History
During the 19th century, many maritime nations established hydrographic offices to provide means for improving the navigation of naval and merchant vessels by providing nautical publications, nautical charts, and other navigational services. There were substantial differences in hydrographic procedures charts, and publications. In 1889, an International Maritime Conference was held at Washington, D.C., and it was proposed to establish a "permanent international commission." Similar proposals were made at the sessions of the International Congress of Navigation held at Saint Petersburg in 1908 and the International Maritime Conference held at Saint Petersburg in 1912. [4]
In 1919, the national Hydrographers of Great Britain and France cooperated in taking the necessary steps to convene an international conference of Hydrographers. London was selected as the most suitable place for this conference, and on 24 July 1919, the First International Conference opened, attended by the Hydrographers of 24 nations. The object of the conference was "To consider the advisability of all maritime nations adopting similar methods in preparation, construction, and production of their charts and all hydrographic publications; of rendering the results in the most convenient form to enable them to be readily used; of instituting a prompt system of mutual exchange of hydrographic information between all countries; and of providing an opportunity to consultations and discussions to be carried out on hydrographic subjects generally by the hydrographic experts of the world." This is still the major purpose of the IHO. [5]
As a result of the 1919 Conference, a permanent organization was formed and statutes for its operations were prepared. The IHB, now the IHO, began its activities in 1921 with 18 nations as members. The Principality of Monaco was selected as the seat of the Organization as a result of the offer of Albert I of Monaco to provide suitable accommodation for the Bureau in the Principality. [5]
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) was established in June 1921 as the International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB), with Vice Admiral Sir John Parry, KCB of the United Kingdom serving as its first President. [6] [7] In 1970, under the leadership of Guy Chatel of France, the organization adopted its current name as part of a new International Convention on the IHO, which was agreed upon by its member nations. [7] The term "International Hydrographic Bureau" continued to describe the IHO's secretariat until 8 November 2016, when a major revision to the Convention took effect. Following this change, the secretariat was renamed the "IHO Secretariat," which consists of an elected Secretary-General, two supporting Directors, and a small permanent staff (18 in 2020) at the Organization’s headquarters in Monaco. [3]
Functions
Training
The IHO ensures the safety of maritime navigation by developing hydrographic survey capability and nautical charting standards. [10] To develop and standardize its member states' hydrographic survey capabilities, the IHO worked with the International Federation of Surveyors (Fédération Internationale des Géomètres) and the International Cartographic Association (ICA) to create the IHO's Standards of Competence. [5] These standards are used to educate and train member states' respective hydrographic offices and nautical chart makers. Additionally, the IHO also creates syllabi higher education institutions who teach hydrography and nautical navigation. The IHO also has an Advisory Board which is tasked with supervising and approving member states' education and training programs. [5]
Standardization
Since 1968, the IHO has regularly published updated editions of the Standards of Hydrographic Surveys, with the most recent being published in 2008. [5] [11] Each of these publications was designed to incorporate technological advancements and international shipping demands. This is especially true with regards to the rise of electronic navigation equipment in the 1980s. [5]
The IHO also works to standardize the specifications, style, and symbols used in producing nautical charts. [5] In 1971, the IHO was able to get its member states to use one single chart series, also known as INT charts. [5] According to this IHO agreement, if one member state wants to publish a chart for an area covered by another member's existing chart, the duplicate must be created using the same data as the original chart. IHO Publication M-4, which was published in 1984, set specific international standards for nautical charts. [5]
The advent of the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) made it clear to the IHO it also needed to standardize how electronic navigational data is transferred and displayed on ships. Electronic chart data was standardized and categorized in an international database referred to as Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs). The way this data is transferred from publishers to users was also standardized, as was the display and capabilities of the ECDIS. [5]
International Cooperation
The IHO has encouraged the formation of Regional Hydrographic Commissions (RHCs). Each RHC coordinates the national surveying and charting activities of countries within each region and acts as a forum to address other matters of common hydrographic interest. The 15 RHCs plus the IHO Hydrographic Commission on Antarctica effectively cover the world. The IHO, in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, directs the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans program. [5]
Achievements
Establishment of the Chart Specifications Committee and International Charts:
