Shom

What Shom does

Shom (Service hydrographique et océanographique de la marine) is the French national hydrographic and oceanographic service, operating as a public administrative establishment (établissement public à caractère administratif) under the French Ministry of Armed Forces. Founded in 1720 and formally established in its current form in 1817, Shom produces official nautical charts, tide predictions, and oceanographic data for French waters and international waters under French hydrographic responsibility. Its core mandate, anchored in the SOLAS convention, gives it statutory authority over maritime navigation data in French jurisdiction. Customers include the French Navy, maritime authorities (DGAMPA), commercial shipping, offshore energy developers, scientific researchers, recreational mariners, and EU maritime surveillance agencies.

Shom's technical infrastructure spans specialized data acquisition assets (multibeam echo sounders, the Narval Hugin Superior AUV with 6,000m depth rating, autonomous surface drones DriX H9 and MARLIN, airborne topo-bathymetric lidar for the Litto3D program, tide gauges, current meters, and oceanographic buoys) and digital dissemination platforms. Data is published through the data.shom.fr portal, OGC-compliant web services (WMS, WMTS, WFS, CSW, ncWMS), the national nautical information platform PING, and the free Nav&Co mobile application. Proprietary capabilities include tidal harmonic models covering 1700–2100, coupled oceanographic forecast systems (HYCOM, Wavewatch III), the REFMAR national sea level monitoring network, high-resolution bathymetric and sedimentological databases, and underwater acoustic propagation modeling.

Shom generates revenue through five streams: sale of nautical charts and publications (digital via diffusion.shom.fr, paper via authorized resellers), recurring subscription APIs for tide predictions (SPM and SAPM), fee-for-service hydrographic and oceanographic expert engagements procured via the PLACE platform, training through the École du Shom, and licensing of maritime reference data under open or commercial terms. Pricing is set in euros excluding VAT, with paper charts priced at the publisher rate under French law 81-766. Distribution combines direct digital channels, a physical reseller network, mobile app stores, and public procurement for bespoke services.

Name

Shom

Legal name

Service hydrographique et océanographique de la marine (SHOM)

Website

https://shom.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1720

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Shom is France's national hydrographic and oceanographic service, producing official nautical charts, tide predictions, and oceanographic data under the Ministry of Armed Forces for the French Navy, maritime authorities, commercial shipping, offshore energy, and scientific users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydrographic and Oceanographic Services

NAICS

Navigational Services to Shipping (488330), Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Totalizing Fluid Meters & Counting Devices (3824), Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382)

akta.pro primary industry

Nautical Safety, Navigation Aids & Hydrographic Services (TLAHAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hydrodynamics & Performance Engineering (Resistance, Propulsion, Seakeeping, Maneuvering) (IMAJAGAB), Meter Data Management & Analytics (MDM, validation/estimation/editing, usage insights) (EUANAIAB), Navigation & Aids-to-Navigation Works (Beacons, Buoys, Markers) (IMAFAJAH)

Keywords

• Hydrographic surveying services
• Nautical chart production
• Tide prediction APIs
• Oceanographic data services
• Maritime geospatial data

Headquarters

HQ city

Brest

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Sale of Nautical Charts and Publications: Shom generates revenue through the sale of paper and digital nautical charts, sailing directions, light lists, and radio signals publications. Paper charts are sold exclusively through authorized physical resellers. Digital products are sold via the diffusion.shom.fr e-commerce platform with 12-month download access.
2. Subscription API Services for Tide Predictions: Shom provides subscription-based API access for tide prediction services (SPM and SAPM) and oceanographic data streams. Subscribers receive API keys for scripted access to tidal calculations and sea level observations, with billing based on service tier.
3. Hydrographic and Oceanographic Expert Services: Shom offers fee-for-service expert consultations including hydrographic surveys, bathymetric model creation, tide gauge and current meter installation, geophysical surveys, sediment analysis, calibration services, and ship integration services.
4. Training and Education: The Shom School (École du Shom) provides hydrographer training programs, with annual graduation ceremonies producing qualified hydrographers for the French Navy and civilian sectors.
5. Licensing of Maritime Data: Shom licenses its maritime reference data including bathymetry, limits of maritime boundaries, sedimentology, and geophysics under open data or commercial licenses depending on usage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shom produces and distributes official French nautical charts (digital and paper) and provides tide prediction services, oceanographic forecasts, bathymetric data, and sea level monitoring. It operates as France's national hydrographic authority under the Ministry of Armed Forces, generating revenue through chart sales, subscription APIs (SPM/SAPM), fee-for-service hydrographic surveys, and licensing of maritime reference datasets, while publishing foundational data openly via data.shom.fr.

