IHO File No. S1/6000/2017
ASSEMBLY CIRCULAR LETTER No. 10 bis-2
07 December 2016
1st SESSION OF THE IHO ASSEMBLY
Monaco, 24-28 April 2017
______
ADDITIONAL PROPOSAL FOR CONSIDERATION BY
THE 1st SESSION OF THE IHO ASSEMBLY
References:
A. Conference Circular Letter No. 2 dated 22 April 2016 - Submission of proposals to the
Conference / Assembly
B. Assembly Circular Letter No. 10 dated 2 September 2016 – Proposals for consideration by
the 1st Session of the IHO Assembly
C. Assembly Circular Letter No. 8 dated 23 August 2016 - Revision of the timeline for the
preparation of the 1st Session of the IHO Assembly (A-1)
Dear Hydrographer,
1. Reference A invited Member States to submit proposals in accordance with the Rules of
Procedure applicable to International Hydrographic Conferences. Reference B circulated the proposals
received for comments and, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the IHO Assembly, invited
additional proposals until 15 December 2016. Reference B indicated that the additional proposals would
be circulated as soon as they were received.
2. A proposal prepared by the IHO Secretariat in liaison with the Chair of the Inter-Regional
Coordination Committee is attached at Annex A. Member States are invited to forward any comments
on this proposal to the Secretariat (by e-mail:
[email protected] or by fax: +377 93 10 81 40) no later than
30 January 2017, in accordance with the revised timeline at Reference C.
Yours sincerely,
Robert WARD
Secretary-General
Annex A: Proposal PRO-11 submitted for consideration by the 1st Session of the IHO Assembly.
PRO 11: PROPOSAL TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION ON IMPROVING THE
AVAILABILITY OF BATHYMETRIC DATA WORLDWIDE
Submitted by: IHO Secretariat (Secretary-General)
PROPOSAL: To adopt a Resolution on improving the availability of bathymetric data
worldwide
Improving the Availability of Bathymetric Data Worldwide
Noting that the depth of a significant percentage of the world’s seas, oceans and waterways has yet to
be measured directly;
Noting that bathymetric knowledge underpins the safe, sustainable, cost effective execution of almost
every human activity in, on or under the sea;
Recognizing the relevance of bathymetry in the maritime aspects of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030;
Noting that significant amounts of bathymetric data is collected by the scientific and commercial
sector for purposes other than chart improvement, but is not easily made discoverable or available for
secondary purposes;
Noting that in the absence of any data, bathymetric data that may not support precise navigation may
nevertheless still be useful for many potential users of the world’s seas, oceans and waterways;
1. Member States resolve that, in addition to fulfilling their international obligations to provide
hydrographic information in support of safety of navigation, they should also consider implementing
mechanisms that encourage the widest possible availability of all hydrographic and particularly
bathymetric data, so as to support the sustainable development, management and governance of the
marine environment. This may be achieved in several ways, including:
a. active participation in and contribution to the marine element of national Spatial Data
Infrastructures (MSDI);
b. continued support for the IHO-IOC GEBCO project and the IHO Data Centre for Digital
Bathymetry;
c. encouraging the scientific and the commercial sector to identify and wherever possible
make available for secondary use, data collected or being collected for a specific
scientific or commercial purpose;
c. supporting systems and infrastructures, such as MSDI and the IHO DCDB, that facilitate
data discovery, thereby avoiding unnecessary duplication in bathymetric data collection;
e. encouraging supplementary methods for collecting bathymetric data, including, but not
limited to:
(1) Crowd-Sourced Bathymetry,
(2) Satellite Derived Bathymetry,
(3) The use of autonomous vehicles for the collection of environmental data including
bathymetry.
EXPLANATORY NOTE:
Background
1. Proposal 6 of the XVIIIth International Hydrographic Conference, held in April 2012,
considered the global status of hydrographic surveying and tasked ... the IRCC and HSSC in
cooperation with the Directing Committee to progress whatever actions are required to improve the
collection, quality and availability of hydrographic data worldwide, monitor and rectify possible
deficiencies and shortcomings, cooperate with other international organizations and stakeholders as
necessary, and to keep Member States informed on progress on this issue. (see IHC18-Decision 17).
2. At the 5th Extraordinary International Hydrographic Conference, held in October 2014, several
discussions and considerations took place on ways to improve the current lack of bathymetric
knowledge of many parts of the world’s seas, oceans and waterways. Discussion at the Conference
led to the need to explore sources of bathymetric data outside traditional surveys – particularly in
support of providing a baseline global bathymetric model for the many non-navigational uses for
bathymetry that are now emerging. This resulted in the establishment of a Crowd-Sourced
Bathymetry Working Group (CSBWG) to provide guidance on how the IHO could encourage crowd-
sourcing. Other potential sources of bathymetry such as the use of satellite-derived bathymetry were
discussed. The role of Marine Spatial Data Infrastructures (MSDI) in improving access to
hydrographic data was also highlighted. Discussions on these topics have continued to take place in
most of the Regional Hydrographic Commissions.
