HYDRO 2025 Conference Day 2

After earning a BSc in Geology and Petroleum Geology from the University of Aberdeen, I went on to complete an MSc in GeoEnergy at the University of Edinburgh. My postgraduate research, which focused on hydrogen geochemistry and cement interactions, formed the basis of a co-authored article published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. This work was recognised with the School of Geosciences PGT Publication Prize Award. Since university, I have worked as a Geoscientist at Kraken Robotics working both onshore and offshore. My contributions in this role were recognised with the Emerging Talent Award from The Hydrographic Society in Scotland.

Phil Payne is currently bringing to bear 25 years’ service in the Royal Navy and 8 years at the UK Hydrographic Office in his role as the Marine Survey Manager for National Grid Strategic Infrastructure.  With a passion for innovation and the environment he has always looked to ensure that latest and most suitable survey techniques and platforms are used for the work at hand.  In his latest role, as part of National Grid’s drive to build an electricity network that provides for the UK’s Future Energy Security and Net Zero aims, this has included the first use of unmanned surface vessels and bathymetric lidar by National Grid.   His presentation looks to outline some of the hurdles in such an approach in the offshore construction industry as well as the positive outcomes that come from it.

Olajide Michael Fagbewesa is a leading offshore survey and positioning expert with over 10 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, specializing in seismic acquisition, jack-up barge and rig moves, pipelay operations, seabed surveys and geospatial intelligence. As a Senior Operations Surveyor at Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), he has delivered some of the most complex and high-value offshore projects in Nigeria, consistently achieving excellence in safety, innovation, and operational performance.

A Registered Surveyor in Nigeria, Level 1 HPAS Hydrographic Surveyor, MCA MASS Pilot and Shell HSSE Critical Leader Olajide has presented award-winning technical papers at global conferences and continues to drive innovation in offshore survey operations. He holds an M.Sc. in Environment, Health, and Safety (Valedictorian) from the University of Sunderland, M.Sc in Hydrography from the Univeristy of Lagos and a B.Sc. in Surveying from the University of Lagos.

Craig is engaged with a diverse range of offshore wind projects in the Structures and Geoscience team at RWE Renewables UK. This involves writing geophysical survey specifications, reviewing technical reports, QA of data and liaising with external contractors, amongst other tasks. Craig is experienced in a range of geophysical survey techniques, with most of this from the offshore wind industry. Craig has 14 years experience in the geophysical survey industry acquiring, processing and reporting on hydrographic / geophysical data sets.

Jann Wendt is a geoinformatics expert and technology entrepreneur based in Kiel, Germany. He began his academic career studying geography, quickly specializing in geoinformatics and distributed data processing. Inspired by the “overview effect” and advancements in satellite imagery, he developed a strong focus on making geospatial data more accessible, scalable, and actionable.
In 2011, Jann founded north.io GmbH — a company dedicated to developing cloud-native platforms for managing and analyzing geospatial data — now employing over 70 experts. Over the years, north.io has contributed to numerous research and industry-driven projects spanning marine protection, offshore infrastructure, and environmental risk mitigation.
Based on the company’s involvement in large-scale ocean data research projects, Jann and his team recognized in early 2020 the massive untapped potential of applying cloud technologies, big data architectures, and modern web-based systems to the ocean domain. This insight laid the foundation for the development of the TrueOcean data platform and its core component, the Ocean Data Processing Engine — a scalable system designed to process terabytes of multibeam, side scan, and raster data with unmatched speed and precision.
Jann is a frequent speaker at international conferences, advocating for a future where data-driven decision-making powered by geospatial and ocean data plays a central role in managing our planet’s marine spaces. His work focuses on equipping stakeholders across science, government, and industry with the insights and infrastructure needed to enable transparent, scalable, and sustainable ocean operations.

Ross: Hydrographic and geospatial professional with over a decade of experience in marine geospatial systems, hydrographic services, and strategic project delivery. Currently serving as Lead Geospatial Product Manager at the Port of London Authority, Ross leads the design, delivery and oversight of navigational products that underpin safe, compliant and efficient operations on the tidal Thames.

Rafael: A retired Captain. He holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and is a category A Hydrographer. Mr. Ponce was the deputy director of the Mexican Hydrographic Office, during that time represented Mexico at several IHO committees and working groups and continues with these activities now representing Esri. He was a candidate to the IHO Director position in 2017. Mr. Ponce was President of the Hydrographic Society of America (THSOA) from 2021 to 2023 and works closely with the hydrographic and maritime community around the world. He has worked for Esri since 2007 and is currently the company’s principal maritime consultant and maritime practice lead working in projects around the world.

Manager Bathymetry Business Division, RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH

Mr. Bermudez holds a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Nueva Granada University and a Master of Science in Project Management from the Business School (EAN). He has been working in the maritime industry for 15 years, beginning his career at the Colombian Maritime Authority, where he led several projects focused on the deployment of Aids to Navigation and Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) in accordance with the specifications and standards defined by the IHO and IALA. For the past 10 years, he has worked at Hypack, providing training and technical support to users worldwide. Additionally, he has contributed to product development by translating the voice of the customer into solutions for the hydrographic and dredging markets.