- The exploration of the seabed and movements of the sea
- Standardization of maritime measurements, hydrographic terminology, marine cartographic products, and geographical information systems for navigation
- High efficiency of the rapid dissemination of information on safety at sea
- Training of hydrographers and nautical cartographers
Publications
Most IHO publications, including the standards, guidelines and associated documents such as the International Hydrographic Review, International Hydrographic Bulletin, the Hydrographic Dictionary and the Year Book are available to the general public free of charge from the IHO website. [12] The IHO publishes the international standards related to charting and hydrography, including S-57, IHO Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data, the encoding standard that is used primarily for electronic navigational charts. [11]
In 2010, the IHO introduced a new, contemporary hydrographic geospatial standard for modelling marine data and information, known as S-100. S-100 and any dependent product specifications are underpinned by an on-line registry accessible via the IHO website. S-100 is aligned with the ISO 19100 series of geographic standards, thereby making it fully compatible with contemporary geospatial data standards. [13]
Because S-100 is based on ISO 19100, it can be used by other data providers for their maritime-related (non-hydrographic) data and information. Various data and information providers from both the government and private sector are now using S-100 as part of the implementation of the e-Navigation concept that has been endorsed by the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO). [13]
Another in the series of publications of interest is S-23, Limits of Oceans and Seas. The 3rd edition dates back to 1953 [14] while the potential 4th edition, started in 1986, has remained a draft since 2002. [15] It was distributed to IHO members, but its official publication has been suspended pending agreement between South Korea and Japan regarding the international standard name of the sea called "Japan Sea" in the 1953 edition. [16]
Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary purpose of safety of navigation and in support of all other marine activities, including economic development, security and defense, scientific research, and environmental protection.
Echo sounding or depth sounding is the use of sonar for ranging, normally to determine the depth of water (bathymetry). It involves transmitting acoustic waves into water and recording the time interval between emission and return of a pulse; the resulting time of flight, along with knowledge of the speed of sound in water, allows determining the distance between sonar and target. This information is then typically used for navigation purposes or in order to obtain depths for charting purposes.
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore wind farms, offshore oil exploration and drilling and related activities. Surveys may also be conducted to determine the route of subsea cables such as telecommunications cables, cables associated with wind farms, and HVDC power cables. Strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, seabed and submerged obstructions that relate to the previously mentioned activities. The term hydrography is used synonymously to describe maritime cartography, which in the final stages of the hydrographic process uses the raw data collected through hydrographic survey into information usable by the end user.
A nautical chart or hydrographic chart is a graphic representation of a sea region or water body and adjacent coasts or banks. Depending on the scale of the chart, it may show depths of water (bathymetry) and heights of land (topography), natural features of the seabed, details of the coastline, navigational hazards, locations of natural and human-made aids to navigation, information on tides and currents, local details of the Earth's magnetic field, and human-made structures such as harbours, buildings, and bridges. Nautical charts are essential tools for marine navigation; many countries require vessels, especially commercial ships, to carry them. Nautical charting may take the form of charts printed on paper or computerized electronic navigational charts. Recent technologies have made available paper charts which are printed "on demand" with cartographic data that has been downloaded to the commercial printing company as recently as the night before printing. With each daily download, critical data such as Local Notices to Mariners are added to the on-demand chart files so that these charts are up to date at the time of printing.
A hydrographic office is an organization which is devoted to acquiring and publishing hydrographic information.
The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) is part of the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and is Canada's authoritative hydrographic office. The CHS represents Canada in the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is the UK's agency for providing hydrographic and marine geospatial data to mariners and maritime organisations across the world. The UKHO is a trading fund of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and is located in Taunton, Somerset, with a workforce of approximately 900 staff.
Admiralty charts are nautical charts issued by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and subject to Crown Copyright. Over 3,500 Standard Nautical Charts (SNCs) and 14,000 Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are available with the Admiralty portfolio offering the widest official coverage of international shipping routes and ports, in varying detail.
