The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was mandated to develop and implement a quality assurance program that is equally available to all applicants, under which the Administrator may certify hydrographic products that satisfy standards promulgated by the Administrator. ``Hydrographic products'' are any publicly or commercially available products produced by a non-Federal entity that include or display hydrographic data. The procedures established here by which hydrographic products are proposed for certification; by which standards and compliance tests are developed, adopted, and applied for those products; and by which certification may be awarded or denied are the mandated Quality Assurance Program. The execution of those procedures for specific hydrographic products is the implementation of the program.