The Hydrography and Tidal Affairs Department announces:
National Cartographic Center Effective Presence in International Hydrographic Organization Working Group
By membership of the representative of NCC in the Hydrography working group of IHO (IHO_ HSWG), the Islamic Republic of Iran will have a more effective presence in IHO
According to the International Relations of NCC, while announcing the news, Dr. Ali Soltanpour, manager of Hydrography and Tidal Affairs of NCC explained: “preparation of necessary Hydrographic standards and offering necessary information to the users are of the main objectives of IHO."
He said: "IHO and its activities have a long history and the Islamic Republic of Iran is also a member of it. The role of Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), National Hydrographic Committee, and National Cartographic Center of Iran (NCC) and their participation in the IHO meetings and providing expert viewpoints on its standards and activities is undeniable, but it should be considered that most of the IHO activities and products are the result of its committees and working group activities in which Iran has not been active for different reasons in recent years.
This is while NCC, with more than three decades of experience in hydrography, nautical chart preparation, and sea-level monitoring and modeling can play a more effective role in the products and activities of IHO. Therefore, we hope that with the membership of the representative of NCC in the newly established Hydrographic Working Group (HSWG), we will be able to see a greater role of our country in the IHO.
Soltanpour then added: "during the fifth meeting of the IHO Hydrographic Standards and Services Committee (HSSC), the lack of an independent working group focused on the hydrographic activities was considered. During the eighth meeting of the same committee, a working team was formed to review the Hydrographic Standards Preparation (HSPT), which was tasked to review and draft the S-44 standard. The team was also tasked to submit a proposal on how to continue working under the HSSC structure. Finally, in the Twelfth HSSC Session, the need for a Hydrographic Working Group (HSWG) to focus on all aspects of Hydrographic operations and related publications was agreed upon.
Soltanpour then continued: "the Review of S-44 and C-13 standards, support of necessary training, help to improve the use of the mentioned standards, connecting with other groups and committees, especially the Data Quality Working Group (DQWG) to meet the needs of users in presenting and displaying information and the Capacity Building Working Group (CBSC) to support the provision of necessary training, are of the tasks of this working group.
Regarding the members of the working group, he said: "The Hydrographic Working Group (HSWG) consists of representatives of member countries, experts, observers from international non-governmental organizations, and a representative of the IHO Secretariat. At present, representatives of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada and Chile, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Italy, Britain, USA, South Korea, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran are members. Representatives of companies active in the field of hydrography from EML, EGS, EOMap, Fugro, iXblue, JOA, Kongsberg, and Teledyne are also present in this committee to provide the necessary professional assistance and consultation.
IHO is an international organization established in 1921 with the primary goal of supporting safe navigation and protecting the marine environment. In this regard, improvement of hydrographic activities, increasing awareness on the importance of hydrography, improving capacities, scientific and related techniques, improving coverage and access to hydrographic data, preparing and updating the necessary standards, coordination, and regional and global cooperation, technology development, and data collection and processing methods are some of the items that this organization has defined as its goals.
He said: "IHO and its activities have a long history and the Islamic Republic of Iran is also a member of it. The role of Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), National Hydrographic Committee, and National Cartographic Center of Iran (NCC) and their participation in the IHO meetings and providing expert viewpoints on its standards and activities is undeniable, but it should be considered that most of the IHO activities and products are the result of its committees and working group activities in which Iran has not been active for different reasons in recent years.
This is while NCC, with more than three decades of experience in hydrography, nautical chart preparation, and sea-level monitoring and modeling can play a more effective role in the products and activities of IHO. Therefore, we hope that with the membership of the representative of NCC in the newly established Hydrographic Working Group (HSWG), we will be able to see a greater role of our country in the IHO.
Soltanpour then added: "during the fifth meeting of the IHO Hydrographic Standards and Services Committee (HSSC), the lack of an independent working group focused on the hydrographic activities was considered. During the eighth meeting of the same committee, a working team was formed to review the Hydrographic Standards Preparation (HSPT), which was tasked to review and draft the S-44 standard. The team was also tasked to submit a proposal on how to continue working under the HSSC structure. Finally, in the Twelfth HSSC Session, the need for a Hydrographic Working Group (HSWG) to focus on all aspects of Hydrographic operations and related publications was agreed upon.
Soltanpour then continued: "the Review of S-44 and C-13 standards, support of necessary training, help to improve the use of the mentioned standards, connecting with other groups and committees, especially the Data Quality Working Group (DQWG) to meet the needs of users in presenting and displaying information and the Capacity Building Working Group (CBSC) to support the provision of necessary training, are of the tasks of this working group.
Regarding the members of the working group, he said: "The Hydrographic Working Group (HSWG) consists of representatives of member countries, experts, observers from international non-governmental organizations, and a representative of the IHO Secretariat. At present, representatives of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada and Chile, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Italy, Britain, USA, South Korea, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran are members. Representatives of companies active in the field of hydrography from EML, EGS, EOMap, Fugro, iXblue, JOA, Kongsberg, and Teledyne are also present in this committee to provide the necessary professional assistance and consultation.
IHO is an international organization established in 1921 with the primary goal of supporting safe navigation and protecting the marine environment. In this regard, improvement of hydrographic activities, increasing awareness on the importance of hydrography, improving capacities, scientific and related techniques, improving coverage and access to hydrographic data, preparing and updating the necessary standards, coordination, and regional and global cooperation, technology development, and data collection and processing methods are some of the items that this organization has defined as its goals.
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