Nautical Almanac Office, including The Nautical Almanac and The Astronomical Almanac, among others. Today, the UKHO has expertise in areas such as bathymetry, oceanography, geodesy and data science. It provides advice on technical aspects of Law of the Sea, specialising in maritime limits and boundaries. It also delivers a range of cartographic and ENC training programmes delivered internationally to develop the core skills of marine cartography. Since 2015, the UKHO has supported the delivery of the Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme in partnership Cefas and NOC, a programme enabling Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to sustainably develop their marine economies. Admiralty List of Lights and Fog Signals The UKHO publishes the Admiralty List of Lights and Fog Signals covering the whole world in 12 volumes. The information is also available in digital form. Access to data The UKHO is the government department responsible for charting the seas. It is part of the Ministry Of Defence, and operates as a trading fund, enabling it to be self-funding through sale of products and licensing of data. The UKHO sources much of its information from foreign governments to whom it pays royalty fees funded by the profits it makes. The UKHO grants six different licences, according to the use of the product. Whilst it generally allows use for non-navigational, non-commercial or low value purposes free of charge (over 80% of licences), where licensing is for use in a commercial product, a licence fee is charged. The UKHO is committed to the Information Fair Traders Scheme and makes available for reuse those data that are collected as part of its Public Task, which do not include third party Intellectual Property Rights. In the Information Fair Trader Scheme Report on the UKHO in April 2011 it states that the UKHO data will not be included in the Public Data Corporation to make government owned data more freely available, but it does recommend that the "UKHO should consider the introduction of a Free Navigational Licence" for non-commercial or low value use, consistent with its treatment of non-navigational use. List of chief executives 1994–1996: Rear-Admiral Nigel Essenhigh 1996–2001: Rear-Admiral John P. Clarke 2001-2006: Wyn Williams 2006–2011: Mike Robinson 2011–2015: Rear Admiral Ian Moncrieff 2015–2019: John Humphrey 2019–2020: Rear Admiral Tim Lowe 2020–present: Rear Admiral Peter Sparkes (acting) See also Admiralty chart Australian Pilot Geospatial Commission Hydrographic office References External links 1795 establishments in Great Britain Executive agencies