Hydrospatial

Join the Hydrospatial Movement Community at

 https://lnkd.in/eBYGfkpq 

Hydrographic offices today exist in a world of accelerating technological change that is influencing human behavior creating new needs and ways for exploiting data to understand our world. Hydrographic offices have traditionally been the producers of nautical information for the safety of navigation. By the end of the 20th century, with the appearance of the IHO S-57 Standard, their main challenge was to evolve into a central database production system for the safety of navigation products, namely the Electronic Navigational Chart.

Now, taking advantage of concepts such as Marine Spatial Data Structures (MSDI) and the new IHO S-100 series of standards, the main challenge and opportunity is to evolve from there into a true geospatial agency, developing a hydrospatial information system capable of providing products and services for multidimensional analysis and decision-making through apps and web browsers, some of it in near-real time. The opportunity is there, it is a matter of vision and desire to move toward the next frontier.

For some, the rapid changes in Hydrographic science and technology are creating a revolution, for others these are more like important changes, but not a revolution, and for others it's just a natural evolution. But independently of the perception these rapid changes are giving to people, they are undoubtedly pushing Hydrography into new areas and usages. Similarly to the meaning of data tagged with time and space on the Earth is commonly referred to as "Geospatial" data, a specific sub-set of this data pertaining to the ocean and inland waters could be referred to as "Hydrospatial" data.

At the 2020 Canadian Hydrographic Conference, a discussion panel was organized to discuss the topic, at which it was suggested to take the current IHO definition of Hydrography as the basis to define "Hydrospatial".

So, Hydrospatial was proposed to be defined as "the branch of applied sciences which deals with the analysis, understanding, and access to static and dynamic marine geospatial digital and analog data and information, digital signals, measurement and description of the physical, biological and chemical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers from all possible available data sources in near-real-time, real-time, including history and the prediction of their change over time. For the purpose of providing timely access to standard, quality, and the most up-to-date marine spatial data infrastructure, including the safety and efficiency of navigation; aquatic and marine activities, for a sustainable Blue environment & economic development, security and defense, and scientific research."

This initial definition was considered long, complex, and not sufficiently clear. The global Hydrospatial Movement Club members had worked at developing a simpler and clearer suggested definition of Hydrospatial. Under the leadership of one member of the Asian Node of the Hydrospatial Movement Club; a NEW suggested definition as of December 2021 was sent to the Chair of the Hydrographic Dictionary Working Group (HDWG) of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) for assessment and adoption as a new term within the IHO-Hydrographic Dictionary.

 In December 2021 a different version of a suggested hydrospatial definition was sent to the International Hydrographic Organization - Hydrographic Dictionary Working Group (IHO-HDWG) for review.  The IHO-HDWG presented the definition to the IHO Hydrographic Services and Standards Committee (HSSC) in May 2022 recommending inclusion in the Hydrographic Dictionary.  The HSSC concluded that given Hydrospatial is not a technical term, it shall not be included in Hydrographic Dictionary at this time.

In the Fall 2022, the Hydrospatial Movement Club decided to involve a professional terminologist to help and assist defining more simply and clearly the terms hydrospatial and hydrospatial sciences. This is still a work in progress, at this point, this is the result of the considerations:

hydrospatial. adjective 

Relating to hydrospatial sciences or denoting data, information and knowledge that is associated with a particular location and time of the earth’s waters and their contiguous zones.

hydrospatial sciences. plural-only noun (plurale tantum)

All sciences dealing with the study of the earth’s waters and their contiguous zones.

This broad definition enables people to use a modern term to refer to their work and activities that relate to "geospatial" in the water. This is the "blue geospatial". It can be used in combination with other terms to help in providing a better context for what they are trying to express, for instance, in terms of data gathering, analysis, production, use, and even technology development, such as "hydrospatial data", or "hydrospatial information", or "hydrospatial professional" or "hydrospatial sensors" or the "hydrospatial environment" and so on.

Because of dramatic technological advancement in software (and new terms such as Big Data, AI, Deep Learning) and hardware (multisensor platforms, AUVs, ASVs Remote Sensing), and more demands for collecting and managing a wide variety of data simultaneously, we frequently hear professionals in the field struggling to explain succinctly or define accurately what they do or need to do in terms of collecting, analyzing and managing a variety of data. For example, a hydrographer that also collects geophysical data while doing a bathymetric survey could refer to this activity as "hydrospatial data collection and analysis" or a marine biologist analyzing species and habitats to establish a marine protected area, could refer to it as "hydrospatial environmental analysis". The idea is to have a term that supports expressing better the evolving activities in the aquatic environment.

Our Vision is to be the voice of Hydrospatial as the foundation of any activity in the oceans, seas, lakes and rivers with emphasis on the Blue Economy for Sustainable Development.

Our Mission is to promote, mobilize & engage ocean & coastal professionals in understanding & using Hydrospatial to explore and exploit marine geospatial data and information to the broadest extent possible.

Our guiding Values are:

• Trust & Respect;
• Commitment & Proactivity;
• Honesty & Efficiency.

Our Quality Objectives are

• Promote, Produce, Share & Stimulate the Production of Quality Policy & Technical Papers, Articles & Presentations on Hydrospatial;
• Maintain a Strong, Credible and Active Core(2) of Members Club;
• Expand the Hydrospatial Movement Club to a vibrant Community.

The following video explains how a Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure enables a traditional hydrographic office to become a modern hydrospatial agency:

 Satellite-Derived Bathymetry in an Integrated Hydrospatial Workflow in ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Bathymetry , video available in GeoNet, the Esri Community.

Explore this  Spilhaus  projection map of the world. The world of Hydrospatial is all connected through the ocean and rivers...

(1) 2022, Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure: A book by Stelios Contarinis from the National Technical University of Athens and Christos Kastrisios from the University of New Hapshire, that uses the term "Hydrospatial" in it, showing adoption among the academic and scientific community:  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359076024_Marine_Spatial_Data_Infrastructure  

(2) Hains D. et Al. Hydrospatial... A Global Movement -  https://ihr.iho.int/articles/hydrospatial-a-global-movement/  

(3) Hains (2020a) - page 84 -  https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/ihreview_P1/IHR_May2020.pdf [iho.int]   

(4) Hains  (2020b) -   https://www.hydro-international.com/content/article/what-is-hydrospatial 

(5) Hains D. (October 2020c) - page 14 -  https://www.aols.org/site_files/content/pages/about/media/ops-magazine/fall-2020.pdf [aols.org] 

(6) Hains D. (October 2020d) - page 12 in French -   https://console.virtualpaper.com/vol-47/geomatique_vol-47_no2_automne_2020pdf/#1/[console.virtualpaper.com] 

(7) Jonas (2021):  https://www.hydro-international.com/content/article/how-to-use-the-term-hydrospatial [hydro-international.com] 

(8) Jonas (2020):  https://www.hydro-international.com/content/article/the-2020s-three-ambitious-global-projects [hydro-international.com] 

(9) Pang & Oei (2020) - page 21:  https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/ihreview_P1/IHR_November2020.pdf [iho.int]   

(10) Ponce (2020):  https://www.hydro-international.com/content/article/hydrospatial-and-the-marine-environment  

(11) Ponce (2019) - page 55:  https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/ihreview_P1/IHR_Nov2019.pdf [iho.int]   

Members of the “Club” representing the Continental Nodes are meeting virtually on a Bi-monthly basis. For details on this event please contact Denis Hains (dhains@h2i.ca) or Rafael Ponce (rponce@esri.com). Thank you.