The General Authority for Surveying and Geospatial Information (GEOSA) celebrated today World Hydrographic Day 2025 at a special program organized under the theme “Seabed Mapping: Enabling Ocean Action”. The ceremony, held at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Science and Technology Center (Scitech) at Al-Khobar, with the participation of several Ministries, government agencies and centers was also attended by representatives from the private sector, the academic and the non-profit sectors.
GEOSA president H.E Dr. Mohammad Ibn Yahia Al- Sayel paid tribute to the support of the Kingdom’s wise leadership which, he said, represents the pivotal column that has, indeed, enabled the Kingdom to acquire a high place among the forefront countries highly advanced in the geospatial field both on the regional and international levels. Thanks to that support, he said, the Kingdom was indeed able to press on with its leading role through an active membership in the competent international organizations and committees operating in the field. That, he went on to say, was in addition to the partnerships based on integrated and regularly coordinated efforts with our partners in the sector aimed at forging a collective and single-minded national effort.
Addressing the ceremony, Acting CEO of Sharqia Development Authority Dr. Talal bin Nabil Al-Mughlouth, underlined the need to recognize the role of hydrographic survey as a means of contributing a role in steering the development efforts while keeping the critical balance between the requirements of working for development and the need to maintain a preservation of environmental resources. He also pointed out that hydrographic survey data count today for one of the basic factors supporting the proper understanding of environmental systems and the appropriate steering of developmental projects towards the goal of bringing about the targeted national goals and aspirations.
Luigi Sinapi, the Director of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) said in his address to the ceremony, that the work being done by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as represented by GEOSA, in the hydrographic field is a shining example for both the regional and international communities, and counts for a role model of being followed in the interest of boosting the role of hydrographic geospatial information in maintaining the safety of the marine environment, supporting navigational activities and enabling the achievement of a sustainable development based on accurate and reliable datasets.
The ceremony included a review of the most important integrated efforts made on the national level to promote hydrographic survey work carried out in the interest of the different sectors concerned with the maritime activities, namely the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the Saudi Water Authority, the National Center for Wildlife, the National Center for Environmental Compliance, and the General Organization for the Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea. The most important work activities achieved by the above agencies and organizations, in relation to Hydrography, were also brought to light.
The most prominent works of the Saudi Geological Survey in this field were reviewed, as well as the role of the Eastern Province Development Authority in sustainable urban development on the Arabian Gulf coast.
The event also included a dialogue session addressed by a number of speakers covering the most important technologies and latest developments affecting the field of hydrographic survey and the role of hydrography in supporting and enabling the advancement of the development process across a variety of sectors and walks of life and the role contributed by such sectors in the attainment of the Kingdom’s national aspirations.
Finally, an academic session was held at the conclusion of the event during which a number of Saudi University students were allowed to present their research papers on hydrographic survey.