UKHO Award for Japanese hydrographer
Dr Hideo Nishida of the Japan Hydrographic Association is the recipient of this year’s prestigious UK Hydrographic Office Alexander Dalrymple Award.
It was given in recognition of his distinguished contribution to world hydrography with the Japan Coastguard, the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Japan Hydrographic & Oceanographic Department (JHOD).
Presenting the award in London, UKHO Chief Executive Ian Moncrieff said that it was in part an acknowledgment of Dr Nishida’s decisive leadership of the JHOD as a major contributor to Japan’s remarkable recovery from the earthquake and tsunami which hit the country in March of last year. His work clearly demonstrated the indispensable role that hydrographic surveys and charting can play in recovering from natural disasters, he added.
Other accomplishments cited included Dr Nishida’s conception of the Japan Capacity Building Project, a very successful collaborative venture between the JHOD, the International Hydrographic Organization and the UKHO, with generous financial support from the Nippon Foundation. Involving annual training of six cartographers to the highest international standard, the scheme is now in its fourth year.
