The Master’s program is carried out in collaboration with the Istituto Idrografico della Marina (Italian Navy Hydrographic Institute).

The Istituto Idrografico della Marina is the State Cartographic Authority responsible for producing official national nautical documentation. It conducts systematic analysis of Italian seas using specially equipped hydro-oceanographic vessels of the Navy, in order to produce nautical charts and documents in both traditional and electronic formats.

The Master’s program is designed to meet a specific training need of the Italian Navy, which, in compliance with its institutional duties, must prepare Hydrographic Officers for the subsequent attainment of the international “Category A” certification, recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).

The Institute's headquarters, which also serves as the location for the Master’s classes, is the 19th-century Forte San Giorgio, located at Passo dell'Osservatorio 4, Genova.