Page 62: of Marine Technology Magazine (September 2022)

MTR 100

UKHO & the UK Center for Seabed Mapping https://www.admiralty.co.uk/uk-centre-for-seabed-mapping

MARINE

TECHNOLOGY

There are few more prestigious names in the world of hy-

TV drography than the UKHO, the world’s largest center for hydrography. UKHO support a staff of 900 in Taunton, UK, with a small contingent in satellite of? ces in Singapore and

Washington, DC. Its ADMIRALTY Maritime Data Solution product portfolio includes a series of around 18,000 electronic navigational charts which are carried by around 90% of the world’s trading ? eet, made available to mariners worldwide through a through a distribution network of 182 distribution a member of the new UK Center for Seabed Mapping (UK of? ces. In addition, UKHO are the primary charting authority CSM). Administered by the UKHO, UK CSM was submitted for just over 60 other nations as a UK Government Voluntary Commitment to the United

Various recent global initiatives have highlighted the impor- Nations at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal in tance of charting world’s waterways to support the growing June 2022.

‘blue economy,’ but there is a caveat. “It’s fair to say that the The UK CSM has a remit to increase the coverage, qual- interest in the understanding of the bene? ts of mapping the ity and access of seabed mapping data collected using public world seabed has de? nitely increased,” said David Parker, funds, as well as to better promote it as a critical component

Head of Hydrographic Programs, in an interview with MTR of national infrastructure. Created to spearhead a coordinated

TV. “I think it’s also fair to say though, that perhaps the fund- approach to the collection, management, and access of seabed ing, particularly from governments, to undertake that activity mapping data – and to champion a more integrated marine has not increased with that level of interest necessarily.” geospatial sector in the UK – the UK CSM has established

In early July, UKHO invited UK-based public organizations three initial working groups which members can join and involved in seabed mapping who share common interests contribute to: National Data Collaboration, International Data in optimizing the UK’s national maritime assets to become Collaboration, and Data Collection Standards.

UTEC www.acteon.com

UTEC provides a wide range of survey, positioning and data their desktop, driving down the cost of remote planning and management services including site characterization, subsea communication. UTEC developed a bespoke inspection tool positioning and construction support, dimensional control sur- for an energy regulator to record on-going audit events across veys, metocean, geophysical and AUV surveys, geotechnical a wide range of assets and facilities, both onshore and off- sampling and consulting services, laser scanning, 3D model- shore. The tool is designed to maintain a transparent data- ing and iSite asset management portal, offering different levels base of ? ndings to allow the identi? cation and remediation of data interaction. of QHSE and integrity events, while providing the regulator

UTEC is a Geo-services brand in Acteon’s Data and Robot- ‘real-time’ progress, statistical analysis and reporting. ics division. Acteon provides specialist engineering, services Development of a cloud based 4D visual management sys- and technology to companies who develop and own marine tem for subsea survey data (e.g. seabed bathymetry, sub-bot- infrastructure across the life of their assets. tom surveys, location of critical features etc) provided direct

UTEC and the wider Acteon Geo-services segment provides access to reportable events with user interrogation tools to pro- customers with geo-data that helps them to gain critical in- vide an immersive way of interacting with large complex data. sights and make better-informed design and construction de- In 2021 Acteon changed the way it operates by structuring cisions. The company’s marine surveys and site characteriza- its product- and service-line brands into strategic market seg- tion services optimize the design and installation of marine ments. UTEC forms part of the Geo-services segment along structures. In 2012 UTEC developed its proprietary virtual with other Acteon brands Benthic and TerraSond. asset management solution, iSite, which has since been used UTEC has also recently invested in its remote services: pro- on over 100 projects globally, with over 3,000 external users. cessing, operations and monitoring. UTEC has developed a iSite allows customers to remotely manage any assets from communications hub to provide the connectivity required.

62 September/October 2022

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