The International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO) mapping program restarted at the end of 2006 after a 2-year break. The program is based at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Since the program restarted, some important topics have been revised and updated: New bathymetric data are being collected by various cruises with R/V Polarstern; new expeditions are being planned and have been carried out to Antarctic waters; a mailing list for improved communication is being established at the National Geophysical Data Center; the IBCSO expert group is being revitalized; and the conceptual design and implementation of the program's geo-database and metadata structure conceptual design and implementation are under way.