Product overview

Shom (Service hydrographique et océanographique de la marine) is France's governmental hydrographic and oceanographic service, an Établissement Public Administratif under the Ministry of Defence. Its product portfolio is a multi-platform ecosystem centered on maritime reference data and services. The core offerings include: (1) nautical charts and general maritime publications (Cartes Marines, Instructions Nautiques, Lives des Feux, Radiosignaux) sold through the diffusion.shom.fr e-commerce portal; (2) tide prediction services comprising free tide schedules via maree.shom.fr, the paid SUP Marée (SPM API) for port-based tide predictions, and the paid SAPM API for tide predictions at any global sea point; (3) oceanographic products including forecast maps, oceanograms, Copernicus buoy observations, turbidity time series (ROEC), and climatological hindcasts (HYWAT, MEDIWAT); (4) the data.shom.fr portal for geospatial and oceanographic data visualization and download via OGC web services (WMS, WMTS, WFS, CSW, ncWMS); (5) expert services such as hydrographic surveys, MNT/bathymetric terrain models, lidar surveys, seafloor sediment mapping, tide gauge installation, multibeam calibration, vessel equipment integration, and metrology; (6) the national nautical information platform PING and the Nav&Co mobile application for navigators; (7) training through the Shom School of Hydrography and Moodle e-learning. Key autonomous systems include the Narval AUV (Hugin Superior, 6,000 m depth) and MARLIN drone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nav&Co: Free navigation companion mobile application developed in collaboration with OFB and DGAMPA for maritime navigation information, nautical chart reading, and marine biodiversity discovery.
• PING
• REFMAR
• GAN
• Data Shom

Products and services

• Cartes Marines (Nautical Charts) Official nautical charts for marine navigation in French and international waters under French hydrographic responsibility, available in digital and paper formats through the diffusion portal.
• Hydrographic Survey Services (Levés hydrographiques) Hydrographic survey services compliant with IHO S-44 standards, covering shallow to deep water including data acquisition, processing, and delivery for clients needing hydrographic mapping.
• Bathymetric Digital Terrain Models (MNT) Creation of bathymetric digital terrain models using lidar, single-beam, and multibeam sonar data, supporting coastal zone mapping and the Litto3D program.
• Airborne Topo-Bathymetric Lidar Surveys Airborne topo-bathymetric lidar surveys for coastal and littoral zone mapping under the Litto3D program.
• Multibeam Echosounder Calibration Calibration and performance verification of multibeam echosounders on vessels against IHO S-44 accuracy requirements through angular bias adjustment on reference zones.
• Tide Gauge and Current Meter Installation Installation of tide gauges and Doppler-based current meters for real-time sea level and current observation, supporting RONIM, SONEL, and PAPI observation networks.
• Vessel Hydro-Oceanographic Equipment Integration End-to-end integration of hydro-oceanographic equipment on vessels, covering acoustic systems, oceanographic sensors, sediment tools, geophysics, positioning, and attitude measurement from requirements definition through sea trials.
• Hydrographer Training (École du Shom) Hydrographic and oceanographic training programs delivered by the Shom School of Hydrography (École du Shom), including classroom courses and e-learning via Moodle, producing qualified hydrographers for the French Navy and civilian sectors.
• Tide Prediction APIs (SPM / SAPM) Subscription-based tide prediction APIs: SPM for port-based predictions and SAPM for predictions at any global sea point, using Shom's proprietary tidal models covering 1700-2100.
• Géoservices (OGC Web Services) OGC-compliant geospatial web services including WMS, WMTS, WFS, CSW metadata catalogue, and ncWMS for oceanographic NetCDF data, with public endpoints and subscription-based premium layers.
• Marées à la carte (On-Demand Tide Predictions) On-demand tide prediction service for French and international ports, providing high/low water times and heights, coefficients, water heights at fixed intervals, and threshold crossings.
• SAPM - Tide Predictions at Any Point Global tide prediction service for any sea point using Shom's validated tidal models, covering worldwide except southern ocean and enclosed seas with specific tidal characteristics.
• Oceanographic Forecast Maps Spatial oceanographic forecast maps showing distribution of wind, wave, current, water temperature, and salinity conditions.
• HYWAT Atlantic Climate Hindcast (1979-2022) 44-year hindcast (1979-2022) of tide, storm surge, and wave models on the French Atlantic coast, forced by ERA5 atmospheric reanalysis and produced using HYCOM and Wavewatch III models from the HOMONIM project.
• MEDIWAT Mediterranean Sea State Hindcast (2003-2022) 20-year hindcast (2003-2022) of sea state models on the French Mediterranean coast forced by ERA5 reanalysis at 30 km resolution, produced using the Wavewatch III model from the HOMONIM project and funded by DGEC for offshore wind site characterization.
• ROEC Turbidity Time Series Near-bottom turbidity and current observation time series from 7 mooring sites of the ROEC surveillance network, measured by optical turbidimeters and acoustic Doppler current profilers, delivered in CSV and GML INSPIRE formats.
• REFMAR Tide Gauge Network French national tide gauge network coordinated by Shom, providing access to sea level observations from coordinated stations via data.shom.fr, with historical archives, extreme level calculations, and international GLOSS cooperation.
• PING - National Nautical Information Platform National nautical information platform providing official nautical information to all sea users, operational for Metropolitan France, Réunion, Mayotte, and TAAF, and connected to the European CISE network for maritime surveillance data sharing.
• Nav&Co Mobile Application Free mobile application for Android and iOS developed in partnership with OFB and DGAMPA, displaying nautical charts, NAVAREA warnings, buoyage information, marine protected areas, regulations, and a navigation logbook for recreational mariners.
• Album des Pavillons Nationaux et Marques Distinctives Reference publication presenting all national flags and distinctive marks that a ship may encounter at sea or in port, covering all countries with war flags, government marks, and maritime service marks.
• GAN - Online Navigational Warnings Online navigational warnings system providing maritime safety notices to navigators via gan.shom.fr.
• Diffusion.shom.fr E-commerce Portal E-commerce portal for Shom products and services, including nautical charts, publications, tide predictions, oceanographic data, expert services, and training, with account management and payment processing.

