Hydrography is both science and technology
In July, chief weapons engineer Laurent Kerléguer was appointed director-general of SHOM, the French Hydrographic Office. Hydro International discusses with him the latest developments regarding the world of hydrography, climate change and artificial intelligence. "It becomes more urgent than ever to measure the ocean”, he says. Read the full interview in our September/October issue.
Laurent Kerléguer was born in Brest and has always lived by the sea or close to it. Although it was not clear as a child what his job would be, he thinks he has always known it would be linked to the sea. "Being an engineer, hydrography was the perfect combination of science and technology applied to the sea and a great opportunity to visit the world and survey the ocean”, he says.
Dedicated to Hydrography and Oceanography
Although he prefers to keep dreams for more personal events, he obviously thinks the appointment of Directeur Général of a prestigious Hydrographic Office, which originated almost 300 years ago - the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la marine was created in 1720 - is a great honour. "It is also an achievement after a whole career dedicated to hydrography and oceanography in the many positions and fields of interest that SHOM can offer: development, technology, operations at sea, international cooperation… and also budget, human resources or administration in general.”
See also our news item on Laurent Kerléguer's appointment.
