On 29 May 2002 Wendy Watson Wright, Assistant Deputy Minister, Science Sector of the Department of Fishery and Oceans, officially opened CHC 2002 with a speech, in which the emphasis was laid on the importance of hydrography for so many economic activities. An intermezzo of entertainment by folk singer Lee Murdoch was followed by a fascinating keynote speech, delivered by William Stoehr, President of National Geographic Maps. He made a comparison with the story of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ to demonstrate in a metaphorical way the needs of clients and the lessons to learn from them.
Tony D. O’Connor, Dominion Hydrographer Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), explained the role of CHS in Canada and the world. He then opened the Trade Show with the assistance of a bagpipe player. After lunch, during which folk singer Lee Murdoch performed once more, the possibilities presented by multibeam were shown in a 3D presentation, given under the title ‘Multibeam Reveals Submerged Wonders’.
From this moment onwards technical sessions ran concurrently in three different locations. Many attendants felt this was a disadvantage, as they were often interested in all presentations given at the same time.
Technical programmes put an emphasis on multibeam data management and uses, electronic charts and the (ir)relevance of charts in general. Interestingly, commercial shipping representatives were all for electronic charts, while the Canadian Coast Guard representatives were much more cautious in their acceptance. Evidence that the US NOAA was moving ahead in both the field and in electronic charting was provided by several papers, stressing the importance of shipping to the national US economy, client requirements and the need for accurate modern charts.
Canadian Hydrographic Conferences have always been of high standards and the 2002 event was no exception. Within the context of this column it is impossible to report in detail on all presentations. Reference is therefore made to the Proceedings which are made available on CD-Rom. Such a thing is fine for compactness, but was of no use during the meetings, unless one happened to take a laptop along.
What makes these conferences so attractive is the fact, that the organisers always manage to have some unusual ideas. This year it was first of all the special day, dedicated to the safety of recreational boating. In Canada a yearly turnover of more than CAN $10 billion is created by over 7 million boaters. Some striking pictures were shown to prove that much needs to be done to improve the safety of recreational boating.

Equipment Demonstrations
Being situated along the waterfront the location of the event was excellent. The Canadian survey vessel ‘Griffon’ and some launches were moored along the quay outside, providing a good opportunity to see equipment in operation. On Thursday a demonstration was given how in 1792 the first hydrographic survey (using the hand-lead) was performed to find a suitable location to build Toronto. Admiral S. Ritchie was once more on board the replica of the ‘Surveyor’.
Those members of FIG Commission 4 present at CHC 2002, took the opportunity to meet again under the new chairman Adam Greenland. For more details see the press release under Conferences and Exhibitions.
Needless to specifically mention, that the conference showed a good mix of technical agenda and social events, for which Canadian conferences are rightly known. More than 400 attendants were registered, of which many came from the new centres of learning in Canada and the USA. The Canadian Power Squadron attended to address recreational craft needs.
The trade show was also well attended. Over 40 companies and organisations showed their products in a widely spaced, easily accessible and very convenient exhibition hall.
To complete the package the conference was preceded during the week before in Burlington by a Coastal Multibeam Sonar Training Course and on the Tuesday before by workshops, organised by manufacturers to teach details on their hardware and software products.
All in all it can be stated that the CHS and the CHA have added one more successful event to the row of excellent biennial Canadian Hydrographic Conferences. A meeting to be remembered for a long time to come. You should have been there!