World Hydrography Day is celebrated every year on June 21. It is a day designed to raise awareness about hydrographic work, allowing people to better understand the importance of hydrography.

The theme for this year’s World Hydrography Day is Hydrography –Underpinning the Digital Twin of the Ocean”.

For those who are not aware of what hydrography is, it is the branch of applied science which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers. It is applied science of the sea depth, its properties and seabed morphology.

The origins of hydrography was in the making of charts to aid navigations by individual marines as they navigated into new waters in the past and now it has become an important tool that keeps the maritime transportation system moving efficiently and safely.

Since Fiji has a 1.3 million square kilometres exclusive economic zone, it is vital for an organisation like the Fiji Hydrographic Service to provide its expertise and service for a maritime country like Fiji.

The Fiji Hydrographic Service (FHS) was first established on March 1970 and has been around for 53 years.

Under the Fiji Maritime Transport Act 2013, the Fiji Hydrographic Service administered by the Fiji Navy is responsible for the provision of hydrographic services required by the Safely of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention and the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO).

The Fiji Hydrographic Service (FHS) has been a member of the IHO since 1982.

The service which was part of a unit within the Marine Department funded by the United Nations has grown significantly to what it is today.

The FHS collects, compile and collate hydrographic data. It also maintains and disseminates hydrographic and other nautical information and nautical publications.

One of its key functions as well is to maintain and disseminate nautical charts and authorise the use of charts in Fiji. Fiji Hydrographic Service director, Lieutenant Commander Jervis Robinson said the importance of hydrography to Fiji as a small island developing state is that it is related to economic development, tourism, national security and defence and fisheries.

There are 37 hardworking personnel who work tirelessly at the Fiji Hydrographic Service, with nine of them being women.

“I think that hydrography hasn’t got the necessary attention it should be given,” Lt-Cdr Robinson said.

“Hydrography is related to everything concerning the sea and most people only have a bit of information about it.

“Not a lot of people know about the work that goes into it, especially the hard work that the men and women put in when out on the field.

“The men and women go out to collect data, process it and put out a final product –the nautical charts.”

Resources and working out at sea can be a challenge, but with a positive attitude these personnel work efficiently to provide service in Fiji.

The FHS has great support from international partners. Its international partners include the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, the Australian Hydrographic Office, the Land Information New Zealand and the Korean Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency.

“The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is our principal charting authority. They produce all the charts that are related to Fiji waters,” he said.

“We do the surveys and they produce the charts from us – we are very thankful and are appreciative of the support they have given us throughout the years.

“Our partners from Australia have come on board to assist us on a technical perspective, assisting us with the type of equipment we use, how we use it and meeting international standards – particularly in carrying us into the future as we move from conventional methods of hydrographic survey and charting into digital.”

To celebrate World Hydrography Day a two-day seminar was organised by the Fiji Hydrographic Service where representatives from different organisations talked on hydrography and services linked to it.