Dr.-Ing Coralie Monpert graduated as a hydrographic surveyor in 2010 from ENSTA Bretagne (France). In 2014, she received her Ph.D. on the topic “Submerged aquatic vegetation mapping with a single-beam echosounder“.  Since 2022, Dr. Monpert has been working at the French Hydrographic Service (Shom) with expertise related to Lidar topo-bathymetric technologies. Her responsibilities include overseeing data acquisition processes, conducting research and development in data processing and providing support to production teams.

Merte is currently working as commanding officer of the Royal Netherlands Navy survey vessel HNLMS Snellius. He has been working as a navigator and hydrographic surveyor for the RNLN and Boskalis Westminster, specialising in Geo Informatics, UXO clearance, dredging and Subsea Rock installation.
Merte has achieved his IHO CAT-A and B certification and BSc at FOST HM and Plymouth University.
In 2024 Merte started his MSc research project at MLA college in partnership with Plymouth University, which was completed in March 2025.

I started (in 2016) with my Bachelor in Geoinformation Management where I specialised in remote sensing. After graduating, I worked full-time in surveying before completing my Master in Earth Observation and Geoanalysis at the university of Würzburg, Germany. In the course of this, I wrote my thesis on the topic of Analysis of Uncertainties for Error Detection and Quantification of Bathymetry Data from Multispectral Sentinel-2 Imagery.” in collaboration with the company Eomap. Since this year, I now work as a Risk Analyst in the area of NAT Cat modelling.

Tea Isler is a PhD student at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven, Germany. Her interests focus around 3D reconstruction of hydrothermal vents in polar regions using photogrammetric techniques and processing and interpretation of multibeam data from both ship and ROV/AUVs echosounders. What brought her to AWI is her interest in the close collaboration with the international project Seabed2030 and the pursuit of multibeam data in remote and still uncharted areas of the world. Tea participated in two Arctic and one Antarctic expedition collecting sonar and optical data from both ship and ROV/AUV multibeam.

I’m Alessio Vespucci, I’m from Italy and I have a degree in Meteo-Oceanography from the Parthenope University in Naples. Last year I attended a training course at Oceans & Cables, the company where I work as a multibeam data processor.
My idea is to propose a reflection and a detailed description of the navigational instruments used in the first oceanic explorations in the 15th century by Amerigo Vespucci, Christopher Columbus and Magellan.
The comparison certainly shows a radical change in technology, and the real aim of my contribution is to present and describe the instruments of the time and to show how difficult it was for the navigators of the time to discover new territories that changed the view of navigation and geodesy. I would also like to emphasise that the spirit with which Vespucci, Columbus and Magellan navigated must persist in today’s navigators, because the technologies are certainly different, but the aim of our work unites us: to know, represent and disseminate the marine environment accurately.

Jan Rhomberg-Kauert is a PhD student at TU Wien, working as a research assistant in the Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation. With a broad background in mathematics, computational biology and computer science, Jan currently focuses on developing innovative methodologies to improve hydrographic data classification and LiDAR signal processing. His research aims to enhance the understanding of full waveform bathymetric LiDAR with a focus on aquatic vegetation. There he actively engages with various academic and industry partners, contributing to different projects related to hydrography, photogrammetry and airborne LiDAR.

Lucas Dammert is working as a PhD student at TU Wien on the trajectory estimation of multisensor systems (primarily unmanned airborne systems) using robotic total stations in a joint position between the groups of photogrammetry and engineering geodesy. During his B.Sc. and M.Sc. he studied Geodesy and Geoinformation in Dresden and Hamburg with a specialization in hydrography. His research interests lie in the fields of hydrography, photogrammetry and engineering geodesy with a focus on kinematic multisensor systems.

Dr Mary Young is a Lecturer in Marine and Coastal Science at Deakin University, Australia, and an elected academic member of the AusSeabed Steering Committee. She leads Deakin’s seabed mapping program, which focuses on collecting high-resolution bathymetric and habitat data across Victoria’s state waters. Mary’s research explores how seabed habitat influences the distribution of marine species, with a particular interest in how climate change is driving shifts in species ranges. Through her dual roles in research and national coordination, she contributes to improving the availability and use of seabed data to support marine science and sustainable ocean management.

Charles de Jongh holds an MSc in cartography and geographical information science. He has 20 years of experience in the marine geospatial field, focusing on hydrographic surveying and hydrographic data processing solutions.  Charles is based in Oslo, where he works for the survey company Field, specializing in the provision of airborne bathymetric Lidar services.

­­­­­Piers joined the UKHO in 2013. Following several years working in cartography, maritime safety and hydrography he joined the Hydrographic Programmes Team in 2023. His current role involves administering parts of the UKHO’s Hydrographic Programmes portfolio including the Civil Hydrography Programme, The UK Centre for Seabed Mapping, Primary Charting and Hydrographic Projects.