Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon
The University of Otago is launching a new brand. Find out more
Skip to main content Skip to side navigation

EmilyTidey_2019website_418x270BSurv (Otago), MSc Hydrography (Plymouth) FIG/IHO/ICA Category A

Email emily.tidey@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 7587
Room Surveying building, 1st floor, room 112

Profile

At Te Kura Kairūri I manage Hydrographic Surveying – teaching students and working with researchers from Surveying, Marine Science and Geology. I am a past student of the School of Surveying, and joined the staff in 2013.

I have been part of several research cruises on the university vessels. I teach practical hydrography skills around Dunedin Harbour and along the Otago Coast on the university research vessels Polaris II and Tūhura.

Prior to coming to Otago I completed my MSc (Hydrography) on the FIG/IHO/ICA recognised Category A course in Plymouth, UK. My background also includes several years working worldwide on a variety of hydrographic projects including charting, habitat mapping, oil and gas, renewables and offshore construction.

I thoroughly enjoy being at sea and like to learn, share and apply all aspects of nautical knowledge to my teaching.

Teaching

Research interests

  • Underwater acoustics, sound velocity measurement and application
  • Use of multibeam sonar in shallow coastal waters and deep offshore canyons
  • Using hydrographic data for more than one purpose - charting, geophysical analysis, habitat mapping, sea-level analysis
  • Hydrographic surveying in rivers and lakes
  • Hydrographic surveying education and development in NZ / Australasia

Research themes

Emily is also a member of the Coastal People: Southern Skies collaboration that connects communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to rebuild coastal ecosystems.
Coastal People: Southern Skies

Projects

Current projects

  • PhD: Hydrographic measurements as spatial predictors of marine habitats and processes
  • Marine habitat mapping using hydrographic data; best practice in the field and office, positioning requirements.

Completed projects

  • Low-cost RTK GNSS for hydrography. Publication in 2023: Marine Geodesy.
  • Tuia-250 investigations: Commemorating 250 years since the first encounters between Māori and Captain Cook's European crew in 1769. Publications in 2019: New Zealand Surveyor.
  • Auckland Islands seafloor mapping investigations, bathymetry and glacial geomorphology. Publications in 2018-2019: Quaternary Research, Geosciences and Antarctic Science.
  • Art+Ocean exhibitions. Publications in 2018: Exhibition Catalogue and Junctures.
  • Hydrographic mapping of Tasman Glacier terminal lake. Publication in 2016: Global & Planetary Change.
  • MSc thesis: Optimal use of Underway SV Measurements in a Multibeam Survey on the Tamar Estuary, 2012
  • BSurv honours dissertation: Hydrographic Surveying in Marine Protected Areas, 2006

Current student projects

  • Emily Harrex: Empowering Women in Hydro, SURV470 project, 2023
  • Jono Chuhairy: Hydrographic calibrations, SURV470 project, 2023

Completed student projects

  • o Hannah Mello: The Effect of Marine Protection on New Zealand Bryozoa (PhD submitted 2021). Co-supervision with Abby Smith (Marine Science), Anna Wood (Ecology) and Dennis Gordon (NIWA, Wellington).
  • Maddy Glover: Current and historical extent of Macrocystis pyrifera forests in the South-eastern South Island (MSc submitted). Co-supervision with Chris Hepburn (Marine Science), Matt Desmond (Marine Science) and Anne-Marie Jackson (Physical Education, Sport & Exercise Sciences).
    Robbie Columbus: Low-cost, single frequency, relative positioning of GNSS tide buoys and their use within a densified tide monitoring network, SURV470 project, 2019
  • Kara Jurgens: A Comparison of Different Multibeam Frequencies and Sonar Settings; The Marine Maid Shipwreck, Stewart Island, SURV470 project, 2019
  • Jean Louis Morrison: Surveying and Marine Science: Using Bathymetric Data to Complement Marine Science Investigations in Port Pegasus, Stewart Island, SURV470 project, 2019
  • Rian Mayhead: Unmanned Surface Vehicles. Toys or Tools? SURV470 project, 2018
  • Matt Barber: Mapping Where Yellow-Eyed Penguins are Foraging, Using Modern Hydrographic Acoustic Techniques, SURV470 project, 2017
  • Sam McLoy: The Role of a Surveyor in Hydrographic Research, SURV470 project, 2016
  • Thomas Rutter: An Investigation into the Use of Remotely Operated Survey Vessels (ROSV) for a Multibeam, Nautical Charting Survey, SURV470 project, 2015
  • Ian Hauman: The Use of Oblique Angled Single Beam Echo Sounding for Detecting Bridge Scouring, SURV470 project, 2014

Responsibilities

University

School of Surveying

  • School of Surveying Research Seminar coordinator (2019 - present)
  • School of Surveying Undergraduate Committee (2013 – present)
  • School of Surveying Marketing Committee (2013 – present)

Professional Activities

Awards and achievements

  • 2022 University of Otago Staff Award: Health, Safety and Wellbeing Award (Team)
  • 2021 S+SNZ Hydrography Professional Award (Outstanding Service to the Industry)
    2017 Best Poster, New Zealand Coastal Society Conference
  • 2014 FIG Foundation Young Surveyor Fellow Award
  • 2011 Education Award, Australasian Hydrographic Society (AHS)

Other positions and professional responsibilities

  • Current member of S+SNZ Hydrography Professional Stream (HPS) leadership team
  • Current chair of the Australasian Hydrographic Society (AHS) Education Award
  • Current member of NZ Region (NZR) AHS Executive Team
  • 2017-2019: Member of Survey and Spatial NZ (S+SNZ) Council and Chair of S+SNZ HPS

Memberships

  • Member of Survey and Spatial New Zealand (S+SNZ), previously New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS), 2017 – present (Professional Associate 2007-2017)
    http://www.surveyspatialnz.org
  • Member of NZ Marine Geospatial Working Group (NZMG-WG), 2019 - present
  • Member of the Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS), 2019 - present
    https://www.awis.org.nz/

Publications

Back to top