An electronic navigational chart (ENC) is an official database created by a national hydrographic office for use with an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). ECDIS and ENCs are the primary means of electronic navigation on cargo ships. Charts can be used in navigation to provide an indication of location once a position is fixed and the charted depths can be used in under keel clearance calculations to ensure the ship is navigating in safe water.
Inland Electronic Navigational Charts (IENC) are electronic navigational charts for rivers, canals, lakes and other inland waters which are navigable. IENCs are displayed by an Inland Electronic Chart Display and Information System.
The Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service is a French public establishment of an administrative nature administered by the Ministry of Armed Forces. It is the successor to the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine, founded in 1720 which became the Naval Hydrographic Service in 1886 and the Naval and Oceanographic Service in 1971. Its present form was set up by decree number 2007-800 on 11 May 2007. Its board is presided over by the Chief of Staff of the French Navy and the body is directed by a director-general.
e-Navigation is a strategy developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN specialized agency, to bring about increased safety of navigation in commercial shipping through better organization of data on ships and on shore, and better data exchange and communication between ships and the ship and shore. The concept was launched when maritime authorities from seven nations requested the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee to add the development of an e-navigation strategy to the work programs of the IMO's NAV and COMSAR sub-committees. Working groups in three sub-committees and an intersessional correspondence group, led by Norway, has subsequently developed a Strategy Implementation Plan (SIP). Member states of IMO and a number of Intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations have contributed to the work, including the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), Comité International Radio-Maritime (CIRM), the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
The National Hydrographic Office is a military administrative and an engineering staff branch of the Pakistan Navy. The National Hydrographic Office is generally associated with conducting the hydrographic surveys, oceanography, maritime works, and cartography but it performs various oceanographic works in the country as part of its nation-building mission.
World Hydrography Day, 21 June, was adopted by the International Hydrographic Organization as an annual celebration to publicise the work of hydrographers and the importance of hydrography.
Teledyne CARIS, A business unit of Teledyne Digital Imaging, Inc. is a Canadian software company that develops and supports geomatics software for marine and land applications. The company is headquartered in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. CARIS also has offices in the Netherlands, the United States and Australia, and has re-sellers offering sales and support of software products to more than 75 countries.
The National Hydrographic Office, formerly the Indian Naval Hydrographic Department (INHD), headed by the Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India, is an Indian government agency responsible for hydrographic surveys and nautical charting in India. Its headquarters National Hydrographic Office is located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand beside the Principal Controller of Defense Accounts Office. Presently, the department is equipped with Seven indigenously built survey ships including a catamaran hull survey vessel (CHSV). The National Institute of Hydrography is the training institute to impart knowledge regarding hydrography and to train its personnel. Two more ships are currently being constructed and is expected to be commissioned into service by 2025-26.
The Russian Hydrographic Service, full current official name Department of Navigation and Oceanography of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, is Russia's hydrographic office, with responsibility to facilitate navigation, performing hydrographic surveys and publishing nautical charts.
INS Investigator (J15) is the fourth ship in the Sandhayak class, and operates as a hydrographic survey ship in the Indian Navy's Southern Naval Command. Investigator is equipped to prepare marine charts and electronic maps for the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). It can provide humanitarian aid and disaster-management support, and can be quickly converted into a hospital ship; the ship is equipped with an operating theater and associated equipment to deal with medical emergencies at sea.
Shepard M. Smith is a former rear admiral in the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps who last served as the director of the Office of Coast Survey. He concurrently served as a member of the Mississippi River Commission and as the chair of the International Hydrographic Organization’s Council. He retired from the NOAA Corps in April 2021.
The Hydrographic Institute of the Republic of Croatia is a government agency responsible for providing hydrographic and marine geospatial data for the Republic of Croatia. The institute is located in Split, and covers scientific research and development, services related to the safety of navigation, the hydrographic-geodetic survey of the Adriatic sea, marine geodesy, design and publication of nautical charts and books, oceanographic research, and submarine geology research. The Croatian Hydrographic Institute is responsible for the development of navigational safety service in the Adriatic, within the worldwide navigational safety system, and in cooperation with the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, port authorities, the Croatian Navy, lighthouse authorities, and hydrographic offices of all maritime countries, following internationally agreed standards.
