international hydrographic organization 2003 - IHO

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Anyone who feels that they have something to contribute to this revised publication should contact
Steve SHIPMAN at the IHB, sshipman@ihb.mc. It is anticipated that a further Editorial Committee
Meeting will be held in April 2004, with the aim of publishing the new edition by the end of 2004.
The ABLOS Annual Business Meeting took place on Sunday 27 and Monday 28 October. Amongst
other matters, the Board discussed the issues raised by the S-51 Editorial Committee and endorsed the
proposed plan of action. Extensive discussion took place on the future focus for ABLOS. Matters
discussed included:
‣ Forging a scientific consensus on ridge issues in different parts of the world;
‣ Impact of Article 76 on Marine Scientific Research;
‣ Global Vertical Reference Network;
‣ International Cooperation in Ocean Mapping;
‣ Invited participation in training initiatives.
The Board extended a vote of thanks to Bjorn Geirr HARSSON, who was leaving the Board and who
had been a very active member since its inception. The Board was advised that IAG had appointed Dr.
Don GRANT, the Deputy Surveyor General of Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), as the
replacement for Bjorn.
Professor Chris RIZOS from the University of New South Wales, Australia, an IAG member and
current Vice Chairman, was elected as Chairman for the next two-year period. Dr. Shin TANI from the
Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of the Japan Coast Guard, and IHO member of the
Board, was elected as Vice Chairman.
The next meeting of ABLOS will take place in October 2004, dates and venue to be confirmed.
A full report of the Business Meeting will be placed on the ABLOS website,
http://www.gmat.unsw.edu.au/ablos/index.html, in due course.
The 3 rd Biennial ABLOS Conference, “Addressing Difficult Issues in UNCLOS”, was held at the IHB
from 28 – 30 October. 88 delegates (a record for the IHB premises) from 31 countries and representing
22 Member States of the IHO, 10 other government departments, 12 business groups, 9 academic
institutions and 3 international organizations attended the conference from 28 to 30 October.
The first day of the conference included 6 tutorial sessions on:
‣ Height Reference Systems;
‣ The Normal Baseline;
‣ Maritime Zones and Jurisdictions;
‣ National considerations when negotiating a maritime boundary;
‣ Completing an Article 76 Desktop Study;
‣ Deepwater Non-Living Marine Resources.
On days 2 and 3 there were 22 papers from leading practitioners in the fields of hydrography,
oceanography, geodesy, law, computing, GIS and marine research, which covered many aspects of the
Law of the Sea. The conference was well received by the delegates and the papers sparked much
debate, which continued in the cafés and bars of Monaco, long after the formal proceedings came to an
end. Papers and tutorials are available on the ABLOS website.
The next ABLOS Conference will be held in 2005, probably at the IHB, in October. Exact dates and
subject will be agreed at the 2004 ABLOS Business Meeting.