The Ecuadorian Hydrographic Office was established in 1932 to be in charge of the hydrographic surveys that were used for the first group of nautical charts of the Ecuadorian coast. In 1972 the Ecuadorian Hydrographic Office was elevated to a higher category, creating the Oceanographic Institute of the Navy (INOCAR). This was charged with the arduous and exclusive task of providing safety of navigation to mariners, carrying out oceanographic research and compiling national nautical cartography. The geographic area includes the Galapagos Islands and the Antarctic. The institute is also the representative of the state on hydrographic and oceanographic matters.
INOCAR is organically constituted of three technical departments:
- the Department of Aids to Navigation, in charge of maintaining the system of nautical signalling and communications, and nautical publications such as sailing directions, list of lights and notices to mariners
- the Department of Sciences of the Sea, to accomplish, address, co-ordinate and control works of exploration and oceanographic, geophysical and environmental research, results of which have served as a basis for diagnoses and predictions regarding possible impacts in the coastal area
- INOCAR participates actively in the Program Regional Study of the phenomenon El Niño (ERFEN) so as to be able to mitigate any damage caused by it to social, economic and human activity. INOCAR is responsible for the monthly preparation and publication of the Bulletin of Alert Climatic (BAC), a monthly publication of the Permanent Commission of Southern Pacific that analyses oceanic and atmospheric conditions for the Southeast Pacific. It issues the forecast in the next three months
- we work jointly with Pacific Tsunami Center, where we maintain the system of Tsunami alert and study of this phenomenon
- the Department of Hydrography of the Institute has followed the changes in methodology made possible by technological advances in surveying and processing as they have evolved from line-and-sextant to completely integrated DGPS, echosounders and other sensors that have allowed us to obtain a better knowledge of the seabed.
By a similar evolutionary process we have changed our old cartographic scheme that was made in PSAD 56 datum to a new charting scheme in WGS 84 to fulfil guidelines set down in ISO and IHO international norms. This has also allowed us to avoid duplicity of effort when elaborating the cells of electronic navigational charts.
The Ecuadorian Oceanographic Data Center is an organisation attributed to the INOCAR, in charge of collecting and storage of hydrographic and oceanographic data gathered by national and foreign ships and observations in territorial waters.
In relation to the importance for national interests of the Convention of the United Nations on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), INOCAR is responsible for carrying out all necessary technical studies for the National Ecuadorian Commission of the Law of the Sea. This will ensure that our country works according to UNCLOS (CONVEMAR, Convención del Mar).
For more information on INOCAR you are invited to visit our website at www.inocar.mil.ec. |
