48. Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-

‘‘contiguous zone” means the zone which may not extend beyond twenty four nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured;

‘‘digital data” means information obtained or created by the operation of electronic equipment in the course of hydrographic surveying, nautical charting or related incidental activities;

‘‘exclusive economic zone” means the zone which shall not extend beyond two hundred nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured;

‘‘Fair sheets” means bathymetric data set in digital or graphic formats;

‘‘hydrography” means the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary purpose of safety of navigation and in support of all other marine activities, including economic development, security and defence, scientific research and environmental protection;

‘‘hydrographic services” includes the management, maintenance, interpretation, certification and dissemination of bathymetric, hydrographic, shoreline, geodetic, geospatial, geomagnetic, and tide, water level, and current information, including the production of nautical charts, nautical information databases, and other products derived from hydrographic data; the development of nautical information systems and related activities;

‘‘hydrographic survey” means any conduct of hydrography;

‘‘hydrographic surveyor” means any person who studies and practices the science of hydrography complies with the international standard of competence as laid down by the international organizations;

‘‘hydrospatial ” means the hydrospatial sciences and denoting data, information and knowledge that is associated with a particular location and time of the earth’s water and there contiguous zones;

‘‘internal waters” mean waters located landward of the base lines from which the territorial sea is measured and includes such as rivers, lakes, ponds and reservoirs of Sri Lanka;

“marine” means anything related to navigation or shipping and includes anything related to or connected with the sea and refers to things which are used or adopted for the use at sea;

“marine data” means data relating to navigation or shipping and includes any data related to or connected with sea and the refers to data which are used or adopted for the use at sea;

‘‘marine geospatial data ” includes dense data on the depth of oceans, magnetic nature, gravity changes, sound wave propagation in sea water temperature and pressure variations, behaviour of ocean currents and tides in the coastal zone of Sri Lanka;

‘‘maritime” means bordering on, concerned with or related to the sea; and

‘‘maritime zone” means any maritime zone declared under the Maritime Zones Law, No. 22 of 1976 and includes –

the contiguous zone;

the exclusive economic zone;

the continental shelf; and

the pollution prevention zone, declared by Proclamation in terms of the aforesaid Law, and any other zone which may be declared at a future date under the said Law;