Survey of Bangladesh
Profile
- Head
- Nur-E-Alam Mohammad Jobayer Sarwar
- Role
- Surveyor General
- Annual budget
- —
- Staff
- —
- Established
- 1971
- Legal basis
- Transformed from Survey of Pakistan (Dhaka regional office) into Survey of Bangladesh under the Ministry of Defence upon Bangladesh's independence on 16 December 1971; operates as a government department under the Rules of Business of the Government of Bangladesh.
SOB is processing results of the April 2026 GNSS geodetic survey of Bangladesh's contested highest peaks; official announcement of the country's definitive highest peak was expected in early May 2026. Simultaneously, SOB continues nation-wide 1:25,000 topographic mapping (IDMS/JICA project) and operates the NSDI geospatial data portal (nsdi.gov.bd) as the national geodata clearinghouse.
Recent activity
- 2026-04-04 other SOB launched a GNSS-based geodetic survey (April 4-12) in Ruma and Thanchi upazilas, Bandarban, to definitively determine Bangladesh's highest mountain peak among the contested candidates Tajingdong, Keokradong, and Saka Haphong. The survey used RTK GNSS receivers and a new national geoid model enabling centimetre-level mean-sea-level elevation accuracy. Surveyor General Brig Gen Jobayer Sarwar led the operation; Deputy Director (Survey) Debashish Sarker supervised field teams. ↗↗↗
- 2026-04-12 other Field survey in Bandarban concluded; results transferred to Dhaka for analysis. Government signalled intention to officially declare the country's highest peak in the first week of May 2026 based on GNSS-derived ellipsoidal heights converted to orthometric elevations via the new geoid model. ↗↗
Provenance & notes
SOB traces its institutional lineage to the Bengal Survey founded 1 January 1767 by the East India Company; after partition (14 August 1947) it became Survey of Pakistan with a Dhaka regional office comprising 2 directorates, 2 field parties, 1 drawing office, 1 photogrammetric office, and a geodetic department; it became Survey of Bangladesh upon independence in 1971. The Surveyor General holds the rank of Brigadier General from the Corps of Engineers, Bangladesh Army. established_year is recorded as 1971 (legal successor state entity); the 1767 colonial founding is noted here for context. No sanctioned staff count or separate SOB budget line is publicly disclosed; SOB falls under the Ministry of Defence grant. annual_budget_bdt and fy_budget_year left null -- SOB's allocation is not itemised separately in published MoD budget documents. The head name 'Nur-E-Alam Mohammad Jobayer Sarwar' and appointment date 28 December 2023 are cross-verified via the April 2026 peak survey news coverage (GPS World, Dhaka Tribune, TBS News) and a biographical reference in search metadata; the exact romanisation 'Jobayer' (not 'Zobayer') is used as it appears in Dhaka Tribune and TBS News coverage. The GNSS highest-peak survey results had not been officially announced as of 2026-05-17; last_known_position reflects pre-announcement status.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survey_of_Bangladesh
- https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Survey_of_Bangladesh
- https://sob.gov.bd/
- https://sob.gov.bd/site/page/ce9caaaf-115a-48d0-a643-9ee7fe9d9f67/Establishment-of-NSDI
- https://nsdi.gov.bd/
- https://www.un-spider.org/survey-bangladesh-sob
- https://www.gpsworld.com/survey-to-determine-highest-mountain-peak-begins/
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/406955/survey-to-determine-highest-mountain-peak-begins
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/survey-determine-bangladeshs-highest-peak-begins-1402526
- https://www.jagonews24.com/en/national/news/91698
- https://grokipedia.com/page/survey_of_bangladesh