Chief hydrographers and marine officers of the member states of the East Asia Hydrographic Commission (EAHC), the regional arm of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), will convene for the EAHC Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) Taskgroup Meeting  to be held  at the Waterfront Hotel in  Lahug, Cebu City on 16-18 July 2008.

The three-day event will be hosted by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) with  Secretary Jose L. Atienza, Jr. of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)  as the Special Guest.

The focus of the meeting will be on the release of the new edition of the South China Sea ENCs,  the issues on ENC coverage and consistency  during the 54th session of NAV Sub-Committee (NAV54),  the upcoming EAHC ENC training to be conducted in September 2008, and the EAHC member states’ update on the development of medium- and large-scale ENCs. The half-day Seminar on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) will also be conducted on 18 July. Experts on GNSS will provide updates on global positioning systems (GPS) technology and discuss the technology’s significance to hydrographic surveying.

NAMRIA Administrator Diony A Ventura, said that the Philippines as a  member state of the EAHC fully supports the Commission’s objectives and  other national hydrographic offices’ endeavors  of providing mariners with  up-to-date chart information for safety of marine navigation and of life at sea in the region.