Highs and lows: surveying at different altitudes

The term ‘digital twin’ has gained significant popularity in recent years, becoming a buzzword in various industries, particularly in the context of emerging technologies and innovations. Hypes come and go, but every hydrographer has come to the realization that the hype is over and the virtual (underwater) world is an important extension of the physical one. Digital twins are an important cornerstone of hydrography. By integrating and making sense of a huge range of ocean science data (historical and real-time), they are enhancing the world’s understanding of the ocean.

Scanning shipwrecks also results in digital twins. These virtual replicas will inform researchers about how to better preserve the other hundreds of thousands of deep-sea shipwrecks around the world, from ancient wooden ships to World War II vessels. After more than 100 years hidden in the icy waters of Antarctica, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance has been revealed in extraordinary 3D detail. For the first time, we can see the vessel – which sank in 1915 and lies 3,000m down at the bottom of the Weddell Sea – as if the murky water had been drained away. The digital scan, which is created from 25,000 high-resolution images, was captured when the ship was found in 2022. Earlier this year, we published an exclusive interview with Nicolas Vincent, deputy expedition leader and subsea project manager of the Endurance22 expedition. Now if that doesn’t spark the imagination, I don’t know what will!

Reaching new heights

Hydrographic professionals are quite literally exploring the deepest depths – and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, reaching new heights! – as a recent Lake Titicaca survey reveals. Officers from the Category “A” Specialization Programme in Hydrography for Naval Officers of the Peruvian Navy carried out a complex multidisciplinary field project at Lake Titicaca in Peru – the world’s highest navigable lake at 3,800 metres above sea level. This project at a fascinating location is also the subject of one of the articles in this issue. Employing an optimized methodology that harnesses cutting-edge multibeam technology – and placing special emphasis on derived backscatter data – this approach uncovered depths far greater than previously recorded. It demonstrates how this technique can provide a more precise and detailed view of the study area’s seabed, offering new insights into what was previously uncharted underwater terrain. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read the article on this survey yet, now is your chance!

Smart integration

Hydrographic surveying can be done from vessels equipped with underwater, surface, aerial or even space-based devices. For too long, the conversation has focused on comparing technologies – multibeam vs. Lidar, Lidar vs. satellite, and so on. This ‘either/or’ mindset is outdated, as Kyle Goodrich explained in a recent contribution. Each method, whether it uses sound, light or reflectance, has its limitations when measuring a complex environment. Instead of pitting one technology against another, we should adopt a ‘both/and’ approach. The future of hydrography is in smart integration, combining different technologies to achieve better efficiency, cost effectiveness and environmental responsibility. Goodrich argues for moving from siloed methods to a holistic, vertically integrated model that maximizes the strengths of each technology.

Maximizing the strength of hydrography is one of the reasons Hydro International exists, and we hope that everyone appreciates this and subscribes to our weekly newsletter, our magazine and our LinkedIn groups (the channels Hydro International and Hydrography both belong to us).