BAE Systems Australia has secured a three-year, $10 million contract to support the Australian Hydrographic Office (AHO) ICT systems so that it can produce and maintain nautical charts, publications and hydrographic data to support mariners and the ADF in Australian waters.
BAE Systems supports and enhances the AHO’s Hydrography, Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) Information Environment (HMIE); which is an integrated system of both Commercial Off-The-Shelf and bespoke software that includes large databases, and specialist hydrographic software. BAE Systems supports and enhances the HMIE System – including the provision of ‘help desk’ services, maintenance services, data manipulation, plus software and hardware engineering changes.
In 2004, BAE Systems delivered the initial Digital Hydrographic Database (DHDB) used by the AHO to analyse and update hydrographic data.
The HMIE support team includes 10 specialist employees – some are embedded with the AHO in Wollongong, NSW and others are based at Edinburgh Parks, SA.
“Our support of the Australian Hydrographic Office since 1997 is a great achievement for this highly skilled team," BAE Systems Australia Managing Director Defence Delivery Andrew Gresham said. “Data gathered by the hydrographic fleet which the company also support, is increasing exponentially and our team has worked hard to develop new ways to speed up the interpretation of the material so that the maps and charts have greater currency.
“The use of new technologies and software has also significantly improved the accuracy of the data which is incredibly important for all mariners.”
The AHO is part of the Department of Defence. It is responsible for providing Australia’s national hydrographic service under the terms of the Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) Convention and the Navigation Act 2012.