August 13, 2009 -- Following a landmark agreement with the Norwegian Hydrographic Service, SeaZone is rolling out the next stage of its global marine mapping programme. The contract, signed at the 4th Extraordinary International Hydrographic Conference in Monaco, provides SeaZone access to base data for the whole of the North Sea, which will be used to further enhance the coverage of SeaZone HydroSpatial, the world leading digital marine mapping solution, and other geographic information products.

“This is a significant milestone in our global marine mapping programme,” commented Dr Mike Osborne, Managing Director and Founder of SeaZone Solutions Ltd, “enabling us to develop the coverage of SeaZone HydroSpatial for areas that were previously unavailable. Only by forging close working relationships with international Hydrographic Offices, such as Norway, can we realise the vision of a single, worldwide, authoritative marine map.”

“The International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) constitution encourages hydrographic offices to consider a wider range of activities and applications beyond their traditional role of supporting safety of life at sea and navigation,” commented Kai Svennungsen, Key Account Manager at the Norwegian Hydrographic Service. “This contract confirms our position as forward thinking organisation and a strong advocate of this vision, contributing to the protection and development of international marine resources and securing additional value from our data and expertise.”

SeaZone HydroSpatial is the first "off the shelf" authoritative digital marine mapping, engineered and maintained from raw material from hydrographic offices and other data agencies. HydroSpatial provides reference information comparable with land mapping and is designed for easy access and cost effective use in desktop and web GIS, satisfying the majority of user needs and applications. SeaZone Hydrospatial consists of six topic layers including Bathymetry and Elevation, Natural and Physical Features, Structures and Obstructions, Socio Economic and Marine Use, Conservation and Environmental Protection and Climate and Oceanography.

SeaZone currently has agreements in place with the United Kingdom and other leading Hydrographic Offices including; Netherlands, South Africa, Germany, Argentina, Denmark, Spain and many more. The continued expansion in coverage of HydroSpatial, achieved as a result of these agreements, will enable SeaZone to better serve the requirement for geographic information from international markets such as renewable energy, under-sea communications and marine transport as well as more traditional environmental, conservation and risk management programmes.

Contact:
Alison Smith,
Marketing & Sales Manager, SeaZone,
Tel: +44 (0) 870 013 0607,
Email: Email Contact,
Web: www.SeaZone.com