Singapore hydrographer wins top international maritime award

Hydrography is the science of surveying and charting seabed features, tides and currents, and producing nautical charts and data for navigation.

Dr Oei, in a career spanning nearly 40 years, played an early role in advancing the use of satellite positioning and real-time current measurement in hydrographic surveys to improve the accuracy and reliability of marine data.

His contributions to the International Maritime Organization to boost navigational safety include working towards the adoption of electronic chart display systems on ships.

Dr Oei is also an advocate for international cooperation and chaired key regional and global bodies under the IHO. He also contributed to coordinated survey and charting efforts in busy waterways such as the straits of Malacca and Singapore, and established the IHO-Singapore Innovation and Technology Laboratory.

He is now the co-chair of the UN Global Geospatial Information Management Working Group on Marine Geospatial Information, where he pushes for initiatives such as integrating land and sea data to address global challenges, including climate change, disaster resilience and sustainable ocean management.

Dr Oei joins the ranks of leading European and North American hydrographers who have been given the Prince Albert I Medal, including Netherlands Hydrographic Office director Marc van der Donck and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency top official Peter Doherty.