what has been collected beneath the waves.
High Perfomance & Low Cost - TIDEMASTER
New Tide Gauge Promises High Performance & Low Cost
Valeport (UK) announces the launch of TideMaster, a compact Water Level Recorder, designed for use in a wide range of fixed or portable survey and tide monitoring operations. Suitable for use in fresh or salt water, the TideMaster is highly accurate and can be deployed for up to a year at a time.
Sales Manager, Kevin Edwards, commented, “TideMaster is an extremely versatile and cost effective new product. It replaces the popular Model 740 and whilst it retains the easy to use features of the Model 740, a lot more enhancements have been made with further provision for additions in the future”.
Low power consumption, with both pre-programmed and a user selectable sampling regime, allow for up to a year of autonomous operation, whilst optional telemetry packages provide capabilities for real time operation. As well as recording water level, TideMaster can be provided with an optional ultrasonic wind speed and direction sensor to record meteorological data.
TideMaster can be set up and data retrieved via an optional control/display panel that uses OLED technology, Bluetooth and an SD memory card. Alternatively, it can be plugged into a PC and controlled using Valeport’s Windows based software, TideMaster Express. This allows the user to download and display recorded or real time data from single or multiple gauges. TideMaster is also compatible with a wide range of Hydrographic software and tools on the market.
An IP67 rated injection moulded housing incorporates the electronics and a display option with a quick access battery location for the 4 x C cell batteries required. Inputs for pressure-based tidal measurement and a Gill Windsonic for primary Met data offer a simple and cost-effective instrument.
Pre-programmed sampling regimes for standard tide measurement feature along with a 512 Mbyte SD memory card and Bluetooth wireless communication. Standard cabled communications via RS232/RS485 are present. Telemetry options via Radio, GSM and GPRS are available through connection to a separately housed module.
TideMaster is supplied with an injection moulded mounting bracket for easy mounting to any wall or face and incorporates a locking device to secure the main housing. Units will be available for purchase late October for delivery in November. For users of the 740 model, production will continue with a gradual phase out during 2010. The 740 will be supported thereafter for 5 years.
Valeport (UK) announces the launch of TideMaster, a compact Water Level Recorder, designed for use in a wide range of fixed or portable survey and tide monitoring operations. Suitable for use in fresh or salt water, the TideMaster is highly accurate and can be deployed for up to a year at a time.
Sales Manager, Kevin Edwards, commented, “TideMaster is an extremely versatile and cost effective new product. It replaces the popular Model 740 and whilst it retains the easy to use features of the Model 740, a lot more enhancements have been made with further provision for additions in the future”.
Low power consumption, with both pre-programmed and a user selectable sampling regime, allow for up to a year of autonomous operation, whilst optional telemetry packages provide capabilities for real time operation. As well as recording water level, TideMaster can be provided with an optional ultrasonic wind speed and direction sensor to record meteorological data.
TideMaster can be set up and data retrieved via an optional control/display panel that uses OLED technology, Bluetooth and an SD memory card. Alternatively, it can be plugged into a PC and controlled using Valeport’s Windows based software, TideMaster Express. This allows the user to download and display recorded or real time data from single or multiple gauges. TideMaster is also compatible with a wide range of Hydrographic software and tools on the market.
An IP67 rated injection moulded housing incorporates the electronics and a display option with a quick access battery location for the 4 x C cell batteries required. Inputs for pressure-based tidal measurement and a Gill Windsonic for primary Met data offer a simple and cost-effective instrument.
Pre-programmed sampling regimes for standard tide measurement feature along with a 512 Mbyte SD memory card and Bluetooth wireless communication. Standard cabled communications via RS232/RS485 are present. Telemetry options via Radio, GSM and GPRS are available through connection to a separately housed module.
TideMaster is supplied with an injection moulded mounting bracket for easy mounting to any wall or face and incorporates a locking device to secure the main housing. Units will be available for purchase late October for delivery in November. For users of the 740 model, production will continue with a gradual phase out during 2010. The 740 will be supported thereafter for 5 years.
You need to know what is HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY
Here's my thougths about HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/drilling and related disciplines. Strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, sea floor and submerged obstructions that relate to the previously mentioned activities. The term Hydrography is sometimes used synonomously to describe Maritime Cartography, which in the final stages of the hydrographic process uses the raw data collected through hydrographic survey into information usable by the end user.
Hydrography is collected under rules which vary depending on the acceptance authority. Traditionally conducted by vessels and with Echo sounding, surveys are increasingly conducted with the aid of aircraft and sophisticated electronic sensor systems in shallow waters.
National and International Maritime Hydrography
Hydrographic offices evolved from naval heritage and are usually found within national naval structures, for example Spain's Instituto Hidrográfico de la Marina[1]. Coordination of those organizations and product standardization is voluntarily joined with the goal of improving hydrography and safe navigation is conducted by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). The IHO publishes Standards and Specifications[2] followed by member states as well as Memoranda of Understanding and Co-operative Agreements[3] with hydrographic survey interests.
