The 'International Hydrographic Organization' (IHO) is an
international organization established in
1921 to coordinate the
hydrographic activities of the member states. The IHO was the outgrowth of international conferences and congresses held as early as
1889.
The IHO is composed of its member states (represented by their respective
hydrographic offices) with administration through the International Hydrographic Bureau headquartered in
Monaco. The Bureau's directors are elected by member states. The IHO does not itself control significant hydrographic assets.
The organization's goals are stated as "support the safety in navigation and the protection of the marine environment" with support of coordinated and uniform hydrographic products and surveys and by improving techniques of member states for producing those products.
IHO publishes various standards, including
S-57 ''IHO Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data'', the encoding standard used for
electronic navigational charts.
The IHO publishes ''Limits of Oceans and Seas'', which specifies the boundaries between the
oceans.
[1] In
2000 they officially defined the boundaries of the
Southern Ocean.
French and
English are the two official languages of the organization.
See also
★
International Association of Lighthouse Authorities
References
1. ''Limits of Oceans and Seas''. International Hydrographic Organization Special Publication No. 23, 3rd Edition, 1953.
External links
★
International Hydrographic Organization
★
Hydrographic Blogspot