Quantifiable outcome

• AUV capability expanded to 6,000m depth with Narval/Hugin Superior deployment
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kongsberg Discovery (Norway)coreOthers · 1 April 2026Shom received Narval, its first autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), a Hugin Superior system manufactured by Norwegian company Kongsberg Discovery. The AUV is capable of exploring seabeds up to 6,000 meters depth for deep-sea bathymetric surveys.
• UKHO (United Kingdom Hydrographic Office)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Shom and UKHO launched an international sea trial program for the new S-100 standard (next-generation hydrographic data transfer standard), marking bilateral cooperation between the two national hydrographic offices on digital charting standards.
• French Naval Shipyards (DGA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Shom placed orders for two new maritime drones in January 2025: the DriX H9 and a micro AUV, expanding its autonomous underwater survey capability beyond the Narval system.
• CISE-ALERT ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022The CISE-ALERT project (November 2022–October 2024) supports the operational launch of CISE (Common Information Sharing Environment), an EU maritime surveillance network. Co-financed by FEAMPA (European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund), the 24-month project brings together 11 partners and 2 associated partners from 8 countries (Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Netherlands). Shom leads integration of its data.shom.fr portal and PING platform into the CISE network, coordinates European data and service cataloging, and produces endurance demonstration reports over 6 months.
• EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMSA pilots the CISE initiative on behalf of the European Commission's DG MARE. Shom cooperates with EMSA on maritime surveillance projects including CISE-ALERT, contributing hydrographic and oceanographic data services to the European maritime surveillance ecosystem.
• European Coast Guard Functions Forum (ECGFF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShom participates in the ECGFF, a European forum bringing together coast guard functions from EU member states to enhance cross-border maritime surveillance cooperation.
• EU Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrontex participates in CISE-ALERT and related EU maritime surveillance projects in which Shom contributes hydrographic and oceanographic data and services.
• European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFCA participates in CISE-ALERT and CISE network activities related to fisheries control and maritime surveillance in which Shom provides data services.
• CISE France Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe national CISE France working group is chaired by the Secretariat General for the Sea (SGMer) and brings together the French Navy, DGAMPA, and the National Customs Guard Directorate (DNGCD) to coordinate French participation in European CISE.
• OFB (Office Français de la Biodiversité)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShom co-developed the Nav&Co mobile application with the OFB (French Biodiversity Office) and DGAMPA. The app provides recreational mariners with nautical information, safety alerts, and marine protected area information. Development was financed by FEAMPA.
• DGAMPA (Direction Générale des Affaires Maritimes, de la Pêche et de l'Aquaculture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner for Nav&Co alongside Shom and OFB, providing maritime policy expertise and financing through FEAMPA for the navigation safety and marine environment application.
• Secrétariat Général de la Mer (SGMer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe General Secretariat for the Sea (SGMer) coordinates the CISE-ALERT project and chairs the CISE France working group. As the coordinating body for French maritime policy, SGMer leads the national integration of EU CISE objectives.
• Géoazur LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Géoazur research laboratory (CNRS/Université Côte d'Azur/OCA/IRD) joined REFMAR as a partner in 2026, providing access to tide gauge observations from the Senetosa (Corsica) observatory collected since 1998.
• HAROPA PORTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHAROPA PORT (Le Havre, Rouen) continues its collaboration with REFMAR by opening access to tide gauge data from Le Havre, complementing existing data from Rouen, making the data available on data.shom.fr.
• MED OSMoSIS ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMED OSMoSIS project preceded CISE-ALERT in integrating Shom's data services into the CISE network. This was the foundational project for connecting data.shom.fr to European maritime surveillance infrastructure.
• Saint-Malo and Regional Partners (PAPI St Malo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe HYWAT climate reanalysis product (44-year hindcast of tides, surges, and waves on the Atlantic coast) was co-financed by Shom, Saint-Malo, Saint-Malo Agglomeration, Ille-et-Vilaine Departmental Council, Brittany Region, and the French State as part of the PAPI St Malo flood risk prevention program.
• IfremerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIfremer hosts the FTP server for distribution of the HYWAT climate reanalysis data product. The data access service is available through Ifremer's data infrastructure.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO): The UKHO is the UK national hydrographic office — a government trading fund that produces official ADMIRALTY nautical charts, tide tables, and navigational products. It is Shom's most direct counterpart in scope, mandate, and product portfolio, including a recent jointly launched S-100 sea trial program.
• Fugro: Fugro is a private Dutch geodata specialist providing hydrographic surveys, seabed mapping, and offshore site characterization. While Shom is a national authority, Fugro directly competes for the same offshore wind, oil & gas, and seabed survey contracts Shom's expert services target.

