Editing Hydrographic survey (section)

===National and international offices===
{{main|Hydrographic office}}
Hydrographic offices evolved from naval heritage and are usually found within national naval structures, for example Spain's [[Instituto Hidrográfico de la Marina]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.armada.mde.es/ArmadaPortal/page/Portal/ArmadaEspannola/ciencia_ihm_1/ |title=Armada Esapñola – Instituto Hidrográfico de la Marina |language=es}}</ref> Coordination of those organizations and product standardization is voluntarily joined with the goal of improving hydrography and safe navigation is conducted by the [[International Hydrographic Organization]] (IHO). The IHO publishes Standards and Specifications<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iho-ohi.net/english/standards-publications/introduction.html |title=IHO Publications - IHO Catalogue of Publications - Introduction |access-date=2009-12-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724155623/http://www.iho-ohi.net/english/standards-publications/introduction.html |archive-date=24 July 2009}}</ref> followed by its Member States as well as Memoranda of Understanding and Co-operative Agreements<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iho-ohi.net/english/letters-and-documents/mou-agreements.html |title=IHO Memoranda of Understanding and Co-operative Agreements |access-date=2009-12-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410145023/http://www.iho-ohi.net/english/letters-and-documents/mou-agreements.html |archive-date=10 April 2009}}</ref> with hydrographic survey interests.

The product of such hydrography is most often seen on nautical charts published by the national agencies and required by the International Maritime Organization (IMO),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imo.org/safety/mainframe.asp?topic_id=350 |title=Electronic charts |access-date=2013-06-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415030816/http://www.imo.org/Safety/mainframe.asp?topic_id=350 |archive-date=15 April 2013 |publisher=International Maritime Organization (IMO)}}</ref> the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icomia.com/technical-info/docs/SOLASV.pdf |title=Solas Chapter V Safety of Navigation |access-date=2009-12-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206011442/http://icomia.com/technical-info/docs/SOLASV.pdf |archive-date=6 February 2009}}</ref> and national regulations to be carried on vessels for safety purposes. Increasingly those charts are provided and used in electronic form unders IHO standards.