Editorial

Articles selected for this issue give a taste of the present day ‘surveyor’s world’ (this issue’s theme) - a world which is evolving. One of the co-authors of “Refloating the Pasha Bulker ,” who started his hydrographical career in 1975, is a typical example of the speed of this change: “He has literally gone from sextant to satellites and lead lines to multi-beam”. It reflects not only the great progress in technology but also the need for regular continued education not only for the surveyor but for the hydrographic training institutes as well. Until recently, the same theory and instruments had been used for decades, if not centuries.

But with the rapid development of technology: e.g. ICT, sonar technology and satellite positioning the profession is changing at a rapid pace. The lifecycle of equipment (especially ICT hard- and software) has dramatically decreased and also the emphasis of the surveyor’s attention has changed from data capturing to data management.
The satellite era with its remote sensing capable of collecting data on sea surface temperature, wave height, bottom topography as well as the GNSS enabling accurate positioning (Imagine the difference this would have made to the Belgium surveyors in the early 1900’s in Congo see article “River bathymetry with RTK in Africa”) has changed the profession completely. Without a doubt our profession will continue to change and perhaps in the future some of the work will be done by a trained surveyor from his office using advanced communication technologies supervising several projects simultaneously with less trained operators in the field.

Most likely, the senior generation of surveyors will object, naming their concerns regarding data quality, precision and reliability – concepts imprinted on them by their predecessor surveying generation. They will tell stories of the good old times when they were on their own in the bush without big brother keeping an eye out for you. The fore mentioned articles are typical examples of the improvisational aspect needed despite the advanced technology which still make the job challenging and varied. In this light, I would also like to draw your attention to a “Youtube” video on the Australian Hydrographic Navy Ship which can be seen on the website of Hydro International ( 8 1).

Two contributions (“Promoting Safety for Surveyors” by IMCA and the “Insiders View”) to this issue focus on safety aspects, even though, we as editors had not suggested this theme. A clear sign of the great importance of attention to safety aspects especially in the hydrographic surveyor’s world with its “can do” mentality to complete the job in any and all conditions.?The technological progress on positioning, which is of high importance in each survey job, continues to develop. To mention a few things: three GLONASS satellites were placed into orbit last October as part of the GLONASS modernisation program, while in the beginning of November the fourth of a series of 8 modernized GPS satellites (IIR-M) was declared operational and the fifth is planned to be launched at the end of December. The end of this year will also see a decision by Europe on the financial support regarding Galileo whose technical tests were good and a US decision on the future of eLORAN. We will keep you informed.

Enjoy reading,

Leeke van der Poel, e-mail: [email protected]