The background
In the ten years of its existence the
International Ship Operators Meeting (ISOM) has had discussions
on technical problems and subsequently lost equipment. This led
to the idea that international exchange of knowledge and experiences
between marine technicians might help in improving equipment performance
during scientific cruises on board research vessels. The first
step of this exchange was the Workshop on Cable Technology held
in Brighton (UK) in 1994. This workshop was organised by the
UK partners of ISOM and financed by the EC. The fact that marine
technicians were able to discuss a particular subject during a
workshop also helped to start a marine technicians network. If
this network was to be maintained it was suggested that the marine
technicians should meet each other on a regular basis.
In international research programmes
scientists are working together more and more to study the global
environment and mankind's influences on it (i.e. JGOFS, WOCE,
GLOBEC). Measurement procedures are discussed and agreed upon.
The marine technicians for each country separately however, are
facing problems to improve the research performance with many
types of instruments. Every country seems to solve its own problems
differently. If the knowledge of marine technicians could be combined,
how many more problems might they solve together? Also should
it not be possible to define more common problems, like the Cable
Technology Workshop did, to encourage manufacturers to come up
with a better product?
The exchange of knowledge can only be
done by marine technician to marine technician. It was therefore
proposed that a three-day international meeting should take place
in Southampton (UK) in October 1996. Specialists on certain subjects
were invited to give a presentation to an audience working on
the same subject. To enhance the best exchange of ideas simultaneous
interpretation was provided. It was proposed that this international
gathering should be biannual in future, held in USA and Europe
in turn. The main topics for 1996 in Southampton were:
1. Mooring Operations
2. Calibrations and Standards
3. Fishing Technology
§
The Programme
General
The 3-day Workshop was attended by approximately
60 marine technicians from 8 different countries. The working
concept was that a leading scientist began by giving a scientific
overview of the subject involved. This was followed with a lecture
by a senior marine technician to make clear the role of marine
technicians and then an open question and answer forum involving
the marine technicians on various topics related to the main subject.
The third day was used for lectures and discussion on fishing
technology but also included a presentation about the Internet
for Marine Technicians and finally, a conducted tour of parts
of the new Southampton Oceanography Centre.
Day 1 - Mooring Operations
At present, time-series are essential
to study the marine environment. More and more instruments are
placed in the sea for a long period of time. The first lecture
of this workshop was given by Dr. Harry Bryden and offered a presentation
on the role of moored equipment both now and in the future, from
the scientific point of view. This set the framework for the technological
implications presented by a leading marine technician. A representative
from a related industry spoke of satellites and the ARGOS service.
Full discussion was entered into from the floor.
Day 2
Calibration & Standards
Any instrument related to marine science
that measures a parameter or property must be properly calibrated
and regularly checked or the data it produces are of limited use.
The trend has been to higher resolution, data exchange and hence
more and more severe demands on standards and calibration. The
topic discussed this year dealt mainly with measurements in and
sampling of the water column. The first lecture of the second
day was given by Dr. Kees Kramer, who chose to entitle his presentation
"Analysis starts with sampling". This was followed
by an overview of the importance of calibration and international
standards to the data presented to national databases and archives.
A senior technician and an equipment manufacturer described advances
in the measurement of water column parameters and a provider of
commercial calibration services spoke of the importance of regular
calibration and the consequences of neglecting it. The day finished
with practical demonstrations and enlightening information from
a major company engaged in the supply and use of precise temperature
standards. Very full discussion took place throughout the day,
involving all delegates and speakers.
Day 3
Fishing Technology
Fishing Technology was fairly broad
in that it covered the technology for a variety of biological
sampling systems. The subjects of the lectures included Plankton
sampling, using a new type of 'Multinet' and a full description
of a newly developed benthic dredge. It had been hoped that a
representative from the British Antarctic Survey would be able
to attend to speak of the particular techniques, problems and
solutions that are necessary in the near polar regions but this
was not possible due to conflicting commitments. However, two
video presentations on the work of the Marine Laboratories in
Aberdeen created much interest and discussion.
The Internet
The afternoon began with a lecture by
Dr. Katherine Bouton and a demonstration about electronic-mail,
Internet and World Wide Web sites and their use for marine technicians.
In particular, the OCEANIC Database was described in some detail
and examples given of the value of these new and exciting techniques
to the marine technician.
Visit to SOC
Finally, after a summing up session,
delegates and speakers were offered the opportunity to tour the
Southampton Oceanography Centre, accompanied by staff of the NERC
Research Vessel Services. Many old working acquaintances were
renewed during this time.
Attendees
Speakers
A number of guest speakers were invited
to give presentations over the three days of the Workshop. They
included both leading scientists and expert technical people in
the relevant fields of interest. They were chosen on the basis
of the sphere of knowledge and acquaintance of the organisers.
Once the confirmation of funding had been received, a number of
appropriate industry contacts were also approached to give them
the opportunity to present an unbiased and "non-marketing"
view of the state of the art in equipment and services. The response
was highly gratifying and effective. Only one scientist, who had
earlier signified his interest, was unable to respond in the short
time scale that the late notification of funding brought about
and another, with experience of Antarctic fishing research, had
contracted another conflicting engagement. The industry representation
was most welcome and could, with advantage, be expanded upon
in future workshops. All took a full and active part in the whole
proceedings over the three days of the Workshop.
