Hydro17: It’s About the Network
Hydro17 (from 14-16 November 2017 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands) was opened by the chief hydrographer of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Keynote speakers on the opening day of this annual conference were Peter Westbroek and Mathias Jonas. During the three days, more keynotes – and, more importantly, over 45 presentations from the business – were presented on the theatre stage of the venue: the permanently moored cruiseliner SS 'Rotterdam'.
This sharing of knowledge is important and creates contact between hydrographic professionals. As stated during the conference, “the biggest gain can be achieved not by accumulating knowledge but by working together in a network”. That’s actually one of the biggest assets of the event: the people that it brings together. The delegates, the speakers and the exhibitors interact and discover opportunities to work together, enhance the profession and create new ideas to map the oceans. The scope clearly extends beyond just the safety of navigation, as subjects listed in the presentation programme also include maritime fauna, construction, marine renewable energy and seafloor morphology.
Trade Show and On-water Demos
Supporting companies positioned themselves in the lounge and the glass corridors of the vessel to familiarise the delegates and other businesses with the latest developments, like the brand-new iXblue DriX USV that was presented using a stylish movie in the lounge.
So that surveyors could see the latest developments from multibeam and software suppliers in action, on-water demos were scheduled and these were well-attended. After all, what could be better and more convenient than to see the equipment being demonstrated in real life? The three survey vessels and a USV could frequently be seen making their lines in the Port of Rotterdam.
The social part of the conference was shaped by the icebreaker party on Monday evening and the conference dinner that took place on Wednesday – both making perfect use of the characteristic atmosphere that the SS Rotterdam offers.
