(THE GIST OF PIB) International Hydrographic Organisation

(JUNE-2024)

On 21 June every year, the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) celebrates the World Hydrography Day to raise awareness about hydrography.

It is an intergovernmental organization that works to ensure all the world’s seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted.
It was established in 1921, it coordinates the activities of national hydrographic offices and promotes uniformity in nautical charts and documents.
It issues survey best practices, provides guidelines to maximize the use of hydrographic survey data and develops hydrographic capabilities in Member States.
Member countries: It has currently 100 Member States.
The IHO Secretariat has been hosted by the Principality of Monaco.
India has been an active member of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) since 1955.
The Indian Naval Hydrographic Department (INHD), or the Marine Survey of India earlier, was established in 1874 in Kolkata.
It is the nodal agency for hydrographic surveys and has a fleet of indigenously built modern survey ships.

It is celebrated annually on June 21.
The theme for 2024 is “Hydrographic Information - Enhancing Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability in Marine Activities”