Broad incumbents

• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): NOAA is the US federal agency encompassing nautical charting, oceanographic monitoring, weather forecasting, and sea level observation. It operates at a much larger scale and broader mandate than Shom, but shares the role of authoritative national provider of nautical charts, tide data, and ocean forecasts.

Emerging players

• Teledyne Marine: Teledyne Marine supplies multibeam echosounders, sonar systems, and hydro-oceanographic instruments used by Shom and its peers. As an instrumentation supplier with growing software and data services, it represents a partial overlap with Shom's survey and instrument-integration capabilities.
• CARIS (Teledyne CARIS): CARIS provides hydrographic processing software (HIPS/SIPS, CARIS Bathy DataBASE) used by Shom and other hydrographic offices to produce nautical charts and bathymetric products. It is a tooling partner with overlapping domain expertise in data production workflows.

Regional players

• EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data Network): EMODnet is an EU-funded portal aggregating marine data across member states. Shom contributes bathymetric and oceanographic data to EMODnet, positioning it as a complementary European infrastructure layer rather than a pure competitor, but they share user communities and data product formats.

Others

• EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency): EMSA is the EU maritime safety agency that pilots the CISE initiative. Shom cooperates with EMSA on maritime surveillance projects, positioning EMSA as a commissioning partner and ecosystem coordinator rather than a direct hydrographic competitor.
• Kongsberg Discovery: Kongsberg Discovery is the Norwegian manufacturer of the Hugin AUV family, including the Hugin Superior deployed as Narval at Shom. It is Shom's key AUV technology supplier and a strategic partner rather than a peer in hydrographic services.
• MacArtney Group: MacArtney supplies underwater connectors, cable systems, and sonar integration for hydrographic and oceanographic platforms. Adjacent to Shom's vessel integration services as a component supplier for the survey and observation infrastructure.
• GEBCO / Seabed 2030 Project: GEBCO and the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project are international initiatives to map the entire ocean floor. Shom contributes bathymetric data to this initiative, making it a partner and contributor rather than a competitor but engaging the same deep-water mapping capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/follow
• Facebookfacebook.com/Shom.fr

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shom