News in 2025

Global hydrography in focus: FIG vice president calls for stronger China-IBSC collaboration

12 November 2025, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China

 

On November 12 2025, the Stakeholder Workshop of the International Board on Standards of Competence for Hydrographic Surveyors and Nautical Cartographers (IBSC) was held at Shandong University of Science and Technology in Qingdao, Shandong Province in China.

FIG Vice President Professor Qin Yan attended the workshop and delivered a speech. IBSC Chair Sobri Syawie and board members participated in the workshop both in person and online.

In her address, FIG Vice President Qin Yan (pictured on the right) extended a warm welcome to the IBSC board members and FIG colleagues. She expressed gratitude for their significant contributions to promoting qualification standards for international hydrographic surveyors and nautical cartographers. She also congratulated Shandong University of Science and Technology on receiving the IBSC International Class A certification. She put forward two suggestions during the meeting:

1. First, she expressed hope that the IBSC would further enhance its support for China. She looks forward to the IBSC providing tailored interpretation and training of certification standards based on the characteristics of Chinese institutions, opening broader channels for resource sharing, and exploring the joint establishment of a “Chinese University Certification Plan” with relevant Chinese societies. This initiative aims to help more qualified universities efficiently align with international standards, transforming China's educational scale into a global reservoir of hydrographic surveying talent.
2. Secondly, she hoped that Shandong University of Science and Technology would serve as a model of “Chinese practice”. She encouraged the university to offer replicable experience for other domestic universities to drive the overall improvement of marine surveying education in China. Furthermore, leveraging its role as the national representative to the FIG Commission 4 (Hydrography), the university was encouraged to more actively engage in international affairs, promote the refinement of IBSC standards, disseminate Chinese technological achievements, and participate in international standard-setting and certification services.

The workshop was hosted by the IBSC and organized by Shandong University of Science and Technology. Themed “Promoting the Internationalization of Hydrographic Education and Joint Standard Construction”, the event focused on frontier technologies, educational standards, and global cooperation in the field of hydrographic surveying.

IBSC members from 13 countries participate, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Brazil. Experts from domestic institutions such as the China Maritime Safety Administration, the Chinese Society for Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography (CSGPC), the Chinese Society for Oceanography, and the Chinese Society for Oceanology and Limnology also attended. Representatives from marine-related units, including Institut Teknologi Bandung (Indonesia), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Dalian Maritime University, Ocean University of China, China University of Petroleum, the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao Surveying and Mapping Institute, Beijing Hydro-Tech Marine Technology Co., Ltd., and Qingdao Yuehai Information Service Co., Ltd., participated in the exchange.

This event established a high-level exchange platform for global hydrographic surveying experts and promoted the international alignment and collaborative development of education in hydrographic surveying and nautical cartography.

 

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FIG Vice President Professor Qin Yan
24 November 2025

©2025 FIG