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Monaco Inaugurates New GEBCO Seabed Mapping Secretariat

The new Secretariat will coordinate global ocean mapping efforts and facilitate international data sharing initiatives.

Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Geography

Isometric editorial illustration of stylized deep-ocean topography, representing global mapping efforts for the GEBCO seabed program.
The GEBCO Secretariat, a new body in Monaco, will centralize global ocean mapping efforts to accelerate seabed data collection and sharing. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Prince Albert II of Monaco officially inaugurated the GEBCO Secretariat, a new central body tasked with accelerating global seabed mapping progress. The office will coordinate data sharing initiatives and manage partnerships to support the ambitious goals of the GEBCO program.

Why it matters

Establishing a permanent Secretariat provides the organizational infrastructure needed to accelerate mapping initiatives and unify data contributions from hundreds of global organizations. This central coordination is essential for achieving the GEBCO 2024-2030 Strategy goal of doubling global ocean mapping capacity.

The GEBCO global grid currently accounts for 104 million square kilometers of the ocean floor, utilizing data contributed by approximately 220 organizations. The Government of Monaco has secured the Secretariat's operations for an initial period of three years.

The players

Prince Albert II

The reigning monarch of Monaco who officially inaugurated the new GEBCO Secretariat.

Sam Harper

He serves as the Head of the GEBCO Secretariat and leads the coordination of mapping initiatives.

GEBCO

This program operates under the joint auspices of the IOC and the IHO to map the world ocean floor.

The details

Operating under the joint auspices of the IOC and the IHO, the Secretariat is housed within the IHO offices in Monaco. The agency will focus on shaping a policy environment that encourages data sharing and facilitates the growth of mapping initiatives.

Timeline

  1. 1903: The first GEBCO charts were published.

  2. October 15, 2026: The new Secretariat was officially inaugurated.

  3. April 2026: The GEBCO global grid was released.

  4. 2021-2030: The period of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science.

  5. 2024-2030: The duration of the current GEBCO Strategy.

The Big Picture

The establishment of this Secretariat aligns with the ongoing United Nations Decade of Ocean Science, marking a structural advancement in international oceanography. This shift moves the field from disparate, decentralized mapping efforts toward a unified global framework for data synthesis.

The improved global mapping grid will provide scientists and industries with higher-resolution data, potentially leading to more accurate climate models and improved subsea navigation. Increased data sharing will likely accelerate the development of new ocean-based technologies and sustainable management strategies.

The takeaway

The creation of a dedicated Secretariat signals a major professionalization of ocean mapping that could drastically speed up discovery. Increased international cooperation will be the primary driver for filling the remaining gaps in our knowledge of the ocean floor.

Further reading

Learn more about global ocean mapping efforts in the Geography section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Ocean News & Technology.

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