One of the MCA's lesser known activities is to fund, via the Department of Transport, a Civil Hydrography Programme aimed at ensuring UK waters are surveyed to the highest standards in support of navigation. Delivery of the programme decrees a combination of public and private sector involvement using Royal Navy hydrographic resources and chartered commercial survey companies. The MCA itself is not directly involved in work although it says that all civil hydrographic programme surveys commissioned by the organisation from next year onwards will be carried out with multibeam echosounding systems.