Marking World Hydrography Day, the Seabed 2030 Project – a collaboration between The Nippon Foundation and GEBCO – has revealed that over a quarter of the world’s ocean floor has now been mapped to modern standards. With an additional four million square kilometres of seafloor data collected, the mapped area now covers 27.3% of the global ocean – a region comparable in size to the Indian subcontinent.

This progress comes amid growing global momentum. At last week’s UN Ocean Conference in Nice, world leaders and marine experts called for bold, collaborative action to unlock the ocean’s potential in tackling global challenges. From climate resilience to food security, the ocean plays a vital role – yet much of it remains unmapped. Seabed 2030 seeks to change that.

Blue economy

Established by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), World Hydrography Day raises awareness of the critical role that hydrography plays in advancing our understanding of the ocean. This year’s theme, ‘Seabed Mapping: Enabling Ocean Action’, highlights how bathymetric data underpins the blue economy – supporting sustainable marine energy, coastal tourism and fisheries – and contributes to global efforts to protect biodiversity and tackle climate change.

From improving tsunami early-warning systems to guiding the installation of undersea cables and identifying biodiversity hotspots, seafloor data enables informed, real-world action.

Over the past 12 months, Seabed 2030 has welcomed data contributions from 14 new organizations – including first-time contributions from five new countries: Comoros, Cook Islands, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania. With data now contributed by over 185 organizations worldwide, the project continues to galvanize global support towards a fully mapped ocean floor.