Charting The Emirates

摘要

The Dubai Municipality has chosen a commercial offshore survey company to perform a detailed bathymetric survey of its waters. The decision demonstrates confidence in the technical expertise available in the commercial sector and moves away from the traditional route of national hydrographic offices undertaking surveys and endorsing the quality of the charts produced.rnThe multi-million dollar contract has gone to UTEC Survey. The British-based company will gather the data needed to produce Dubai's first electronic navigation charts (ENCs).rnThe commercial approach is seen as a practical solution for national hydrographic offices that lack adequate survey and processing resources of their own. In particular, ENC coverage of the Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf remains patchy, and regional governments are under pressure from the IMO to undertake hydrographic surveys of their waters so that global ENC coverage can be achieved. Lack of coverage is being held responsible for the slow take-up of ECDIS technology and has played a part in the timetabling for the now mandatory carriage of ECDIS (see page 18).