That, he added, would necessitate increased levels of co-operation between the 70 member states of the IHO whose present archaic convention is restricted to advisory and purely technical functions at the expense of promulgating mandatory decrees.

Unless the IHO got its act together, asserted Ehlers, other international institutions such as the IMO might well assume a lead in determining future developments and so raise the spectre of whether there would be any further need for independent hydrographic organisations.

Moreover, a much wider definition of hydrography was now required.

This should not be confined to shipping but rather serve as a description of the seas for all marine purposes for which hydrographic services should embark on developing an all-embracing marine geodata information system. Such a system could result in a more or less global coverage but could only be realised through international co-operation and sharing of tasks under the auspices of the IHO - providing it assumed greater powers of persuasion and implementation than hitherto.

Noting that the expanded responsibilities of states for their waters would create an increased market for manufacturers of hydrographic equipment, Dr Ehlers concluded with a concurrent plea for increased co-operation between private sector industry and governmental authorities in advancing uniformity of charts and nautical publications as well as standardisation requirements affecting future development of systems.

That industry is well able to address some or all of these issues was not in doubt at Hydro 2002, The Hydrographic Society's 13th biennial symposium ably organised and co-hosted by the German Hydrographic Society with the support of the Schelswig-Holstein state government and the City of Kiel. Some 53 leading companies and organisations were on hand with state-of-the-art wares in the local Kieler Schloss exhibition hall while in the theatre's main conference centre, over 40 papers on a variety of topical issues were presented by speakers drawn from a dozen nations. In all, the three-day event attracted well over 300 participants from 24 countries.