Look up!

The development of all the new and rapidly evolving techniques almost makes you want to predict a little of the future that lies ahead for hydrographic professionals in particular or for the field in general. This is often quite natural at this time of the year, especially in the first issue of the year, which this is for Hydro international. But I am inclined to steer clear of looking to the stars, because things usually move in a different direction – or move faster or more slowly than expected or predicted. But then again, it might not be completely unwise to look up, at least in the direction of the stars, instead of looking down, to keep track of the hydrography of the future. To be more precise, we should look up at the devices that are looking down on us.

In this very first issue of 2013 we are bringing you two feature articles that describe good examples of bathymetry from the sky. The first is the article Image-derived Bathymetry and Seabed Classifications Validated on page 14 of this issue of Hydro international by Helen Needham, Graham Mimpriss and Knut Hartman. The authors describe the outcome of a pilot, carried out by a partnership formed by Proteus, EOMAP, and Digital Globe and sponsored by the UKHO. It is a pilot in which two project sites in the Mediterranean were identified and WorldView 2 satellite imagery was processed to determine depth and seabed classification. Conclusion was that considerable areas can be surveyed in a much faster and more cost-effective way. In the article No More Spatial Misinterpretation on page 18 author Saviour Formosa describes the country-wide hydrographic survey of the island state of Malta. Lidar bathymetry played a crucial role in the whole project that took place over the course of last year. Both articles give a glimpse of the future in which the above-mentioned techniques are likely to be combined more often with the accurate techniques on board. There’s much more in this first issue of 2013 of course, and we will bring you lots more interesting articles throughout the year.

I would also like to invite you to visit www.geo-matching.com, a comparative website developed by Geomares Publishing and launched at the end of last year. New hydrographic product surveys have been added, such as multi-beam echo sounders and inertial navigation systems (INS), and acoustic Doppler current profilers had already been included. Let us know what you think of the website, leave product reviews for your peers or just browse and compare.

Last, but not least, I would like to wish all readers a healthy and successful New Year. Have a great 2013!