Bathymetry Supporting the World’s Increased Focus on the Sea
3. The focus on the world’s seas, oceans and waterways continues to increase. The world is
increasingly looking to the sea for resources. The concept of the blue economy is now firmly in place.
At the same time, there is growing awareness of mankind’s dependence on and vulnerability from the
sea, ranging from destruction caused by natural disasters such as tsunami and storm surges, to over-
fishing and the inappropriate use of the sea’s resources, to pollution and climate change. As a result,
several high-level global initiatives are now in place that seek to address these issues, including the
United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement under the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework for Disaster
Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
4. In this context, the shortfall in bathymetric data is all the more significant, since both scientific
study and the success of almost every human endeavour in the maritime domain depends in one way
or another on knowing the depth and shape of the seafloor.
Potential Sources of Additional Bathymetric Data
Crowd-Sourced Bathymetry
5. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) carriage
requirements obliges all commercial vessels to be equipped with certified, and inherently reliable,
echo sounders and satellite-based position fixing systems. As such, the world’s commercial fleet
represents a significant untapped source of bathymetric observations. While these observations may
not meet charting requirements for critical passages, such observations may still serve a very useful
purpose, particularly in depths where data is old or of limited quality. Crowd-sourced bathymetry can
be used to identify significant features that might merit further investigation by appropriately equipped
surveying vessels. Crowd-sourced bathymetry can assist in verifying existing charted information,
thereby avoiding the need for re-surveying. The location of crowd-sourced bathymetry can also help
to confirm that charting schemes are appropriate for the current traffic patterns. In areas where
otherwise little or no data exists, then crowd-sourced data, supported by appropriate metadata that will
allow users to determine its fitness for their purpose, is useful. Many development activities and
scientific studies require only an approximate depth, rather than depths measured to meet precise
navigation requirements.
Data collected for scientific and other commercial purposes
6. Another very significant and largely untapped source of bathymetric data is from the scientific
research and the commercial surveying sectors.
7. Informal discussion between the IHO Secretariat and several representatives of industry and
academia that participate in IHO activities either as Expert contributors or as Observers indicates that
survey data collected for a variety of scientific and commercial purposes could be more widely used.
8. Commercial survey companies enter into contracts both with Government departments and with
commercial entities to undertake surveys that, if not solely hydrographic, at least contain a bathymetric
element. The surveying companies render the collected data solely to their clients as they are
contractually obliged to do, but in the knowledge that, whilst meeting the needs of the task, all or parts
of the data could be exploited for much wider use and benefit. It is estimated that no more than 20%
of the bathymetric data collected commercially during surveys for specific projects is made available
to Hydrographic Offices for inclusion in charts or for wider uses.
9. Similarly, bathymetric data collected for scientific purposes often suffers a similar fate to
commercially collected data, in that it is used for its primary purpose and then either archived or
abandoned. In many cases, the existence of the data is difficult to discover. In addition, scientific
vessels that are equipped to collect bathymetry, most often only collect data in the specific area of
scientific interest. The concept of passage sounding is not widely understood or incorporated into
voyage planning.
Purpose of the Resolution
10. The Resolution is intended to reaffirm the IHO’s recognition of the existing shortfall in
bathymetric knowledge of the seas, oceans and waterways and its consequences and the need,
therefore, to urgently address this shortfall.
11. The Resolution is intended to indicate both to Member States and to others, such as commercial
ship operators, academia and the commercial surveying sector that may be able to assist, that there are
practical, generally low-cost, mechanisms available that can help address the global shortfall in
hydrographic knowledge.
12. The Resolution is intended to support the current work of the MSDIWG, the CSBWG, the
GEBCO Guiding Committee and the IHO Data Centre for Digital Bathymetry (DCDB).
IHO File No. S3/0104
CIRCULAR LETTER 64/2016
7 December 2016
APPROVAL OF REVISED TERMS OF REFERENCE AND
RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR THE IRCC
Reference: IHO CL 44/2016 dated 12 September - Revision of the Terms of Reference and Rules of
Procedure of the Inter-Regional Coordination Committee (IRCC).
Dear Hydrographer,
1. The Circular Letter in Reference invited Member States to review and consider adopting the
revised Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure of the Inter-Regional Coordination Committee
(IRCC).
2. The IHO Secretariat thanks the 51 Member States that responded: Algeria, Argentina,
Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Cyprus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ecuador,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Latvia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway,
Oman, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation,
Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom,
United States and Uruguay. All responses were positive.
3. As of the date of issue of the Circular Letter in reference, there were 85 IHO Member States
with three States suspended. Therefore, in accordance with paragraph 6 of Article VI of the
Convention on the IHO that was applicable when the consultation was initiated, the majority required
for adoption of the revised Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure of the IRCC was 42. As a
result, the proposed revised Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure of the IRCC have been
approved and consequently adopted.
4. The revised Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure of the IRCC have now been uploaded
to the IHO website under the IRCC section – Committees & WG → Inter-Regional Coordination
Committee → Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure.
On behalf of the Secretary-General
Yours sincerely,
Mustafa IPTES
Director