EuroGO-SHIP’s Work Package 4 is tasked with assembling the science case for a strategic investment in supporting European ship-based hydrographic work. In recent months, WP4 colleagues have been building a picture of how hydrography is conducted and how it operates across Europe by developing a series of ‘pen pictures’ describing, in simple terms, the basic features of a nation’s observing system including the who, what, where, why and when of observational measurements, as well how the communities are funded, what challenges they’re facing, and what are their motivations. This has involved webinars and online workshops, initially with the countries of EuroGO-SHIP partners, followed by a wider group of hydrographic communities from Finland, Greenland and Iceland.
Some interesting patterns are emerging from the data being gathered, including a broadly comparable planning system across Europe, which can aid future planning, similar data pathways and motivations for undertaking hydrography, and patterns of ERIC approval among different countries. WP4 will summarise the data from these pen pictures in a deliverable report aimed at informing the system design element of the EuroGO-SHIP programme.