Communication of research informationIt is certain already before the start of the expedition that all of Denmark will receive extensive coverage of Galathea 3, because some of the country’s largest media enterprises will be onboard the ship.
Det Berlingske Officin, Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, a daily morning paper, and Politiken, which has formed a cooperation with TV2 Vejret, the TV2 Weather Department, will be covering the expedition from the time it departs from Copenhagen in August 2006 until it arrives back in April 2007. In addition, the periodical Ingeniøren (‘The Engineer’) will participate in selected parts of the voyage.
It is nothing new that participants in expeditions supply testimonies of their experiences to the public of their home country. From the first Galathea expedition (1845-47), we have the log records of Captain Steen Bille, and the Galathea 2 expedition (1950-52) even had its own public relations and communication of research information service headed by journalist and author Hakon Mielche. The service produced letters reporting the travels of the expedition, sent home black and white photos, authored books and produced 16-millimetre films.
It was, to a high degree, thanks to this information service that a curious Danish population followed Galathea 2 closely. Approximately 20,000 people gathered on Langelinie to welcome the expedition when it arrived back in Copenhagen after the voyage.
However, back then communication of information was subject to severe constraints. Most of the material had to be sent home by postal service or courier.
Thanks to modern satellite technology, communication of information is no longer subject to the same limitations. Regardless of whether Galathea 3 is located in the middle of the North Atlantic or moored at a quay in the Solomon Islands, the media will be able to transmit their material back home to the "beach mariners" in Denmark. The transmissions will be live, or with very brief delay.
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