Since 1929, the members of the Nordic Hydrographic Commission (NHC) have met to discuss e.g. standardisations of nautical charts, depth contours, nautical publications and other strategic matters that the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland, have in common across their borders.
Oldest commission
The NHC is the oldest independent commission under the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the cooperation between the five Nordic countries provides important input for the maritime work of the IHO.
National report
The NHC was scheduled to meet in Iceland shortly before Easter, but this year’s meeting was cancelled due to the worldwide corona crisis and has instead been postponed until next year. Prior to each meeting, the national hydrographic offices submit a report outlining the activities and new initiatives the respective countries are conducting in the maritime area.
Greenland Chart Ambassadors
Despite the size of the country, Denmark is a major maritime nation, and the Danish Geodata Agency’s report to the NHC is relevant reading for anyone interested in the maritime area here at sea. We have previously described many of the report’s activities on these pages (see Useful links), but a new feature is the Danish Geodata Agency’s pilot project called “Greenland Chart Ambassadors”.
Local enthusiasts
The Chart Ambassadors are local enthusiasts in Greenland, who are trained by the Danish Geodata Agency to, among other things, disseminate knowledge about nautical charts and, most importantly, to receive feedback from users with whom the Agency usually has no contact.
You can read much more about the Danish Geodata Agency’s pilot project and the many other interesting activities in the National Report of Denmark here:
Read press release in Danish here:
Fact box
- As a maritime authority, the Danish Geodata Agency is responsible for hydrographic surveys and the preparation of nautical charts for use in recreational sailing and the shipping industry’s navigation in the Danish and Greenland waters.
- The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an interstate organisation that works to ensure that all the world’s seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and mapped for the benefit of both shipping traffic safety and the protection of the international marine environment. IHO enjoys observer status at the UN. The IHO’s standards and specifications are referred to as the authority within hydrographic exploration and nautical chart production.
- The Nordic Hydrographic Commission is a Nordic commission under the IHO, which meets once a year and consists of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. The Commission provides input to the general work of the IHO.