The product of such hydrography is most often seen on nautical charts published by the national agencies and required by the International Maritime Organization (IMO)[4], the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)[5] and national regulations to be carried on vessels for safety purposes. Increasingly those charts are provided and used in electronic form unders IHO standards.
[edit] History and Responsibilities
The United Kingdom has a long hydrographic history officially begun with the 1683 appointment of Captain Grenville Collins as Hydrographer to the King[6]. With the Royal Navy dominating the seas hydrography grew to a worldwide hydrographic activity. That tradition extended to the nations with a common legacy in the Empire, for example, the Australian Hydrographic Service[7]. The British Admiralty Hydrographic Office became the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office which continues the legacy within the Ministry of Defence[8] with responsibility for the Admiralty Charts[9]. The Royal Navy maintains a number of hydrographic survey vessels[10] to continue the work today.
[edit] United States
In United States statutory authority for hydrographic surveys of territorial waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) lies with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)[11][12]. NOAA hydrographic surveys are conducted by the National Ocean Service[13][14], a uniformed corps[15] within NOAA and a fleet of survey vessels based at two major centers[16]. The organic survey assets are supplemented by other agencies[17] and contract surveys in order to survey the large areas within its responsibility. Those were identified in the NOAA Hydrographic Survey Priorities (NHSP) - East Coast alone as being 3,603 square miles classified as critical.[18] The 2009 status shows 29,412 out of 510,841 "Navigationally Significant" Square Nautical Miles were completed.[11] The NOAA Office of Coast Survey, Hydrographic Surveys Division estimates it has awarded approximately $250 million in contracts for hydrographic surveying and related support since 1994.[19]
For inland surface waters such as rivers, streams and inland lakes the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has national responsibility. USGS coordinates survey data collection and publishes a National Hydrography Dataset[20][21] that is designed to be used with geographic information systems (GIS). Other federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency[22] and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service use[23] these data and, along with state and local hydrographic collection organizations, contribute to the national hydrographic data base. The Environmental Protection Agency conducts or contracts for surveys on projects such as the GE/Hudson River Super Fund site.
The U.S. Coast Guard conducts hydrographic survey operations, particularly in the Polar regions[24].
The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency[25] (NGA) oversees charting of international waters for Department of Defense purposes. The Navy's Naval Oceanographic Office[26] conducts many the oceanic surveys. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts hydrographic surveys supporting its responsibility for the major waterway projects that include navigation and flood control. Hydrographic data from those surveys is published by districts[27]. Such data is incorporated into both NOAA and NGIA products and the Corps engages in efforts to improve hydrographic collection methods[28]. Military combat organizations such as the Navy's SEAL and engineering units have specialized hydrographic reconnaissance survey capability.
The NOAA Office of Coast Survey, Coast Survey Partners web page offers a useful list and summary of major player activities, government and private, with links to those partner web sites.
[edit] Hydrograpic Survey Conducted by Non-national Agencies
Governmental entities below national level conduct or contract for hydrographic surveys for waters within their jurisdiction with both internal and contract assets. Such surveys are commonly conducted by or under the standards approved by or the supervision of national organizations, particularly when the use is for the purposes of chart making/distribution or dredging of state controlled waters.
In the United States there is coordination with the National Hydrography Dataset in survey collection and publication[29]. State environmental organizations publish hydrographic data relating to their mission[30].
[edit] Hydrograpic Survey Conducted by Private Organizations
Large scale hydrographic and geophysical survey is conducted by commercial entities, particularly in the dredging, marine construction, oil exploration & drilling industries. Industry installing submarine cable for communications[31] or power[32] require detailed surveys of cable routes prior to installation with increased use of acoustic imagery equipment previously found only in military applications[33]. There are specialized companies with both the assets and expertise to contract for such surveys with both commercial and governmental entities. Companies, Universities and investment groups will often fund Hydrographic surveys of public waterways prior to developing areas adjacent those waterways. Survey firms are also contracted to survey in support of design and engineering firms that are under contract for large public projects.[34] Private surveys are also conducted before dredging operations and after these operations are completed. Companies with large private slips, docks or other water front installations have their facilities and the open water near their facilities surveyed regularly.
[edit] Process
Modern surveying relies as much on software as hardware. In suitable shallow water areas Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) may be used[11]. Equipment can be installed on inflatable craft, such as Zodiacs, small craft, AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles), UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles) or large ships, and can include sidescan, single beam and multibeam equipment. At one time different data collection methods and standards were used in collecting hydrographic data for maritime safety and for scientific or engineering bathymetric charts. Increasingly with aid of improved collection techniques and computer processing the data is collected under one standard and extracted for the specific use.
After data is collected, it has to undergo post-processing. A massive amount of data is collected during the typical Hydrographic survey, often several soundings per square foot. Depending on the final use (navigation charts, Digital Terrain Model, volume calculation for dredging, topography, Bathymetry) this data must be thinned out. It must also be error corrected (bad soundings,) and corrected for the effects of tides, waves/heave, water level and water temperature differences (thermoclines.) Usually the surveyor has additional data collection equipment on site to record the data required for correcting the soundings. Final output of charts can be created in a combination of specialty charting software or a CAD package, usually Autocad.
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