International Bathymetric Chart of the Western Pacific (IBCWP)
The International Bathymetric Chart of the Western Pacific (IBCWP) is a regional ocean mapping project sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The mission undertaken by this project is to create new bathymetric charts for the areas shown by the Assembly Diagram of the IBCWP.
Project Leader: Mr. Hou Wenfeng, Honorable Director-General, National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS), State Oceanic Adminstration (SOA), China
Prof. Hou Wenfeng, Honorary Director-General of the National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS) of China, is the Chief Editor of the IBCWP Project. The NMDIS, serving as the Chief Editor institute, provides the coordination for the project. Currently, participating countries/organizations include Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, United States and the SOPAC. Four Sessions of the Editorial Board of IBCWP have been held. The First and Third Sessions of EB-IBCWP was held in Tianjin, China in 1993 and 2000 respectively. The Second Session was held in Bangkok, Thailand in 1996, and the Fourth Session was held within the 6th IOC/WESTPAC Scientific Symposium in Hangzhou, China in 2004.
The IBCWP project is coordinated with seven other international regional ocean mapping projects sponsored by the IOC: namely, the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea (IBCCA); Western Indian Ocean (IBCWIO); Central Eastern Atlantic (IBCEA); Mediterranean (IBCM); the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO); the Southern Ocean (IBCSO); and South East Pacific (IBCSEP). The project is also coordinated with the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) Project, which is co-sponsored by IOC and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). Representatives of the IOC and IHO attend and participate in the IBCWP Editorial Board Meetings.
Activities carried out during 2005-2008
Dr. Shi Suixiang, on behalf of Prof. Hou Wenfeng, Chief Editor of the EB-IBCWP, attended the IOC-CGOM X meeting and the GEBCO-SCUFN XIX meeting in Bremerhaven, Germany in June, 2006. Dr. Shi reported the meeting the progress of the IBCWP project.
In order to report the status of the IBCWP at the 7th WESTPAC Intergovernmental Session, Dr. Shi Suixiang wrote an Email to all the members of the EB-IBCWP, asking for a brief progress report of each Member State. However, no other report has been received except that from China.
China is the Responsible Country of the subregion 3 and participates in the production of some sheets of the subregion 2. During the intersessional period from 2005 to 2008, China completed the compilation of 4 sheets of the subregion 2 (2-8, 2-11, 2-12 and 2-13) and 7 sheets of the subregion 3 (3-8, 3-9, 3-13, 3-14, 3-17, 3-18 and 3-19). The compilation of two sheets of the subregion 2 (2-9 and 2-10) is underway. They will be completed in 2008.