Developments in science and technology bring new chances and working methods to our industry; for example, scribbling tide-pole readings in a paper notebook, although still a good working method is now considered Stone-Age technology - we can use RTK instead. But despite this example, is there really enough Research and Development (R&D) activity in hydrography to fully exploit all the potentials?
There are only a few places in the world where at university level hydrography is taught and R&D on hydrographic technologies is conducted. Navies and government institutions have traditionally provided the
driving force behind technology as they initiated, ordered or themselves carried out R&D. However, budget cuts in the western world have led to most of these traditional developers now seeing themselves more as smart buyers, or even as needing professional expert buying advice from the private sector.
But … is the private sector, with its avowed aim of making profits, capable of taking over R&D? Research and development that is risky in terms of outcome, or long-term, might face difficulties in this climate.
To look at the bright side, there is one expensive and long-term development that surely will benefit the survey sector: the Galileo GNSS project is a civilian project based upon public and private co-operation. Although, according to recent press releases, no final decision has yet been made in the choice between two private-sector consortia (Eurely and Inavsat) bidding for the deployment and operation phases, the concession procedure is still on time-track.
Another relevant example of private/public co-operation is the recent agreement between BP and Scripps Institution of Oceano-graphy on a three-year research programme, marking the beginning of a long-term research collaboration (http://scrippsnews. ucsd.edu/article_detail.cfm?article_num=656) focusing on development of new technologies for seafloor and sub-seafloor imaging and characterisation. Here BP investment will enable Scripps to study new technical possibilities difficult to fund through governmental sources!
Some (emerging) technologies and ideas quite quickly make it into operational products, whilst others just do not make it at all. Mostly there are understandable reasons for this (simple lack of effectiveness or mischief-proneness), but sometimes the reasons are just plain silly: lack of budget, or no organisation picking it up or daring to develop it. If you know of any idea which could do with a bit of exposure to get it off the ground, please let us know so that we can contribute a little by giving it some space in our magazine. And although you do sometimes have to wait for a technology to mature, do not despair - not all ideas take as long before they become reality as did the helicopter, already on Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawing-board in the 14th century…
We received the article by Lucy Wyatt on HF radar technology (published on page 30) as a letter to the editor. The described operational technique can be made more accurate in future with improvements in methods; for example, to achieve reduced noise levels. Investigation is underway to see what part this technology might play in a Tsunami-warning system.
In this issue we provide some examples of new technologies, realising that many more developments are taking place, remote sensing from space being just one example. But having read the articles and thought about all the possibilities, what answer do we have to the question regarding the volume of R&D dedicated to hydrographic surveying? Is it 'deuce'?