Spain host Colombia: Technical strengthening in Hydrographic Databases
Navy Commander and Director, Salvador Espinosa González-Llanos (left) & Mr. Jansy Parodi Jaramillo (left)
The Hydrographic Institute of the Spanish Navy (IHM), in collaboration with IC-ENC, have been carrying out various secondments as part of a strategy to promote the exchange of knowledge between the IHM and several of the Spanish-speaking Member states of IC-ENC. On this occasion, Colombia, as an active Member state of the MACHC and the SEPRHC, had the opportunity through the General Maritime Directorate (DIMAR), where it sent representative Mr. Jansy José Parodi Jaramillo, a Systems Engineer by profession and Administrator of the Hydrographic Database of the SHN. This internship/course was carried out at the IHM facilities, in the city of Cádiz (Spain), between March 24 and April 4, 2025.
The first week was dedicated to the exchange of knowledge between the experts Mr. Eduardo Pol Bernal, Antonia Navarro Pérez, Pablo Sánchez Gámez and the TN Luis Carlos Figueirido Filgueira, Bathymetric Database and Quality Control Section of the IHM, and Mr. Jansy Parodi Jaramillo (DIMAR). During this phase, topics were addressed that were later put into practice, such as:
The structure and the different hydrographic databases managed by each country.
The structure and the different hydrographic databases managed by each country.
Bathymetric coverage generated through different technologies (single beam and multibeam).
The steps for an adequate generation of bathymetric surfaces, which serve as input for nautical cartography, using better combination rules.
The syntax and nomenclature used in the names of surfaces, projects, documents and other files that make up a bathymetric survey.
The export of products for various entities, both internal and external.
The structuring of the attributes and values that make up metadata, related to the surface to be loaded into the hydrographic database.
The implementation of scripts generated in Python language, aimed at automating processes.
Proposals for the adoption of the S-100 standard were discussed, as well as possible modifications to the Hydrographic Database, aimed at its adequacy and compatibility with said standard.
The use of different tools to optimize procedures, such as Process Designer, Python, Caris Batch.
During the second week, the training course on CARIS BASE Editor 6.1 and BATHY DATA BASE (BDB) Server 5.4 was carried out, taught by the company Teledyne CARIS, through its instructor, Ms. Luisana Osorio Vilma.
During this training, there was the opportunity to learn and apply the improvements incorporated in the new version of the software, among which the following stand out:
Import and export of objects.
Import and export of objects.
Generation of TIN models.
Combination of surfaces.
Generation of drillings and contours.
Improvements in the Process Designer.
Generation and export of S102 products.
These functionalities correspond to the BASE Editor environment.
On the other hand, regarding BDB, topics such as:
Creation of new databases.
Creation and management of users.
Use of Catalog Editor tools, Administration Tool, Server Setup Utility.
Process execution through CARIS Batch, among others.
Gratitude:
I feel very grateful to the IHM and IC-ENC for the opportunity provided to train me through this internship and the Base Editor course. In this experience I not only acquired fundamental technical knowledge, but also grew personally and professionally in an environment with people with extensive experience in hydrographic databases. Thanks to these guides and their support, I was able to understand more thoroughly the operation, structure and management of these databases and their importance for maritime safety and scientific research.
I thank you in advance for the patience, camaraderie and trust placed in me, where this training has been a key step in my development, and I take with me to my country not only practical tools, but also a deep respect for the work carried out by the IHM.
Thanks to the CN Salvador Espinosa González-Llanos, the CC Luis Gómez Saavedra, the CF Rebeca Copé de los Mozos and the entire IHM for opening the doors to me and allowing me to be part, even for a short time, of this great work that plays such an essential role in the maritime field.