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Anyone who has ever been directly involved in the col- lection of bathymetric data knows that good hydrogra- phers have an impressive skill set. On a smaller survey ves- sel, this skill set quite often includes a basic working knowledge across such disciplines as navigation, geodesy, acoustics, computer operating systems, electronics, data telemetry, meteorology, small engine repair, electrical sys- tems and small boat handling. As the capabilities and fea-tures of sonars, positioning and motion reference systems continue to increase, so too must the hydrographer?s skills increase. Perhaps more importantly, as the capabilities, and hence performance expectations, of these systems are continually stacked higher and higher, the hydrographer?s base of knowledge must be ever more broad. While it is possible to achieve such a base of comprehension through extensive field experience, erudition in the disciplines of surveying principles and measurement sciences is a tremendous place to start and forms the most solid base from which to build on the ?knowledge pyramid?. As wonderful underwater images obtained by acoustic means become more and more common within trade journals and at manufacturer web sites around the world, more is demanded of the ?average hydrographer? by end users of the data sets obtained.The current surge in equipment capabilities and data demands can be directly correlated to the advancements in computer processing power and, perhaps more specifical- ly, advancing capabilities in the manipulation of three dimensional data sets within advanced software packages. Sonar system manufacturers have responded to the abil- ity to process extremely large data sets with what seems to be an ever-growing list of system capabilities in the multi- beam, scanning and interferometric sonar systems they produce. As the sheer volume of point cloud data collect- 18MTRMay 2012Requirements Ever Increasing for Hydrographer Skill Set By Lou Nash, M.S., President of Measutronics Corporation hydrographic The author training the Tunisian Navy, Bizerta, Tunisia. MTR#4 (18-33):MTR Layouts 5/7/2012 9:31 AM Page 18