Delegates
The intention throughout was to ensure
that the participation would be truly multi-national and in order
to pursue this objective as effectively as possible, it was decided
to use the existing network of the members of the International
Ship Operators Meeting (ISOM) to convey the information about
the Workshop to the appropriate contacts in their respective countries.
Organisation
The Venue
From an early stage in the planning
for the Workshop, it had become clear that the most effective
method of mounting the event would be if the services of a hotel
in the Southampton city area were engaged. Delegates would need
to be accommodated over night, at a location convenient to where
the meetings would be taking place, close to major public transport
facilities and within easy reach of the centre of the city. Most
of the larger hotels were able to offer conference or meeting
functions in addition to their normal room and catering facilities.
The alternative idea of using lecture theatres within the nearby
University of Southampton was explored but as the timing of the
Workshop clashed with the beginning of academic teaching commitments
and the influx of new students, this was rendered impossible.
Accordingly, a number of hotels within
the area were contacted and visited and eventually, the choice
was made to employ the Novotel. The management were able to meet
all the demands for conference facilities and were able to confirm
the availability of sufficient accommodation for the expected
number of delegates. By comparison with the others contacted,
their quoted prices were very competitive. The decision to use
a hotel was undoubtedly correct and would be recommended again
for a similar event.
Timing/Dates
The chairman and secretary of the ISOM
group had declared their wish that the Workshop be held immediately
prior to the ISOM meeting, so that members of the latter could
choose to attend both events if they wished but also so that I,
as organiser and chairman for the Workshop, could report to the
group on the success of the technical sessions. Thus, a decision
about the dates had to be made much earlier in the year so that
participants in both events could be given the maximum amount
of notice to set aside the time. The initial wish was to hold
both meetings earlier in the month of September but when the availability
of hotel rooms was checked, it was found that the whole of September
was going to be so busy with other major events and attractions
in Southampton that the very first chance of success would be
the week beginning Sunday 29th September. Accordingly, with little
choice left open, that was agreed.
Interpretation
From earlier enquiries, it was clear
that up to about 70 participants from a number of countries might
be expected to join the Workshop and so seating and space for
that number was a starting point. However, one of the basic promises
and requirements was the provision of simultaneous interpretation
between a range of languages. Fortunately, a company was found
and ultimately engaged, who were able to take on the provision
of not only an expert team of interpreters but also the necessary
public address, speakers' microphones, personal headphone sets,
infra-red transmitters, etc. They also had the equipment and skill
to make a continuous audio recording of all proceedings at very
little extra cost and this has proved invaluable in the post meeting
composition of a full written record of the Workshop. A decision
on the range of languages was made on the basis of the replies
received from the initial invitations and in the event, French,
Spanish and Japanese covered all the essential needs of the delegates.
In discussions during and since the Workshop, the facility of
simultaneous interpretation was much appreciated and was clearly
an attractive and wise decision. In its absence, there could have
been a diminished number of participants, from a smaller number
of countries and this would have been contrary to the fundamental
aims of establishing an international technicians' network.
Audio/Visual aids
The provision of public address equipment
was an essential, given the number of people who attended and
the size of the conference room in which all sessions were held.
As stated above, the company who were engaged for the interpretation,
provided all the necessary microphones, loudspeakers, headphone
sets, etc., for the smooth running of the interactive sessions.
In response to the wishes and needs
of the speakers, a number of audio/visual presentational aids
were necessary. These included overhead projector, photographic
slide projector, multi-standard video playback and colour projector,
flip chart and consumable and lapel microphone. For the presentation
about the Internet and the World Wide Web, on the last of the
three days, a personal computer with LCD projection panel was
hired in addition.
Sound recording
The whole proceedings were recorded,
to allow for reference to individual presentations and discussions
at the stage of composing the final working report. This was achieved
through the same company that provided the interpretation services
and at very little additional cost. In hindsight, it is possible
that the resultant need to use a microphone throughout may have
deterred some people from making the kind of free responses they
would otherwise but I think that if this was the case it was only
confined to a few and did not seriously affect the overall success.
Conclusions
An appraisal questionnaire form was
handed to each participant during the Workshop, with the request
that he/she would complete the form and either post it, or hand
it, back. I deliberately omitted asking for the name of the respondent
to make it anonymous and encourage as much frank and open comment
as possible. The returns are not complete yet but a brief summary
of some of the comments received so far is interesting and will
be useful when planning for the next occasion of the Workshop.
Generally, there was a good degree of satisfaction amongst those
who attended. Many had not formed a totally clear impression of
what they would gain from coming but all, without exception so
far, confirm they benefited from attending and the majority would
be keen to attend again.
The overriding reaction is that there
is a great demand for the type of gathering of technical people
that this Workshop achieved and to some degree, the extent and
variability of the constructive advice about the content of future
meetings, is seen as a reflection of the unsatisfied needs that
we have now begun to address. Thus, this was just a beginning
and the momentum now established must not be allowed to wane.
