From specialized science to strategic global force

Perhaps surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic could be seen as the trigger for Fugro’s recent acquisition of EOMAP. To continue its major subsea telecom fibre-optic cable survey across the African continent, Fugro turned to Earth observation data to address the land and marine interface – and on the back of the success of that integration, the merger became a natural step. In this exclusive interview, Marco Filippone, global director hydrography & ocean science at Fugro, and Knut Hartmann, who leads the EOMAP team, discuss the convergence of hydrography and satellite technology, and how their new-found synergy is supporting expansion into new markets. They also reflect on the role of artificial intelligence, and the future of ocean data.

Marco Filippone did not plan to become a hydrographer. Having been “born by the sea”, as he puts it, and growing up in the city of Genova, he set his sights on becoming a helicopter pilot for the Italian navy and joined the Naval Academy in 2002. But five years later, life redirected him towards hydrography, a pivot that would shape a remarkable career. “I had a stint as an officer on navy vessels around the world, mostly in the Middle East and Africa – including during the outbreak of piracy in East Africa, as well as on a peacekeeping mission – before starting my career within the Hydrographic Office,” Filippone recalls. There, he worked aboard Italian naval hydrographic vessels, including two catamarans Aretusa and Galatea and the oceangoing Ammiraglio Magnaghi. This helped him develop fluency across satellite, acoustics, underwater technology and even aerial drones.

What the navy instilled above all, he says, was an ability to think across disciplines rather than inside them. “Defence and hydrographic offices drive innovation in the industry. We really pushed the envelope, integrating technologies at a time when it was not at all straightforward.” Just as he felt the pull towards working on a larger, more global scale, Fugro was undertaking what was then the biggest-ever shallow-water survey in the Red Sea – and the company needed exactly his skill set.

In parallel with his navy career and his early years at Fugro, Filippone completed a PhD in System Engineering based on acoustics. This helped him further develop his hydrographic contribution across the wider Fugro portfolio. He went on to work with colleagues in the Americas on mapping the entire Gulf of Mexico – a project that, in his view, illustrates just how much hydrography can achieve. For Filippone, that kind of scope is precisely what keeps the work compelling: “Participating in mapping the entire Saudi Arabian side of the Red Sea, totalling over 100km², as well as the Gulf – these are the things that make me proud to be part of Fugro, and to be a hydrographer in the first place.”

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Fugro’s acquisition of EOMAP

Fugro describes itself as a geodata specialist, with hydrography as a core capability. Filippone sees that positioning as both accurate and strategically significant, particularly given today’s landscape. The current geopolitical situation and the threat posed to linear infrastructure are, in his view, driving a new demand for hydrographic expertise going well beyond traditional chart production. “Hydrography really is the go-to place to solve those problems, and we support those efforts,” he states. “We know what is the best technology, and how to create a mesh and the connection to make data available in real time – from satellites, from underwater and also from fast-moving Lidar assets.”

Against this backdrop, it was a logical step for Fugro to acquire EOMAP, a specialist in satellite-derived bathymetry and Earth observation data. For Knut Hartmann, who leads the EOMAP team and joined Fugro through the acquisition, the strategic fit is clear. “What we bring to hydrography is the skill of mapping huge areas remotely by using satellite data,” Hartmann explains. “Besides de-risking shallow-water operations and improving the efficiency of surveys, we can also support clients that typically cannot afford all types of survey programmes. This fills a genuine gap in the market.”

Filippone gives a vivid example of how Earth observation had already proved its value before the formal merger took place. When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Fugro was engaged in the largest subsea cable survey across the entire continent of Africa. As ports were forced to close and land deployment became impossible, Earth observation data was integrated into operations out of sheer necessity. “That necessity stimulated the uptake of new technology and customers’ desire to adopt it. That really helped Earth observation to become fully integrated, and on the back of that success it became a natural thing for us to merge.” Meanwhile, Fugro’s involvement in Italy’s Marine Ecosystem Restoration (MER) project – led by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) and supported by NextGenerationEU funding (see the italicized paragraph below) – combined conventional hydrographic methods with Earth observation to deliver an environmental assessment of the entire Italian coastline. For Filippone, this stands as another example of what a combined offering makes possible, and a template for the kind of work both companies see ahead. “The ISPRA project fantastically showcased how hydrographic expertise can expand beyond traditional navigation safety to provide a high standard of knowhow and create genuine value for the wider community,” he says.

NextGenerationEU investment projects
The activities are carried out within the framework of the NextGenerationEU investment projects – Mission 2: ‘Green Revolution and Ecological Transition’, Component 4: ‘Protection of Land and Water Resources’, Measure 3: ‘Safeguard air quality and biodiversity through the protection of green areas, soil, and marine areas’. Investment 3.5 has been planned: ’Restoration and Protection of Seabeds and Marine Habitats’.

