London, 17 December 2021 – The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project has announced its newest partnership with the Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH). The two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) symbolising their commitment to work together to advance our understanding of the world’s ocean, and map the entire ocean floor.
Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO to inspire the complete mapping of the world's ocean by 2030, and to compile all bathymetric data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. GEBCO is a joint project of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), and is the only organisation with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor. Seabed 2030 is formally endorsed as a Decade Action of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Established in 1928 during the VI International American Conference in Havana, Cuba, PAIGH is a technical and scientific body of the Organization of American States (OAS) specialising in areas of cartography, geography, history and geophysics. Since its creation, PAIGH has promoted collaboration throughout the Americas by publishing journals, sponsoring conferences and organizing workshops – the organization has 21 member countries and five observing nations.
Commenting on the agreement Jamie McMichael-Phillips, Seabed 2030 Project Director, said “As we continue to actively increase our partnerships – in line with our aim to promote collaborative working – Seabed 2030 is delighted to welcome the support of PAIGH.
“As an organization that encourages and coordinates cartographical studies, PAIGH will no doubt play a valuable role in supporting our efforts to map the remainder of the seabed in just over eight years.”
César Rodríguez Tomeo, Secretary General of PAIGH, said “PAIGH has over 93 years’ experience in promoting collaboration on an international scale in areas of cartography and geophysics among others. We are confident that this experience will enable us to play a part in progressing Seabed 2030’s mission in the time that’s left.”
All data collected and shared with the Seabed 2030 Project is included in the GEBCO global grid, which is free and publicly available.
For media inquiries contact:
Pegah Souri (Seabed 2030)
pegah@raittorr.co.uk
+44 (0)7951 581707
Comunicación Institucional (PAIGH)
Vianney López Alcántara
vianney.lopez@ipgh.org