‘Digital transformation of maritime information’ international organization infrastructure center to be built in Korea

An international organization for the digital transformation of global maritime information will be established in Korea.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 8th that the government and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) will sign the 'Agreement on Establishment of the IHO Infrastructure Center' on the 9th.

The agreement signing ceremony will be attended by Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Hwang Jong-woo, a government representative, and Secretary-General Luigi Sinapi, a representative of IHO.

IHO is an intergovernmental international organization that oversees international standards for charts and marine information, and is promoting the spread of 'S-100', the next-generation international standard for digital marine information.

The S-100 allows various marine information, such as tides and currents, as well as electronic charts to be viewed on a single screen from the ship's navigation equipment, and is expected to be used in future marine technologies such as autonomous ships and smart ports.

The IHO Infrastructure Center is dedicated to the development and verification of the S-100 standard and will lead its global expansion.

The IHO Infrastructure Center to be built in Korea is the first organization to be established in another country since IHO established its headquarters in Monaco in 1921.

Korea actively participated from the early stages of IHO's S-100 standard development, and was designated as the S-100 Test Operation Center by IHO in 2013.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries emphasized, "The establishment of the IHO Infrastructure Center in Korea is the result of the international community's recognition of our accumulated maritime information technology and contribution to the development of the S-100 standard."