AT THE EDGE

Who are we?

Australasian Hydrographic Society

The Australasian Hydrographic Society is the South West Pacific and South East Asian regional focus for those interested in hydrography and related sciences. The recent and extraordinary progress in oceanology means that the maritime industry and undersea exploration will be to this century, which aviation and aerospace exploration was to the last. In our region in particular, hydrographic and related information increasingly facilitates the generation, sustainment, and transportation of resources.

Similarly, in the recent past there has been an examination of the security of regional interests, both in the private and public domains. There has been a growing acknowledgment amongst maritime services, such as police, customs, and regional navies, that accurate hydrographic data in the littoral environment is fundamental to providing security, protection, and humanitarian support. The objectives of the Society are:

• To promote the science of surveying in the saltwater and freshwater environments, the adjacent shore and hinterland and to promote related sciences.
• To provide a centre for meetings and a channel for correspondence and the exchange of information between technologists and others engaged or interested in hydrography and related sciences.
• To promote and co-ordinate the study and practice of such sciences in all or any of their aspects; and to accumulate, extend and disseminate amongst the members of the Society and others information, knowledge and expertise relating thereto.
• To promote the better education and training of persons engaged in or intending to engage in the study of hydrography and related sciences.

In this challenging time of climate change, sea level rise and resource sustainability, it is apparent that hydrography, its associated skills and related sciences are fundamental to meeting the challenge. Hydrography is seen as being able to bridge the gaps in understanding our maritime world and meeting the challenges confronting the marine environment and adjacent land areas, where few other lines of communication may exist. This is due to hydrography and the like being increasingly acknowledged as egalitarian in purpose and therefore humanitarian in the broadest sense. This is not new, but the extent of acknowledgement is. The Australasian Hydrographic Society is committed to facilitating cooperative and knowledge-based sharing activities between learned bodies and individuals to help support these interests. Through technical meetings, seminars and conferences, the Society achieves these aims in equal measure and supports all initiatives of regional, national, or international flavour that supports the science and profession of hydrography.