IODE's 50th anniversary

28-Nov-2008: During the Intergovernmental Conference on Oceanographic Research, 1960, at which the setting up of an Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission was iode50.gifrecommended, certain initial tasks for the new Commission were outlined and amongst these was included the requirement for a structure to co-ordinate international oceanographic data exchange (already at that time it was recognized that oceanographic exchange was impossible without global access to data).

The first formal establishment of a Working Group on Exchange of Oceanographic Data was made by IOC Resolution I-9 adopted at the First Session of the Commission in October 1961, which also prescribed that:

"The mission of this Working Group shall be the facilitating of exchange of oceanographic data, the standardization of forms for reporting and coding data, the encouragement of the preparation of data catalogues, and the assistance of development of national oceanographic data centres."

We therefore consider 1961 as the official "date of birth" of the IODE, making 2011 the 50th anniversary of the IOC Committee on International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE).

To celebrate this important milestone in the history of the IOC (which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2010) we are inviting all members of the IODE familty to dig deep into the historical archives for old reports, photographs, anecdotes, etc. The IODE Secretariat will post these items on the IODE web site starting December 2008.

A Table of Contents of the IODE Archive will be made available and regularly updated.

 
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