World Hydrography Day 2024: Its Theme, History, Significance & Observance All Over The World

World Hydrography Day is celebrated every year on June 21 to highlight the importance of hydrography as an applied science that can support the sustainable use of the oceans. This day also highlights the relevance of the activities of hydrographers and raises awareness of the importance of the oceans and waterways to human lives. WHD was established by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) in 2005 and has also been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. For more interesting details about World Hydrography Day 2024 such as its theme, celebration, significance, etc, keep reading this article.

Table of Contents

World Hydrography Day 2024 Date

Below mentioned are the upcoming dates for World Hydrography Day for the upcoming 5 years.

Event	Date	Day
World Hydrography Day 2024	June 21, 2024	Friday
World Hydrography Day 2025	June 21, 2025	Saturday
World Hydrography Day 2026	June 21, 2026	Sunday
World Hydrography Day 2027	June 21, 2027	Monday

World Hydrography Day 2024 Overview

Event	World Hydrography Day 2024
Date	June 21, 2024
Day	Friday
Declared by	International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
Observed by	Worldwide
Purpose of celebration	To raise awareness of the importance of the oceans and waterways to our lives.
Frequency	Annual

Significance of World Hydrography Day

Proper application of hydrography can produce updated surveys and data can be used for initiatives for the protection of the marine environment. Hydrography can even be used for the management of other components of the blue economy like coastal zone, marine protected areas, marine spatial data infrastructures, and renewable energies. To celebrate the multiple benefits of hydrography for the environment, World Hydrography Day is observed every year on June 21. The day also provides opportunities to honor the work and services of national hydrographic offices, industry partners, expert contributors, and the scientific community. Additionally, WHD even sheds light on the ability of hydrographers to gather and manage marine data and their strength in technical collaboration on a global scale.

Definition of Hydrography & Its Importance

Hydrography is a branch of applied sciences involved in the measurement and description of the physical features of water bodies including oceans, coastal areas, seas, rivers, and lakes. It also deals with the prediction of their change over time to ensure the safety of navigators and in support of all other marine activities such as scientific research, economic development, environmental protection, and security and defense. Other than this, hydrography applications also include:

resource exploitation
coastal zone management
environmental protection and management
national marine spatial data infrastructures
maritime boundary delimitation
maritime defense and security
tsunami flood and inundation modeling, etc

Check other Special Days in the month of June

International Hydrographic Organization

The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental organization representing hydrography, established on June 21, 1921. The organization has around 98 Member States. The main purpose of the IHO is to ensure that the oceans, seas, and other navigable waters around the world are properly surveyed and charted. It sets international standards and promotes coordination between the world’s national hydrographic offices. The organization was earlier known as the International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB) but was later changed in 1970 to International Hydrographic Organization.

History

World Hydrography Day was established in 2005 by the IHO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution A/RES/60/30 Oceans and the law of the sea. June 21 was chosen as the day of celebration to mark the anniversary of the founding of the International Hydrographic Organization.

Celebration

World Hydrography Day is observed by the IHO Member states and other national and international hydrographic organizations all over the world. Various activities such as awards ceremonies, conferences, seminars, workshops, lectures, and public events are organized all over the world to mark WHD. Individuals all around the world can take part in these lectures and workshops to celebrate World Hydrography day.

Every year the IHO Secretariat posts Member State and select stakeholder initiatives on the dedicated web page as well as on social media outlets. Advocates of hydrography are also invited to post on their own social media outlets and tag the IHO with hashtags #WorldHydrographyDay and #WHD.

World Hydrography Day 2024 Theme

Every year A theme for World Hydrography Day is decided by the International Hydrographic Organization’s Member States. The themes intend to promote the importance of hydrography. The theme for WHD 2023 was “Hydrography – underpinning the digital twin of the ocean”. This year’s theme is “Hydrographic Information – Enhancing Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability in Marine Activities”. You can also check the theme for the past 5 years in the table below.

2022	Hydrography – contributing to the United Nations Ocean Decade
2021	100 years of international cooperation in hydrography
2020	Hydrography enabling autonomous technologies
2019	Hydrographic information driving marine knowledge
2018	Bathymetry – the foundation for sustainable seas, oceans, and waterways