idrografico

Idrografico refers to hydrography and its products, the scientific and practical discipline that measures and describes bodies of water and their surrounding land. It encompasses the collection, analysis, and presentation of data about water depth, seabed topography, currents, tides, salinity, and other hydrological features, with the aim of creating accurate maps and datasets for navigation, planning, and management.

Hydrographic surveys produce outputs such as nautical charts, bathymetric maps, and hydrographic databases. Core measurements include depth to the seafloor, seabed morphology, shoreline delineation, tidal records, and current vectors. Modern idrografico relies on a combination of sonar or acoustic depth sounding, multibeam and sidescan sonars, airborne bathymetry, satellite altimetry, and in situ sensors.

Applications include safe navigation and port operations, dredging and harbor design, coastal protection, flood risk assessment, water resource management, and environmental monitoring. Hydrographic data also support marine spatial planning, search and rescue, and climate research.

The field is guided by international and national organizations, notably the International Hydrographic Organization, which standardizes survey methods, data formats, and charting conventions, and by national hydrographic offices that publish official nautical charts and maintain hydrographic databases. See also hydrography, nautical chart, bathymetry.