IHB File No. S3/2636
CIRCULAR LETTER 11/2016
01 March 2016
REQUEST FOR SHALLOW WATER BATHYMETRIC DATA
References:
A. IHO Circular Letter 36/2006 dated 28 March 2006 – Request for Shallow Water
Bathymetric Data.
B. IHO Circular Letter 14/2007 dated 02 February 2007 - Request for Shallow Water
Bathymetric Data.
Dear Hydrographer,
1. References A and B invited IHO Member States to provide sounding data extracted from
Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC), in order to improve the ocean grid compiled and published as
part of the Joint IHO-IOC General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) Project. Through this
initiative, twenty one Member States and one Regional Hydrographic Commission have generously
provided depth data that has resulted in significant improvements to the GEBCO Grid. Figure 1 (Annex
A) shows the areas where ENC sounding data have been contributed so far and Figure 2 (Annex B) is an
example illustrating how these data have helped improve the GEBCO grid.
2. In addition to bathymetry data extracted from ENCs, GEBCO’s global grid has benefited from
consolidated shallow water bathymetry data sets, provided by hydrographic organizations through
regional mapping projects such as the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet)
for European waters and the Baltic Sea Bathymetry Database.
3. In its review of progress of the GEBCO Grid, the GEBCO Guiding Committee (GGC), at its
32nd meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October 2015 recognized the substantial increase in
ENC coverage over the past 10 years. As a result, the GGC asked the IHB to invite once again, those
Member States that have not already provided sounding data from their ENCs to do so.
4. The East Asia Hydrographic Commission and the following Member States who have already
provided shallow water bathymetry data from their ENCs or through regional mapping programs to
GEBCO need not do so again unless they consider that the bathymetry included in their ENCs has
improved significantly since their previous submissions: Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Chile, Ecuador,
Finland, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway,
Peru, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden and USA.
5. As reported in References A and B, soundings extracted from ENC usage bands 2 (General) and
3 (Coastal) are the most suitable. Only the depth contour (DEPCNT) and sounding (SOUNDG) geo
objects are required for improving the GEBCO grid bathymetry. It should also be noted that these
objects will not be included directly in any of the GEBCO products. They will only be used as source
data to improve the accuracy and quality of the derived GEBCO Grid.
6. All submissions of data should be forwarded to IHB Assistant Director Anthony Pharaoh
(
[email protected]) using the S-57 (xxx.000) format or any other common GIS format. Contributors are
requested to indicate whether their data is being provided solely for GEBCO purposes, or whether it can
also be included in the IHO Data Centre for Digital Bathymetry (DCDB).
7. The latest GEBCO Grid can be downloaded from the GEBCO website (www.gebco.net >
Home > Data and products > Gridded bathymetry data) together with a free viewing software
application. The grid can also be freely accessed as a Web Map Service from the GEBCO web site.
On behalf of the Directing Committee
Yours sincerely,
Mustafa IPTES
Director
Copy to: The Chairs of the Regional Hydrographic Commissions
Annexes:
Annex A: Figure 1 – Areas where ENC sounding data have been provided.
Annex B: Figure 2 – Example showing improvements in the GEBCO Grid resulting from data
extracted from ENCs.
Annex A to IHO CL 11/2016
Figure 1 – Areas where ENC sounding data have been provided.
Annex B to IHO CL 11/2016
Figure 2 – Example showing improvements in the GEBCO Grid resulting from data extracted
from ENCs (in this case, provided by the Republic of Korea).
Signe Paevere
From: REG <
[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 2, 2016 11:48 AM
To: 'Arg'; 'Aus'; 'Bahrain'; 'Bang'; 'Belg'; 'Brazil'; 'Brunei'; 'Canada'; 'Chile'; 'China';
'Croatia'; 'Cuba'; 'Cyp'; 'Den'; 'DomRep'; 'DPRK'; 'Egypt-ENHD'; VA_hnt; 'Fiji';
'Finland'; 'France'; 'Georgia'; 'Ger'; 'Greece'; 'Guat'; 'Iceland'; 'India'; 'Indonesia'; 'Iran';
'Ireland'; 'Italy'; 'Jamaica'; 'Japan'; 'Korea'; 'Kuw'; 'Latvia'; 'Malays'; 'Mauritius';
'Montenegro'; 'Moz'; 'Mozambique'; 'Myan'; 'Nether'; 'Nigeria'; 'Norway'; 'NZ';
'Oman'; 'Pak'; 'Philip'; 'PNG'; 'Poland'; 'Port'; 'Qatar'; 'Rom'; 'Russia'; 'S Africa'; 'SA';
'Sing'; 'SL'; 'Slo'; 'Suriname'; 'Sweden'; 'Syria'; 'Thailand'; 'Tonga'; 'TT'; 'Turk'; 'UAE';
'UK'; 'Ukraine'; 'Urug'; 'USNOAA'; 'Ven'; 'Vietnam'
Cc: 'Argentina'; 'Australia'; 'Bahrain'; 'Bangladesh'; 'Banglasedh2'; 'Belgium'; 'Belgium';
'Belgium'; 'Belgium'; 'Belgium'; 'Brazil'; 'Brunei'; 'Canada'; 'Chile'; 'China'; 'Croatia';
'Croatia'; 'Cuba'; 'Denmark'; 'Denmark'; 'DPRK'; Tõnis Siilanarusk; 'Fiji'; 'France';
'Germany'; 'Germany'; 'Greece'; 'Iceland'; 'India'; 'India'; 'Iran'; 'Iran'; 'Iran'; 'Iran';
'Ireland'; 'Italy'; 'Malaysia'; 'Mauritius'; 'Mauritius'; 'Mozambique'; 'Myanmar';
'Myanmar'; 'Oman'; 'Portugal'; 'Portugal'; 'Qatar'; 'SaudiArabia'; 'Slovenia'; 'SriLanka';
'Suriname'; 'Suriname'; 'Sweden'; 'Thailand'; 'Thailand'; 'Tonga'; 'Trinidad'; 'Tunisia';
'Tunisia'; 'UAE'; 'Ukraine'; 'USNAVY'; 'USNOAA'; 'USNOAA'; 'USNOAA'; 'USNOAA';
'Vietnam'; 'Vietnam2'; 'Vietnam3'; 'Vietnam3'; 'Astrid.Kalvik'; 'C Andreasen'; 'Celine
Buisson Rosvold'; 'ECC'; 'eva.hegland'; 'hs-varna'; 'ilda.becirovic'; 'info';
'inst.cartograf'; 'J Lowell NGA'; 'J Rogers NGA'; 'jacek.jagodzinski'; 'K Alexander
NGA'; 'Minika Bjorge'; 'P Doherty NGA'; 'solvi.tunge'; 'stig.osaland';
'svein.skjaeveland'; 'tonje.mevatne'; 'tore.halset'
Subject: CL 11/2016
Attachments: CL11.docx
Dear Hydrographer,
Please find attached herewith :
CL 11/2016 : REQUEST FOR SHALLOW WATER BATHYMETRIC DATA
Yours sincerely,
IHB
M.MOLLET
1