The Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service ( or SHOM) is a French public establishment of an administrative nature () administered by the Ministry of Armed Forces. It is the successor to the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine, founded in 1720 which became the Naval Hydrographic Service in 1886 and the Naval and Oceanographic Service in 1971. Its present form was set up by decree number 2007-800 on 11 May 2007. Its board is presided over by the

Chief of Staff of the French Navy The Chief of the Naval Staff (, , abbr. CEMM) is a French general officer, adviser to the Chief of the Defence Staff (France), Chief of the Defence Staff for the French Navy and responsible to the Minister of the Armed Forces (France), Minister of ...

() and the body is directed by a director-general.

Aims

This public body has several aims, including the provision of : * a public service in

hydrography Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary ...

and maritime

cartography Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

, including the collection, elaboration, confirmation and spread of nautical information useful to civil or naval navigators and to all who sail for professional or pleasure, as well as those responsible for care of the coast * to support the navy's hydrographers,

oceanographer Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of top ...

s and

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...

s concerning specific information on maritime matters to ensure the optimal running of the navy's weapons systems (radar, sonar, infra-red sensors, carrier-borne aircraft etc.). SHOM is made up of oceanographic and hydrographic groups, as well as a school, and employs 500 naval and civil personnel. Its fleet, which is placed at its disposal by the French navy, consists of 5 boats: the ''Beautemps-Beaupré'', the ''Borda'', the ''La Pérouse'', the ''Laplace'' and the '' Pourquoi-Pas ?''. SHOM works in cooperation with many other national organisations, including

IFREMER The or Ifremer is an oceanographic institution in Brest, France. A state-run and funded scientific organization, it is France’s national integrated marine science research institute. Scope of works Ifremer focuses its research activities in ...

(with whom it shares the ''Pourquoi-Pas ?''),

Météo-France Météo-France is the official French meteorological administration, also offering services to Andorra and Monaco. It has the powers of the state and can exercise them in relation to meteorology. Météo-France is in charge of observing, study ...

, the

CNRS The French National Centre for Scientific Research (, , CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 staff, including 11,137 tenured researchers, 13,415 eng ...

, the

University of Western Brittany The University of Western Brittany (; UBO) is a French university, located in Brest, in the Academy of Rennes. On a national scale, in terms of graduate employability, the university oscillates between 18th and 53rd out of 69 universities depend ...

and the

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

. It participates in international hydrographic projects and programmes co-ordinated by the

International Hydrographic Organization The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) (French: ''Organisation Hydrographique Internationale'') is an intergovernmental organization representing hydrography. the IHO comprised 102 member states. A principal aim of the IHO is to ...

, of which France is a member.

Publications

Among the SHOM's nautical publications are *

maritime chart A nautical chart or hydrographic chart is a graphic representation of a sea region or water body and adjacent coasts or banks. Depending on the scale of the chart, it may show depths of water (bathymetry) and heights of land (topography), natu ...

s in paper or electronic form ("cartes électroniques de navigation" or ENC) *signal books, containing audio and visual signals for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore use, as well as details of French lighthouses *Radio signal-books, for radio-electric navigation aids and radio-communications *nautical instructions and nautical instructions for those who sail for pleasure *tidal almanacks and atlas of currents * Guides and works on navigation : ** navigator's guides ** a guide to the symbols and abbreviations on maritime charts (1D) ** International rules for preventing maritime accidents (Réglement international pour prévenir les abordages en mer, or RIPAM) (2A and 2B) ** Maritime signals (3C) * the "Groupe d'avis aux navigateurs", a weekly bulletin with corrections to the above works * the journal ''Annales hydrographiques''

Directors

Notes

External links

SHOM - official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naval Hydrographic And Oceanographic Service National hydrographic offices Government agencies of France Oceanographic organizations Hydrographic 1720 establishments in France