Now roughly a year into the EOMAP integration, Hartmann sees a positive trajectory. He describes the acquisition and merger process as having been “very proactive and very motivating”. Growth has continued through Fugro’s global network, and their new-found synergy is opening doors into markets neither company could reach alone. “We see more opportunity than ever before in the topics that matter today – related not only to nature and climate, but also maritime surveillance and security.” Water management is another area both men identify as a particular growth opportunity, with the combination of conventional survey capability and satellite-derived data allowing the company to reach new clients and engage with an expanding market.

Investing in the ecosystem with USVs

As part of its commitment to remote and autonomous operations, Fugro has invested heavily in uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). Filippone has been involved from the start of that journey, ever since the company built its first USV with a partner yard in 2019. He describes the subsequent years as a valuable learning curve, shared with customers. “Building a boat is actually just half the story,” he comments. “You need to invest in the ecosystem. You can only really support the uptake of USVs with a fully functional ecosystem.” He emphasizes that Fugro is agnostic, and the ambition is not to replace conventional crewed operations. Instead, USVs are meant to support emission reduction and make operations more efficient, acting as what he calls a “force multiplier” in the hydrographic industry.

Fugro’s 2024 launch of a USV-only bathymetric survey in partnership with the Norwegian Hydrographic Service – a relationship that dates back to 2006 – illustrates just how far the company has come in its journey. It was the first project of its kind for Fugro, conducted in a demanding environment. “We still need to prove ourselves,” Filippone acknowledges. “But this is only the beginning. We are increasing the size of our USV capability, making it multi-purpose, and that is consistent with our purpose and with the technology uptake.”

The role of Lidar

In recent years, the annual Hydro International industry survey has consistently shown that industry professionals are broadly optimistic about artificial intelligence, with the caveat that automation does not replace expertise. Filippone is in full agreement with this sentiment, mentioning airborne bathymetric Lidar as a topical example: “This form of Lidar is by definition a very niche and challenging technology that really raises the bar of hydrographic expertise. If you realize that one hour of Lidar collection may translate into 40 hours of processing, this is where machine learning, AI and everything in between play a major role.” Without that processing power, the technology would not be viable at scale, he says.

What is key, according to Filippone, is that the hydrographic review itself remains unchanged. Fugro participates in training the models to support quality assurance against hydrographic standards, monitors operations as they happen, and then deploys certified hydrographers for the final review. “They focus on the product rather than the means, from acquisition to end product. That is how we use hydrographic certification and knowhow where it adds most value.” This model, he argues, is how Lidar can become a genuine solution for large-scale near-shore coastal mapping. This opens up exciting new possibilities in mapping areas of interest in a way that would simply be unworkable without machine learning to help meet the timelines.

Data as a public good

On the topic of the status of ocean data, Fugro has taken a somewhat controversial stance in recent years. Filippone attracted attention when he co-authored a paper, tied to the United Nations Ocean Decade, arguing publicly in favour of data sharing – particularly centred around bathymetric data from the open ocean. “We need to empower and support data sharing for public knowledge,” he says. “When it comes to bathymetry in the open ocean, we are happy to share the data, because wider use of it can provide a lot of value. The line for us is mostly that we view data below the surface as commercially valuable, whereas deep-water bathymetry is something we are really fostering to make available. Collecting the data is half the story.”

Fugro’s CEO and a number of ambassadors, including Filippone himself, have a seat at the UNESCO table as part of the Seabed 2030 initiative to completely map the floor of the world’s oceans. With only around 28% of the seabed currently mapped, Filippone has a clear view on what full coverage requires. “You need around 50 vessels, the right echosounders, and every year you delay, you increase the number of vessels needed by around 10%. Technology uptake will help, but only a private, public and philanthropic coalition will make the budget available to do this at scale,” he states. As for the 2030 deadline, he remains cautiously optimistic: “It is still within reach, but the funds need to be mobilized almost immediately.” The company’s own contribution to Seabed 2030 now amounts to three million square kilometres of ocean data – roughly equivalent to an area the size of India. That total comes both from data Fugro collects directly and from data gathered on behalf of clients who have been shown the value in making it publicly available.

