Hydrographic Surveys

CHS hydrographers are actively engaged in surveying and measuring Canada’s inland navigable waterways out to the edge of the continental shelf and beyond, the Great Lakes, and the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Ocean coasts. The data collected by hydrographers is used to produce authoritative nautical charts and publications which support a broad range of marine activities.

Hydrographic surveys capture water depths, geographical features, hazards to navigation, man-made and natural features that aid navigation, tides, currents and water levels, and sea bottom characteristics. We follow rigorous, internationally-recognized standards and guidelines when we conduct hydrographic surveys.

To learn more about our guidelines and standards:

• Management Guidelines for Hydrographic Surveys (HTML)  (PDF)
• Standards for Hydrographic Surveys (HTML) (PDF)

To see where we conduct these surveys, you can access our interactive survey locator:

• Hydrographic Survey Locator