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In 1903 an international project to chart the ocean floor - an immense task - was initiated. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of this still continuing project a conference entitled ‘Charting the Secret World of the Ocean Floor’ was held in Monaco from 14th - 16th April 2003. After several 19th century attempts at oceanographic bathymetry, it was Prince Albert I of Monaco who offered at a meeting in Wiesbaden in 1903 to organise and finance the production of a series of charts to be known as ‘la Carte Générale Bathymétrique des Océans’ or General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans: GEBCO.

Prince Albert, well respected for his knowledge and vision concerning the oceans and for oceanographic expeditions with his yachts, was able due to his position and relations he maintained with sovereigns and heads of state to obtain bathymetric information from a variety of ships rather quickly, although these were only leadline soundings in those days. After his death in 1922, the IHO, also supported by Prince Albert, took over the task of collecting soundings and preparing the charts. To better fulfil the requirements of scientists, a Guiding Committee was formed with representatives from IHO and IOC in 1973. The last updated sheet of the 5th edition of the GEBCO-chart series was published in 1995. The changeover to the digital era resulted in the GEBCO Digital Atlas (GDA): a gridded database making it possible to accept survey data from different scales within a seamless dataset. The red line running all through this long-lasting project is clearly the voluntarily contributions by all participants, both in data and in work capacity.

100 Years GEBCO
A conference was held in Monaco from 14th to 16th April to celebrate these one hundred years of enormously hard work and international collaboration.
The conference was opened by His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco. Although the reason for his presence might have been more provident - he was representing his father, HSH Prince Rainier, who regrettably was absent due to illness - it gave a special touch: Prince Albert was the initiator in 1903 and his great great-grandson also named Prince Albert in 2003.
In his opening words Prince Albert mentioned that although GEBCO was the longest project in mapping science it was far from finished and would be continued. Not only are the remaining white, unknown areas still to be filled in but also the detailing is becoming increasingly important. Will there ever be an end to the project? GEBCO, upon which so many from different nations, companies, fishery, science and military organisations have worked, has increasing applications both for science and for industry. Prince Albert unveiled a beautiful commemorative plaque, a copy of which will be placed on the new floating breakwaters of the port of Monaco: impressive works, which will be completed this year.

Presentations
Interesting and well-balanced presentations were held over the three days of the conference. Comprehensibly, it started with a look back over the past one hundred years, after which very current uses were presented of ocean mapping for science, technology, commerce, fisheries, and law of the sea and modelling. The last day of the conference provided a look at the future.
In several presentations the influence of available techniques on the possibilities of collecting and processing GEBCO data was touched upon. Both the equipment on board for data collecting and capabilities for storing, analysing and manipulating the data were discussed. For example, accuracy and ease of positioning from astro-navigation, through Decca Navigator (limited range), LORAN A and C, Omega, Satellite navigation (Transit) to GNSS (GPS, GLONASS) were discussed. Also highlighted were depth measurements, from the time-consuming leadline (10hrs for a spot sounding) through the single beam echosounder of the '30s, SSS, to electronic beam steering techniques (multibeams 1,500,000 soundings/ hour). The introduction and development of computers, which has also had an enormous impact on positioning and depth measurement possibilities, makes it now possible to store data in quantities and to analyse and manipulate it at speeds never dreamed of in the ‘60s. The impact of these developments on the cumulative GEBCO database were illustrated by the following figures: data collected before 1960 comprised only two per cent of the data available in 2000, while this figure is fourteen per cent for data dating from before 1970 and forty per cent for data dating from before 1980. The state-of-the-art in computing power and visualisation software was demonstrated in quite a lot of presentations, showing impressive images and possibilities to manipulate the data. Notwithstanding these impressive demos it was made clear that much more detail of the ocean floor is needed for all kinds of uses, from modelling to the safe trawl of fishing gear through underwater terrain. Developments in data collecting (including multibeam, deep towed sensors and AUVs) can help in this detailing. Considering the vastness of the ocean floor, such detailing may take a ‘while’, if ever, to be completed.
Several presentations took a look into the future of ocean mapping and GEBCO. The new frontiers of GEBCO (collecting, mapping and visualisation) were explored with technology trends (e.g. positioning, sonar and computer technology, platforms and data fusion) in mind. Extrapolating the curve of the developments over the last century, there is a lot to be expected in the future.
A note here: Should fleets of AUVs begin to survey the ocean floor, we need to think in time of ‘rules of the road’ for them. One thing is for sure: our data is never too dense. If we cannot handle it now, we need just to store and keep it accessible: future developments will cope with it for sure. It is sad to hear statements along the lines of: ‘Our data is never too dense’; I not so long ago ‘manually’ (i.e. computer-assisted) plotted depth figures of a low frequency, powerful penetrating deep-sea echosounder on GPS-positioning-based tracks in which just the depth figure took the place of 1,500 meters. That is to say, on average one depth figure/nautical mile and all other information stayed on the echo traces.
The presentations on the present use of ocean mapping/GEBCO data gave an insight into the variety of uses and the importance of enough coverage and detailing. Presentations were also held on the understanding of geological processes, the role of bathymetry in international maritime law and UNCLOS and bathymetric requirements for fishery research, for dynamic modelling of the oceans, for climate and tsunami prediction. Bathymetric influence on ocean circulation dynamics and the use of backscatter were also covered, and there was much more.
One presentation on the commercial impetus behind improved ocean floor charts included interesting facts and figures to prove that just as in 1903, when telegraphic companies were important data suppliers for the first GEBCO-chart, the private sector with its enormous processing/processing capability and the use of GIS can also fulfil this role in 2003.
The very interesting proceedings of the conference are available on CD and may also be ordered from the IHB ([email protected]) for Euro 20.

Besides the Presentations
Chances to socialise and make (or refresh) personal contacts were amply available. Besides the lunch-breaks on numerous outside terraces there were two great cocktail parties, one given by the IHB and one by the Government of Monaco.
The Italian navy had, for the occasion of the conference, directed its new catamaran-type survey ship, Aretusa, to Monaco. The ship was open to conference participants and a hospitable crew gave participants an insight into modern survey equipment. Those interested in the past could, of course, visit the Oceanographic Museum established by Prince Albert in 1910.
The GEBCO centenary has been marked by publication of a book: The History of GEBCO 1903 - 2003. This is a very good, readable and interesting book to mark the occasion, with lots of reproductions taken from all editions, including the GEBCO Digital Atlas (GDA), giving an impression of the achievements since the beginning. The book can be ordered from the IHB ([email protected]) at the price of twenty euros.
Participants at the conference were also given a copy of the centenary edition of the GDA. The contents of this set of CDs contained data suitable for workstations and for PCs, including a PC-based software interface for the visualisation and extraction of data. For copies of this CD and other GDA-products see www.bodc.ac.uk/projects/gebco.
For stamp collectors: the occasion of the ‘100e anniversaire de la Carte Générale Bathymétrique des Océans’ (the GEBCO centenary) has been marked by Monaco with the issue of a special stamp which portrays in a double block an interesting overview of the history of GEBCO, including chart examples. The series offers a definite glimpse into the future: the new IHB-premises are pictured and the ‘old bureau’ is not there! Will IHB use the stamp as a PR-object?