The talent challenge

Perhaps the most pressing issue facing the hydrographic sector for the foreseeable future is the shortage of skilled professionals. Education providers, often universities, are losing their accreditations to deliver specialized hydrographic certifications, and the pipeline of new talent is narrowing. Filippone is candid about the scale of the problem. “I am always proud to work for Fugro because the company has probably more certified hydrographers than a bigger-sized hydrographic office. And yet we still feel the scarcity of talent with the right expertise.” Internally, Fugro runs its own academy delivering Category B classes and has recently partnered with a prominent university in the Asia-Pacific region to support Category A courses. Through broader initiatives with institutions, professional societies and private individuals, the company is also working to create regional accreditation and build awareness of what he describes as a genuinely exciting field. Filippone predicts that technology may also help to change the perception problem. “The concerns young people may have had when it comes to going to sea for several days or a month are now being overcome by what can be done from a remote operations centre. When that is fully implemented and clear, I believe more talents will be attracted to the hydrographic industry.”

Hartmann agrees that the technology is fascinating, and could even help to attract people who – like him – don’t have an educational background in hydrography. “You have big boats, robots underwater and on the water surface, satellites, airborne systems... Everything is in there, and then you add AI and remote operations on top. I mean, how cool is that?” he says. Despite such enthusiasm, Filippone urges the sector to communicate its value more effectively: “We should be focusing on the value we create in making our skills available for the community, rather than just the technologies or the science. We implement the technology in a meaningful way. I think that is what we need to explain better.”

S-100: the nexus for hydrography

Beyond the operational and commercial shifts reshaping the sector, the move to S-100 – the next-generation data framework from the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) – is also causing a significant transition in terms of standards. “Moving from nautical charts towards S-57 was already a paradigm shift. S-100 is really going to be the nexus,” comments Filippone. The new framework takes hydrography beyond bathymetry to become a major contributor to a digital twin of all marine activities. He describes the different data products that can sit within the framework as “essentially unlimited”. Different users, from port operators to defence agencies to environmental managers, can all benefit from the same underlying architecture.

The vessel ecosystem will change too. This implementation will shape all the technology on board, and also the way people approach activities at sea, according to Filippone. He recognizes the significant groundwork done by charting and software companies in supporting the IHO’s ambitions, and says Fugro is actively contributing data that can be standardized within the new framework.

Satellite-derived bathymetry

When it comes to satellite-derived bathymetry, recent editions of Hydro International’s annual industry survey reveal an interesting gap: professionals across the hydrographic sector express significant interest in it, yet the knowledge of what the technology can actually deliver still lags behind their enthusiasm. Hartmann finds this both telling and familiar. “It is always this way with new technology, which also comes with different specifications,” he observes. “It’s about dissemination of the knowledge, and describing the pros and cons, just as it is with Lidar or acoustics.” EOMAP and Fugro work closely with the IHO and contribute to guidance, working groups and regional hydrographic committees, in part to help the sector develop a clearer and more grounded understanding of the technology, he says.

In particular, satellite-derived bathymetry has a uniquely strong positioning for applications where frequency of observation matters as much as its precision, according to Hartmann. “This is because it allows for continuous monitoring, which is not actually affordable by any other technology,” he states. Therefore, it is a natural fit not just for safety of navigation surveys, but also for coastal monitoring and coastal protection. Filippone adds a forward-looking note on where the technology is heading: “Physics is physics, but the payload within the satellite keeps improving, so I trust this will push the boundaries. The EOMAP acquisition and Fugro’s global reach will foster the wider adoption of Earth observation data. On its own, that may not be enough to solve the entire problem, but paired with the integrated solution that Fugro can offer, it can really help.”

These insights from Marco Filippone and Knut Hartmann point towards a sector that is in motion: technically more capable than at any point in its history, commercially expanding into new markets, and increasingly called upon to address questions of environmental stewardship, infrastructure security and global data equity. Once a specialized branch of marine science, Earth observation is slowly but surely becoming something much larger.

About Marco Filippone and Knut Hartmann

Marco Filippone is director ocean science and hydrography at Fugro. He brings a multidisciplinary background to the role, with a PhD, an EMBA and advanced qualifications in system engineering, marine geomatics (IHO/FIG/ICA Cat A), and maritime science. With over 23 years of experience, including 13 in the Italian Navy and ten at Fugro, he has served as chief hydrographer and regional ambassador for Seabed 2030. Filippone contributes to the IHO and UNESCO IOC and sits on the Hydrographic Professional Accreditation Scheme Steering Committee. He is also Fugro's chief hydrographer and operations manager.

Knut Hartmann is earth observation manager for EOMAP, a Fugro company, leading its operations and business activities. Since joining in 2011, he has brought a wealth of experience from his previous roles as a scientist in research and at an engineering firm. Recognized with academic awards for excellence, Hartmann has served as an expert advisor on earth observation in an ITLOS case. He currently chairs the IHO Earth Observation Project Team and is an active member of hydrographic societies. Additionally, he contributes to international capacity-building initiatives, promoting the use of aquatic earth observation and geospatial solutions globall