The Bathymetric team is a dynamic and fun team who play a pivotal role in the UKHO. We work with numerous different organisations including survey contractors, overseas Governments, Maritime Coastguard Authority, the Royal Navy and many others. Our role is to support the provision of quality data that is used by the worlds commercial shipping companies and the Royal Navy.
Our team includes specialists with different levels of experience, including team members who have “grown” as specialists whilst at the UKHO. We place a high value on developing our people and invest accordingly.
The remit of the team is evolving, and we are building our capability to support current and emerging requirements for hydrographic and bathymetric expertise at the UK Hydrographic Office.
Job description
The purpose of the Senior Geospatial Information Specialist role in the Bathymetric Team is to interpret and assess incoming data for impact on UKHO products and services. Post holders verify what action needs to be taken to maintain the safety and quality of UKHO products and services in light of incoming data and provide task instructions and specifications to the production area to carry out required actions.
Responsibilities in the Bathymetry Team:
- Geospatial data capture and modelling
-Verify and peer review incoming acoustic, and remotely collected bathymetric datasets including seabed texture datasets. -Undertake analysis, peer review and when necessary, complete routine resurvey analysis reports. - Geospatial data manipulation
-Process and validate surveys using CARIS HIPs and SIPs, CARIS BASE Editor and Qimera to improve data quality whilst adhering to good data management principles to ensure processed data meets specification. - Geospatial data management
-Ensure archiving of datasets and associated metadata are completed accurately and that they are fit for purpose.
-Fulfil Data Steward responsibilities for Bathymetry. - Geospatial data standards and quality
-Prepare text and graphics for reports and be involved in discussions with other UK government bodies and foreign governments in respect to bathymetry. - Geospatial software and systems
-Apply desktop and online GIS and data management tools (CARIS HIPs and SIPs, CARIS BASE Editor, CARIS BASE Manager, Qimera) for managing, analysing and displaying source geospatial data, interactively or in workflows.
-Post holders will be expected to maintain their expertise and currency in using and improving these tools and share that with less experienced staff. - Capability Building
-Coach/mentor less experienced staff and deliver on the job and CPD training.
-Provide technical advice, operating procedures, and training for internal and external use.
-Represent the UKHO at relevant external forums including SME input at appropriate IHO working groups. - Geospatial Strategy and Architecture
-Actively drive or own process improvements and error reduction.
-Actively contribute to the technical and process developments required for the Group to meet future needs and challenges.
-Adapt to changes in IHO Standards and identify datasets/processes/outputs that will be affected.
-Lead on the development of future initiatives within the bathymetric team as required including, for example, supporting use of autonomous platforms to support lower carbon data collect through data processing and analysis. (Depending on requirement to support/lead new initiatives. -Support the Lead Hydrographic Science Specialist in the testing of new software, systems and data sources and processes. E.g. CSB (Crowd Sourced Bathymetry), machine learning, improve efficiency of Lidar processing and variable resolution.
Person Specification
Please note that we will only score against the sift and interview criteria and not the essential and desirable information below.
To be successful in the role, you will need to have the technical capability and knowledge to undertake the more complex activity within the team and effectively verify decisions made by more junior staff – provide feedback and guidance in an inclusive and nurturing way to enable others to build their own capability.
Senior Geospatial Specialists will need to foster close working relationships with a range of stakeholders in order to develop and maintain SME knowledge, and then from that knowledge, effectively communicate relevant technical updates to the team.
As the SMEs in a team, Senior Geospatial Specialists will be actively involved in process improvement and wider changes driven by internal Business direction and external developments, so will need to have a positive approach to change and the drive to develop themselves to meet and embrace such changes.
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Expert understanding of all types of bathymetric (or equivalent) data processing.
- Awareness of Data Governance.
- Ability to manipulate large data sets & methodical approach to handling large data files.
