Geomatics is the art and science of measurements on the surface of earth including what is below the earth and in the oceans. This is the simplest form of definition; more exact and elaborate definition has been produced by FIG¹. In other simple words Geomatics is the new terminology for the centuries old profession of Surveying and Mapping…

Surveying which has been even called the foundation of civil engineering profession has been into existence far longer than some of the high tech and highly paid glamorous professions of recent times. Surveying was practiced when Egyptians were building Pyramids.

The future of the surveying profession is an issue that has been lingering for many years. Recently, the concern has been growing wider and louder among surveyors. Some surveyors contend that the surveying profession, in its current form, is heading towards extinction. Their reasons include a gradual decline in the number of qualified and licensed professionals, impact of emerging technologies, sophisticated and more capable equipment…

Surveying is a service oriented profession, by making maps we do service to the society. The more you serve the society, the more the profession will be known. In a country like India, there is a huge requirement of professionals in the domain of surveying. In the 1970’s a study was done to assess the requirements of the country and even then it was felt that there was need forthree Survey of India (SOI)…

Ten years ago the California Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (BPELS) attempted to pass a set of rules that required all digital mapping to be performed by Professional Land Surveyors. The motivation for these rules stemmed from the definition of surveying under the California Professional Land Surveyors’ Act, which includes specific reference to digital mapping being within the purview of the Professional Land Surveyor…

Quality hydrographic survey data is essential for efficient maritime development
N R Raut
Assistant Hydrographic Surveyor in Minor Ports Survey Organisation,
Ministry Of Shipping, Road, Transport & Highways.
nrrautahs@yahoo.com

India has long coastline of 7517 kms with 12 major ports and 187 minor & intermediary ports. Major ports all together handled 423 million tones traffic & non–major ports all together …

Rear Admiral K R Srinivasan

Rear Admiral K R Srinivasan

AVSM, IN (Retd), Hydrographic and Oceanographic Expert,

Chief Hydrographer, Government of India

MARITIME Boundary Delineation (MBD) with neighbouring States is an essential need for national security and offshore development, more so for developing States with sizeable Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ) and Continental Shelf Areas. Whilst it is laudable that India …

CURRENTLY the trend is that more and more project authorities are mandating use of GPS for control work and private surveyors have to comply with this requirement. Dual frequency DGPS have been beyond the financial reach of these surveyors as such most prefer to invest in single frequency DGPS, which cost almost one third the cost of dual frequency DGPS.

WHEN Jack gave us the above statement we found ourselves wondering what other experts, from both sides of the stated divide, felt about the matter. We set ourselves the task to find out.

World Hydrographic Day is being celebrated on the 21st June every year to commemorate the establishment of the International Hydrographic Bureau by 19 member states in 1921 at the Principality of Monaco at the invitation of HSH Prince Albert I, a noted marine scientist and oceanographer, who had graciously offered the requisite space and facilities free of cost. In 1970, it was renamed as the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) and has presently 80 Member States, covering the vast majority of Ocean States. IHO plays a very useful role in Standardisation, International Charts, Capacity Building and Technical Cooperation, Education and Training, Hydrographic Surveying, Charts (paper and digital), Regional Hydrographic Commissions, Cooperation with other International Organisations, Tsunami Information, and nautical Publications.