Hydrographic skills vital to develop Africa’s blue economy

Addressing gaps in hydrographic training

SOUTH AFRICA: The need to review hydrographic training in South Africa and create more formalised educational options is currently being addressed in order to build capacity and develop skills for the African continent.

“There is no formal hydrographic degree available locally,” says Gaynor Deacon of Amaza Surveys who is a member of the South African Geomatic Council where the conversation to fill this gap is on the agenda.

“We are going through the process at the moment to look at the educational framework with the purpose of trying to formalise something to promote the development of hydrographic skills,” she says explaining that the outcome is likely to be in the form of a post-graduate offering.

Admitting that the process still in its “infancy”, Deacon hopes to see the finalisation of their strategy by the end of February next year. “There are several good tertiary land surveying degrees available, and we see these becoming the route to pursue a post-graduate diploma or a Masters’ level focus on hydrography,” she explains.

“Although the South African Navy is involved in training, capacity building remains a huge requirement for the continent as a whole,” Deacon adds as she highlights that the navy’s focus is understandably on safe navigation and charting, but that the field of hydrography is much more diverse.

Talking about the development of ports and other maritime infrastructure across Africa, Deacon believes that the opportunity to produce accredited hydrographers should be a key focus for South Africa.

Currently hydrographers must complete formalised training overseas. Despite the subject forming a small part of existing locally offered degrees in surveying, Deacon is not convinced that this is the best way to promote a comprehensive hydrographic skillset.

Noting the shortage of accredited hydrographers currently available in the country, Deacon says that the lack of International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) accredited operators is cause for concern.

An accredited surveyor herself, Deacon lectures parttime at the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) and says that she is passionate about fostering knowledge in the field. “I want to share my love for hydrography in South Africa,” she says.

Deacon also believes that the opportunities available for hydrographic surveyors are immense and offer exciting possibilities across the region. “There is so much potential on the continent especially in terms of port development and there are also South African companies working internationally. Why should we be hiring from overseas when we can be upskilling locally?” she asks noting the availability of good capable people.

“If they are willing to put the time and effort into it, the world is their oyster. These youngsters can go out and earn a really good salary at the end of the day,” she adds.

A vital skill for Africa’s blue economy

Hydrographic knowledge is an imperative as Africa moves to take advantage of its blue economy by investing in ports, offshore mining and aquaculture where surveyors are vital to ensuring the overall success as well as safety of project development.

“Hydrographers are often brought in too late and are not consulted throughout the lifespan of a project,” says Deacon explaining that for projects that involve significant dredging, for example, it is useful to have an ongoing understanding of the dredging progress to ensure that the intended outcome is achieved.

Surveying is often outsourced by construction companies involved in marine civils and Deacon believes that the temptation to find the cheapest service provider can result in the final delivery of infrastructure that does not meet the ultimate scope of the client.

In an effort to address this, Amaza Surveys together with Skilltrade, offer introductory training that provides an understanding of hydrographic concepts and the importance of obtaining quality data as well as interpretation.

“The course, which is run over five days, is aimed at project managers and other members of the team,” she says adding that the knowledge gained helps “open their eyes” to the scope of work provided by the surveyor as well as the type of equipment required for different purposes.

“By the end of the course they have a better understanding of the formative questions they will need to ask their hydrographic service provider and will also know what to expect from a costing perspective,” she says explaining that the surveying component of major projects is often underestimated.

Refining hydrographic skills for improved results

As suppliers of hydrographic equipment, Amaza Surveys also provides training to surveyors and hydrographic companies that assists them maximise new technology and instrumentation.

“We are often called to design training around the client’s needs,” she says explaining that the ability to tailor courses allows clients to get the most from their equipment.

“A surveyor needs to be able to deliver robust data that is fit-for-purpose. Their client is ultimately only interested in the quality of the report they receive, and we want to ensure that they understand the limits and capabilities of the equipment that they are using.”

Understanding that the foundation of a report rests on the legacy of the captured data, Deacon stresses the need to ensure that the time invested in the actual survey period is used optimally.

“Surveyors often only have one chance to obtain the data. This means that they need to make the most of their equipment. We can help them ensure that it has been installed correctly and checked before any acquisition of data is undertaken,” she adds.

Investing in skills development

Discussing India’s evolving dominance as well as the hydrographic assistance they provide to African countries, Deacon believes that it is important that governments understand the benefits of investing in their hydrographic capacity.

The work that the team on the Geomatics Council is doing speaks to this priority and Deacon explains that they answer to the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform in terms of the Geomatics Profession Act 19 of 2020. 

Their work towards developing recognised and accredited training locally is key to South Africa’s ability to position itself as a dominant hydrographic stakeholder in the global south.

“And while the formal training is in need of a revamp, as a company we will try to fill the gap by focusing on capacity building and personnel development,” says Deacon who is quick to proclaim how choosing a career in the field has benefited her.

“If it wasn’t for hydrography, I would never have seen Alaska or Ireland or even Mauritius. It is hard work, yes, but I have been to so many interesting places and gained experience along the way.”

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