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Articles

1982: Vol. LIX, No. 2

Hydrography, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

Soumise
août 6, 2015
Publié-e
2015-07-14

Résumé

The President of the Directing Committee of the International Hydrographic Bureau looks back over 45 years of hydrographic experience and takes note of the technological advances which have taken place in this field. He sees the introduction of echo-sounding after World War I and electronic positioning after World War II as two major technological revolutions in hydrography. He examines critically the present moves into automated hydrography, and poses a number of questions concerning the value of complete automation to the sea surveyor. He looks to the future and sees the present progress which is being made in multibeam swath sounding as a possible precursor to a third technological revolution in hydrography, solving, as it may, the hydrographic surveyor’s major problem of what lies between his sounding lines. Throughout the paper the author stresses that despite every technological advance the sea surveyor must retain his feel for the environment in which he is working, and that the seaman’s eye is as important to the hydrographer today as it was when he joined his first survey ship.