SHOM

France’s naval hydrographic and oceanographic service, known by its acronym the SHOM, is a public administrative body which acts under the authority of the French Ministry of Defence. It is tasked with studying and describing the physical marine environment and predicting its evolution. Consequently, it maintains maritime and coastal databases which serve as references on various themes (sea depths, wrecks, currents, water temperature, salinity, composition of the seabed). On behalf of France it publishes nautical reference works, including marine charts. The SHOM has a responsibility to support public policies relating to national defence, the coast and the sea.