'Hydrography -- Indian Navy' ... Naval Hydrographic Department Introduction & Objectives The NHO Methodology Customers & Commitments Training Institute Courses at NHO Electronic Navigation Charts International Hydrographic Co-operation Offshore Development Surveys Coastal Zone Management Customer Request Form Chart Catalogue  Notices to Mariners OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT SURVEYS The Indian Naval Hydrographic Department undertakes various types of surveys including Offshore Industrial surveys, which require support of a wide range of Hydrographic, Oceanographic and Geophysical service. The search for offshore Hydrocarbons and Minerals continues and so does the requirement for these surveys. The Department, currently, has eight indigenously constructed ocean going Hydrographic Surveying vessels. These vessels are capable of undertaking all types of Offshore Industrial surveys, meeting stringent International standards. Indian Naval Surveying Ships are fitted with Digital Survey and Processing Systems interfaced to a number of shipborne modern Hydrographic, Oceanographic and geophysical/geotechnical equipment. Specific features of these ships are as follows:- Prolonged low speed operation · High endurance Shipborne Helicopter support for survey operations · Good  maneuverability Low draught for shallow operations · Good habitability Four Survey Motor Boats for survey work close inshore. The Survey Motor Boats are rugged and specially designed for optimum exploitation of sophisticated surveying equipment. These boats are highly maneuverable with quick engine responses. All are fitted with dual frequency precision Echo sounders and some with Multibeam Swath Echo Sounders and Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers. These boats are extensively deployed in shallow waters for collection of data along the coastal belt. The ships are fitted out for maximum functional utility with a wide range of equipment and systems. The Survey Operations Room situated adjacent to the Navigational Bridge, has all the Hydrographic equipment sensors and the Digital Surveying System. The major Hydrographic equipment onboard the ships are:- DGPS Positioning System (Short/Long Range) · Infra-red Micro Distancer Terrestrial based Position fixing systems · Electronic Current Meters Electronic Distance Measuring · Total Stations Electronic Theodolites and Levels · Digital Survey & Processing Systems Multi-beam Swath Echo Sounder (shallow/Deep) · Marine Magnetometer Deep Sea Echo Sounder · Sea Gravitimeter Digital Side Scan Sonar · Oceanographic and Meteorological instruments. Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers Geodetic GPS/DGPS Receivers · Wide variety of Geophysical sensors Geotechnical Instrumentation · Portable DPS and Heave Compensators Queries and requests for Offshore Development surveys may be addressed to The Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India in the Customer Request Form.