USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE SYSTEMATIC NAUTICAL CARTOGRAPHIC MAPPING OF THE PARAGUAY RIVER WATERWAY

Abstract

One of the main cargo corridors of the Brazilian West region is the Paraguay River. Currently, the Paraguay River Waterway moves more than seven million tons of cargo, being the second largest waterway for cargo movement in Brazil. However, for the uick and safe transport of goods it is essential to have a proper, systematic and complete mapping of the river bed. This work, in charge of the Brazilian Navy and dating back to the Nautical Cartographic Basic Plan of 1935, is performed with the construction of oficial nautical documents, aiming the navigation safety. These cartographic documents, called Official Nautical Charts, are the result from the mapping process, originated from the collection of bathymetric data on specific spots. This collection used always the most modern technologies available and recently, single beam echo-sounders and accurate positioners. Today new technologies are available, including the multi-beam echo-sounder, equipment with several advantages, allowing, among others, the full coverage of the riverbed. This article describes this paradigm shift for the collection of bathymetric data in Paraguay River basin, presenting the preliminary findings and conclusions from the use of this technology