U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (Naval Oceanography) was among the distinguished talent and capability of participants and attendees at the U.S. Hydrographic Conference, March 13-16, 2023.
 
The Hydrography Society of America (THOSA) themed the conference: ‘Hydrospatial: The Next Frontier of Hydrography’, with a public statement citing:
  
“The theme that we have chosen (as) our conference reflects the relevance our profession and related sciences have in the marine geospatial world. In some circles we are discussing the profile of “the hydrographer of the future” … how technology is affecting their activities: the speed and amount of data being collected (Big Data); the wide variety of sensors and platforms used (IoT); the speed and efficiency in data analysis (AI and Deep Learning); the ways in which this data become information and is accessed by different kinds of users (Cloud services, Kubernetes); and new formats and standards (S-100, voxels).” - thosa.org  April 2023
 
Hydrography is the science of surveying and mapping water bodies, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water.
 
Talented practitioners from all walks of the Hydrography discipline were in attendance at the U.S. Hydrographic conference, ahead of International Hydrography Organizations 3^rd Assembly in Monaco held this month, May 2023.
 
Naval Oceanography’s, Deputy Hydrographer of the U.S. Navy, Matthew Borbash attended the U.S. Hydro Conference and expressed his view of the conference together with Naval Oceanography’s mission, and overall level of skill the conference attracted.
 
“The U.S. Hydrographic Conference is one of the Nation’s premier venues for gathering industry and government experts in the fields of underwater mapping, geospatial information, and autonomous systems… Naval Oceanography participated to showcase our global underwater mapping capability and to attract skilled individuals looking for an exciting, operational career in service to our country,” said Borbash.
A key science in understanding navigable spaces throughout the ocean, hydrography is vital to ocean resources that provide economic growth and preservation of the ocean ecosystem─often referred to as the Blue Economy.

“Rear Admiral Piret’s keynote address focused on the importance of Naval Hydrography to freedom of movement on the high seas and its resulting insurance of strength and security of the global Blue Economy,” Borbash said.

Subject Matter Experts networked and engaged one another during the conference, ultimately pushing the Hydrographic community forward as America continues to explore and navigate the Earth’s surface.

“Discussions provided a nice counterbalance to the numerous, informative technical talks provided by a variety of experts during the week, while the concentration of talent, cutting-edge technology, innovation, and simply great people at U.S. Hydro, made for an incredibly rewarding experience in Mobile, AL,” said Borbash.

The conference reinforced the importance of hydrography and necessity to collaborate, ensuring accurate and current information of the planet’s ocean resources.
Maintaining hydrographic practices can safeguard water resources, address major challenges facing the globe, and create sustainability for future generations.

Naval Oceanography has approximately 2,500 globally distributed military and civilian personnel, who collect, process, and exploit environmental information to assist Fleet and Joint Commanders in all warfare areas to guarantee the U.S. Navy’s freedom of action in the physical battlespace from the depths of the ocean to the stars.