The technicians see themselves as either individuals or small
groups, in either case, relatively isolated compared to some of
their scientific colleagues. The need to meet with each other
and so form a set of international contact points has begun to
be satisfied. Future Workshops should build upon this initiative.
The programme for future events in the series will include more
time for this interaction in smaller and more specialised groups.
Attached is a list of the names of attendees
and their affiliations. This is also included in the final printed
report, in an expanded format. Several have told me that the contact
and network processes begun in Southampton have continued and
increased in the intervening months.
INMARTECH '98
It has been an intention from the outset
that, if successful, the Workshop should be repeated at approximately
two yearly intervals, hosted by a European country and USA alternately.
It is pleasing to report that the prospects for an International
Workshop to be held in USA during 1998 are looking favourable
and soon after the completion of the 1996 event, I was asked by
the UNOLS office to work with a small team to put together a plan
to go forward for approval. I was very gratified at this show
of confidence and we have since begun detailed correspondence
and discussion.
Guest Speakers
Mr D Ayres - Isothermal Technology Ltd. - UK
Dr M Bergman - NIOZ - NL
Mrs K Bouton - College of Marine Studies, Un. of Delaware - USA
Dr G J Brummer - NIOZ - NL
Dr H Bryden - James Rennell Division for Ocean Circ, SOC - UK
Mr J Dunn - Marine Labs, Aberdeen - UK
Dr C J Kramer - Mermayde, Bergen - NL
Mr N Larson - Sea-Bird Electronic Inc, Washington - USA
Dr R Lowry - BODC Bidston - UK
Mr S Ober - NIOZ - NL
Mr P Ridout - Ocean Scientific International Ltd. - UK
Mr R Winterburn - Marine Environmental Systems - UK
Mr S Worrilow - Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution - USA
Residential Delegates
Mr Atsuo Ito - Nippon Marine Enterprises - Japan
Mr Masaki Hanyu - Nippon Marine Enterprises - Japan
DrTakeaki Miyazaki - Nippon Marine Enterprises - Japan
Mr A Hartling - Bedford Institute of Oceanography - Canada
Mr J Schilling - NIOZ - Netherlands
Mr E Bos - NIOZ - Netherlands
Mr W Polman - NIOZ - Netherlands
Mr R Groenewegen - NIOZ - Netherlands
Mr J Derksen - NIOZ - Netherlands
Mr K Bakker - NIOZ - Netherlands
Mr M Hiehle - NIOZ - Netherlands
Mr M Manriquez - Institute de Ciencias del Mar (CSIC) - Spain
Mr J Sorribas - Institute de Ciencias del Mar (CSIC) - Spain
Mr C Garcia - Institute de Ciencias del Mar (CSIC) - Spain
Mr B Horton - MAFF, Lowestoft - UK
Mr B Fogg - MAFF, Lowestoft - UK
Mr B Riches - MAFF, Lowestoft - UK
Mr J Read - MAFF, Lowestoft - UK
Mr A Pike - Dept. Geology/Geophysics, Un.Edinburgh - UK
Mr J Smith - Dept. Geology/Geophysics, Un.Edinburgh - UK
Mr S Bradley - Dept of Zoology, University of Aberdeen - UK
Mr S Addison - Dept of Zoology, University of Aberdeen - UK
Mr A Pollentier - Ministry of Environment, MUMM, Ostend - Belgium
Mr J P De Blauwe - Ministry of Environment, MUMM, Ostend - Belgium
Mr J Backers - Ministry of Environment, MUMM, Ostend - Belgium
Mr H Polet - Ministry of Environment, MUMM, Ostend - Belgium
Mr J Cisneros - University of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria - Spain
Mr C Christodolou - Institute of Marine Biology, Un. of Crete - Greece
Ms E Dieter - National Science Foundation (NSF) - USA
Mr J Ashley - Proudman Oceanographic Laboratories - UK
Mr G Hargreaves - Proudman Oceanographic Laboratories - UK
Mr K Riddell - Oceano Instruments - UK
Mr D Heiden - Cousin Frères - UK
Mr K G Robertson - Scientific Superintendent, RVS - UK
(Organiser of the Workshop and Chairman
of all working meetings)
Day delegates
Mr B Boorman - George Deacon Division, SOC - UK
Mr I Waddington - George Deacon Division, SOC - UK
Mr S Bremner - British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge - UK
Mr G M Batten - Head of SEG, RVS - UK
Mr E B Cooper - Head of ISG, RVS - UK
Mr G W Miller - Head of SIG, RVS - UK
Mr R Phipps - SEG, RVS - UK
Mr R Lloyd - ISG, RVS - UK
Mr J Wynar - SIG, RVS - UK
Mr A Jones - SIG, RVS - UK
Mr D Jolly - SIG, RVS - UK
Mr P Howard - SIG, RVS - UK
Mr D Teare - SIG, RVS - UK
Mr P Mason - SEG, RVS - UK
Mr A Shearing - SEG, RVS - UK