A Life Without Limits
  • Surveying
    • Surveying Roles
      • Overall Breakdown
      • Licensed and Registered Surveyors
    • Specialisations and Related Fields
      • Specialisations
      • Civil Engineering
      • Geospatial Science
      • Hydrography
    • The History of Surveying
    • Technology
      • Surveying Technology
      • 3D Scanning
      • GPS
      • Drones
      • Pokémon and Surveying
      • GDA2020 – Modernising Australia’s Datum
    • Cool Projects
    • Defining Surveying
  • Profiles
    • Meet a Current Surveying Student
    • Meet a Survey Assistant
    • Meet a University Student Project of the Year Winner
    • Meet a Graduate Surveyor
    • Meet a 3D Modeller and Surveyor
    • Meet a Trainee Licensed Surveyor
    • Meet a Newly Licensed Surveyor
    • Meet a Senior Licensed Surveyor
    • Young Surveying Professional of the Year
    • Professional Surveyor of the Year
    • Meet a Senior Lecturer in Surveying
    • Meet a Surveyor General
    • Women in Surveying
  • Study
    • NSW & ACT >
      • Study Pathways
      • Where To Study
      • NSW Scholarships
    • QLD >
      • Study Pathways
      • Where To Study
      • Qld Scholarships
    • SA >
      • Study Pathways and Institutions
    • VIC >
      • Work Experience Placements
      • Study Pathways
      • Where To Study
      • RMIT Information Portal
    • WA >
      • Study Pathways
      • Where To Study
    • Distance >
      • Distance Education
  • Career Resources
    • Get Kids into Survey
    • Career Resources
  • Experience Surveying
    • Try Surveying in Victoria
    • Try Surveying in NSW
  • Industry Partners
  • Connect with Industry
    • Find a Job
    • Work Experience
  • More Info
    • Blog
    • Ask a Surveyor
    • Is Surveying for Me?
    • Surveying and STEM careers
    • Demand for Surveyors
    • In the News
    • Videos
      • Videos About Surveying
      • Surveying With Evan Webster
      • Women in Surveying Day
      • Student Experience Days
    • FAQs
    • Contact Us

Hydrography

Welcome to the World of Hydrographic Surveying

If you’re at home on the water, you can make a splash specialising as a hydrographic surveyor.

Hydrographic surveyors map the sea floor and other waterways. These surveyors work in coastal areas and overseas, collecting data about the underwater world – data that can be used in any number of applications.

Some hydrographic surveyors work in gas, oil or mineral exploration. Other hydrographic surveying experts aid pipeline, bridge or port construction. There are those that put their skills towards shipping navigation, supporting military efforts or environmental research and conservation.

Every hydrographic surveyor is an important part of a larger team – which can include ecologists, civil engineers, planners and more. These co-workers rely on the hydrographic surveyor for accurate, reliable information about the goings-on under the water’s surface.

Great Barrier Reef

Here’s a timely example of one of the roles that hydrographic surveyors can serve.

Surveyors conducted a spatial study of the seabed environments in the Great Barrier Reef marine park for clues about the sources of sediments and reef habitats in our eco system.

The data they mine will help marine park managers monitor changes in the seabed’s habitats. It will also assist stakeholders make informed decisions to protect one of Australia’s world heritage areas.

With environmental bodies increasingly voicing concerns about the wellbeing of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, this is one of the important ways that surveyors are contributing to our planet in a tangible way. And with increasingly intelligent technology on hand, hydrographic surveyors are gaining the power to do more and more.

The Tools of the Trade

The hydrographic surveyor’s toolset is made up of some impressive technologies, such as underwater laser scanners, tide gauges and a wide variety of sonar mapping techniques.

Scans of the water’s surface and the sea floor can be captured from boats, on the air and from space.

The tech has developed to the point that high accuracy positioning systems can be used worldwide, at any time of day, during any weather conditions. While there are plenty of factors that can affect a hydrographic surveyor’s job – factors as seemingly insignificant as the temperature of the water – the latest techniques and methods allows surveyors to ferret out the results they need despite these obstacles.

All this makes the field of hydrographic surveying a challenging yet rewarding one to step into.

A Career in Hydrography

Want to know what working on the seas as a hydrographic surveyor is really like?

The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) and the SSSI Hydrography Commission have put together a video that takes you below the surface of hydrography and shows you why it is important, what you could be doing as a hydrographic surveyor, and how to get started.

  • Where to study – NSW & ACT
  • Where to study – QLD
  • Where to study – SA
  • Where to study – VIC
  • Where To study – WA
Get e-news

Contact Us

New South Wales
T: (02) 9054 6867

Queensland
T: (07) 3321 1622

South Australia
T: (08) 8212 0343

Western Australia
T:  0424 177 510

Victoria
T: (03) 9690 6660

News

  • Why do I need a licensed or registered surveyor?
  • Superheroes of the Survey Site
  • Explore the RMIT Geospatial Sciences Tour
  • Surveyors Making a Mark at Walt Disney World

Pathways

  • Study Pathways – NSW
  • Study Pathways – QLD
  • Study Pathways – SA
  • Study Pathways – VIC
  • Study Pathways – WA

Join us

© Copyright 2020. A Life Without Limits | Surveying Task Force Inc.