Improving Data Management Guidance for the International Marine Community

In our role as expert contributor and provider of the Secretariat to the International Hydrographic Organisation’s (IHO’s) Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure (MSDI) Working Group, OceanWise has been leading the revision of the IHO Publication “C-17: Spatial Data Infrastructures – The Marine Dimension”. The revised document has now been submitted for approval at the IHO 8th Inter-Regional Coordinating Committee (IRCC-8) which takes place in late May in Abu Dhabi (UAE).

Approval by IRCC-8 will lead to the material being adopted by the international hydrographic and oceanographic communities to help them to modernise their data management practises. The new governance framework contained in the C-17 guidance document will support the wider reuse of hydrographic data beyond charting, to include activities such as marine spatial planning, renewable energy, coastal zone management, tourism and leisure and disaster mitigation.

Looking further ahead, a paper, building on the successes of the last ten years since the MSDI WG was established, will be submitted to the XIX International Hydrographic Conference (IHC) in April 2017. At OceanWise, we originally identified the need for the MSDI WG and were instrumental in its formation in 2007. We also continue to provide capacity building courses on data management and MSDI to IHO member states and will be exhibiting at the IHC to encourage member states to support the WG aims through to at least 2027.

Learn more about our data policy, strategy and management services here