An Evaluation of CARIS Bathy DataBASE as a Bathymetric Data Management Solution for CHS Quebec

A bathymetric data management solution has been identified by the Quebec region of the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) as the missing element in the transition from a file-based to a database-driven operational workflow. Responding to this need, a pilot project was initiated by the CHS Quebec Region and the Interdisciplinary Center for the Development of Ocean Mapping (CIDCO) to evaluate the solution provided by CARIS Bathy DataBASE. The pilot project’s aims were to determine if Bathy DataBASE could provide efficient loading, management, extraction and distribution operations of CHS Quebec Region bathymetric data. The criteria used for the evaluation were performance, data integrity and robustness. This paper provides a description of the evaluation and identifies the considerations of integrating Bathy DataBASE into the CHS Quebec Region operational workflow. A better understanding of Bathy DataBASE’s current capabilities and limits provides for a smoother system integration and better overall utilization.