The Department of Physical and Technological Oceanography of ICM has delivered to the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia, ICGC) six boxes with airborne photographic documentation (negatives, photo prints, slides, printer sheets) of the Catalan coast obtained during projects lead by Dr. Antoni Ballester in the late 1970’s. The Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia will offer conservation, cataloging and public access to this information.
The Department of Physical and Technological Oceanography of ICM has delivered to the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia, ICGC) six boxes with airborne photographic documentation (negatives, photo prints, slides, printer sheets) of the Catalan coast obtained during projects lead by Dr. Antoni Ballester in the late 1970’s. The Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia will offer conservation, cataloging and public access to this information.
Besides marine phenomena, this set of aerial photographs provides very valuable information on the Catalan coastline almost forty years ago.
Dr. Ballester, who at that time was the head of the Oceanography Research Unit at the Instituto de Investigaciones Pesqueras (Fisheries Research Institute, now ICM), is well known for his pioneering work in underway continuous seawater analysis from a boat and to have established the first Spanish base in Antarctica. He was also a promoter of ocean remote sensing, and in 1977 participated in the foundation of EARSeL (European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories). In 1986 he created the CSIC Working Group on Remote Sensing that shortly after became the Spanish Remote Sensing Association (Asociación Española de Teledetección).
In co-operation with other institutions such as the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, INTA) and later the Cartographic Institute of Catalonia (Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya, ICC) precursor of ICGC Ballester organized several aircraft flights carrying infrared and visible sensors along the Catalan coast, from Cape Creus to south of the Ebro Delta. These flights gathered information on the coastal strip that evidenced processes like river outflows and other inland water discharges, as well as wave patterns; for example in relation to the opening of the first Vandellós nuclear power plant.