Reed Business Geo

This 10th anniversary of Hydro International is an occasion to look at Reed Business, the publisher of this magazine. The history of the Reed Business Geo division goes further back, even more than 20 years. Since it was founded, the division has grown towards its specialist position within the mother company Reed Business, informing about geomatical and hydrographical – and related – subjects.

Reed Business Geo has the world as its playground. Based in the Frisian town Lemmer, The Netherlands and in Frederick (MD, USA), staff brings professional information towards its users in different ways. Hydro International, GIM International, Professional Surveyor, European Journal of Navigation and International Hydrographic Review are magazines and journals, printed in the traditional way and distributed all over the world. Their independent editors and Editor in Chief work in the field of publication and they bring together cases, knowledge and studies of prominent professionals.
_For Hydro International and GIM International, new websites have been launched recently (81 and 2). They bring the latest news to your desk, and store information published in the magazines. The search feature makes it very easy to find older articles. Add to this the jobs, the marketplace Supply and Demand, the Forum as an exchange for knowledge and for example the Dictionary where you can look up words and terms out of the profession and it is easy to understand these websites are of valuable assistance to surveyors and other people working in the field.
Most of you will know the e-mail newsletters, presenting a two-weekly overview of the most important information to know in your mailbox.

People’s work

We already have mentioned the editors who represent the magazine in the professional world. They are backed up by the staff in the Reed Business Geo offices, who really facilitate the publication of all information. Think of the editorial staff, who bring together information and images from all sources for print, internet and newsletter. The account managers help companies to find the right commuication strategy – and they think beyond advertisement only! That’s why Reed Business Geo also are present at a lot of prominent events. Designers are responsible for the magazines as you see them. They work close together with the editorial and sales staff to put all together before it goes to print. To finish the publication process, we arrange you to have the magazine sent to your work or house address. And the office also offers managarial and financial support to all people.

Looking back

Reed Business Geo is a relatively new name. Adopting this name since a few months, we express our affiliation to Reed Business and Reed Elsevier. Before, this company was known as GITC or Geomatics Information and Trading Company. In 1987, it was founded to provide professional information on geomatics and surveying when starting GIM International, which contained a hydrography section. In the course of time, a varied portfolio of publications on geomatics has been put together. One of them was Hydro International. The Hydro ’96 congress in Rotterdam showed the interest for a hydrographic magazine. Hydro International was founded a few months later, by Egon Bakker as first Editor-in-Chief and a team of enthusiast hydrographers. The first issue was presented to the Dutch H.K.H. Princess Margriet van Vollenhoven.

Looking forward

As important to know where you come from is it to look ahead. What will be our future challenges? What can you expect? Obviously, we will be strengthening the two flagship publications: Hydro International and GIM International. The internet is getting more prominent than ever. There is a greater demand for information online. So expect us to make use of the opportunities the electronic highway will be offering, to serve you even better with refreshing new applications and information sources. And as the internet reaches world wide, Reed Business Geo can provide more tailor-made solutions for surveyors in different countries – and with different languages. To do this, Reed Business Geo will look to new markets in the worlds, maybe different disciplines as long as they incorporate a ‘Geo’ aspect.

Final Thought

In the very first issue of Hydro International, the outlook for radical new developments was quoted ‘limited’. In reality, the evolution of the technology and the profession brought fascinating technology, an increasing amount of work for survey companies, realising higher over-all quality. Reed Business Geo will keep professionals in surveying up to date in this changing world about their profession and the business. That’s our business.