Tradition and technology come together in the course 'The evolution of navigation: from Magellan-Elcano's cartography to satellite systems' to seal the Atlantic links
The Spain-Chile Foundation has held this Friday the second and last day of the seminar 'The evolution of navigation: from Magellan-Elcano's cartography to satellite systems' in collaboration with the Menéndez Pelayo International University (IUMP) of Santander. The Palacio de la Magdalena has hosted a summer course, developed both in person and virtually, characterised by bringing together leading experts in cartographic matters and deepening the subject.
The second day was attended, among others, by Luis Cuervo Spottorno, head of relations with Latin America in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space; Fernando Davara, Brigadier General and President of the España Digital Foundation; Víctor Zanelli, Rear Admiral and Director of the Chilean Maritime Heritage Corporation; Marino Palacios, head of Indra's Earth Observation Applications Programmes Unit; Joaquín de los Santos, director of Navantia's Technological Management; and José Luis Marcello y Barriada and Jose Maria Sanz-Hermida, PhDs in Geopolitics and Cartography and History from the University of Salamanca.
The Executive Director of the Chile-Spain Foundation, María Ángeles Osorio, presented the first conference, which focused on the uses and applications of the maritime navigation systems corresponding to the European Space Programme: Galileo and Copernicus. Luis Cuervo, who is responsible for relations with Latin America in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, explained in detail the composition and functioning of both. Brussels has promoted the creation of several satellite systems with the aim of maximising their socio-economic impact, increasing competitiveness and innovation, providing quality employment and promoting economic growth and, finally, ensuring autonomous and independent access to space.
"The Galileo programme is more precise than GPS," Cuervo said. It is a European satellite navigation and positioning system, independent of the Russian and American systems, launched by the European Union in November 2016. It currently has a total of 22 operational satellites. Galileo offers a free and open public service for navigation, although it is regulated and encrypted for institutional use. In addition, the system has a search and rescue button for rescuing people in distress. "Finding the position of a shipwreck in the middle of the sea has been considerably reduced," said Cuervo. The fields of application are numerous, ranging from maritime navigation to aviation and even driving on land.
The case of Copernicus is similar, although in this system you must be registered to use it. There are also millions of maps available "and you can order them à la carte", according to Cuervo. Copernicus has a maritime safety service capable of optimising routes and planning trips. Earlier, the head of relations with Latin America at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space stressed that we live "in a different world from a technological and industrial point of view". Market trends are leaning towards the internet of things, 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, etc. However, all these disciplines coincide in a fundamental aspect in their development, as they work on satellite technologies. For Cuervo, this is the reason behind the launch of these projects within the European Union. It is not only the future, it is also the present.
The Brigadier General and President of the España Digital Foundation, Fernando Davara, has shown his intention "to bring technology closer to society" after an eminent career and has highlighted the value of its correct development and understanding. For the engineer, we are going through a new cartographic era characterised by the development of real-time, personalised and multi-format location systems, as well as digital cartography on the web or in interactive format. Digital mapping tools include geographic information systems, global positioning systems, social media, web services, satellite systems and communications systems.
There are new concepts within spatial information, since it is information that describes real-world objects in terms of position and geometry with respect to a coordinate system, its attributes or relationships with other objects. For Davara, mapping no longer relies on the human factor. "We need not only technologists, but also scientists and artists," he remarked, because for him "technology is useless without human beings".
"Although the degree of automation is increasing, the inexcusable human presence in decision-making makes it essential to have advanced simulation and training environments", said Navantia's Director of Technological Management, Joaquín de los Santos, to Davara's satisfaction. Among his conclusions, after presenting his company's work, he emphasised that "in cartographic matters, the digitalisation of charts and compliance with more demanding standards, as well as the quality of the data provided by the different sensors and systems, have shown in recent years a permanent evolution towards integrated systems that facilitate the operation of the ship in complex environments". In addition, the emergence of unmanned vehicles on the market means the development of new applications to ensure safe navigation conditions", a complex factor due to the lack of international regulation.
To close the course, the rector of the University of Salamanca, Ricardo Rivero Ortega, introduced doctors José Luis Marcello y Barriada and Jose Maria Sanz-Hermida. Both have presented a joint work, a work entitled 'Chile and the Strait of Magellan' and published on the V centenary of the first circumnavigation of the Earth. In it, he explains with the support of the cartographic funds collected by the General Library of the University of Salamanca. The finishing touch to a conference that has once again connected the links on both sides of the Atlantic.