The IOC Post-Tsunami Field Survey Guide was published in 1998 to provide governments and the scientific community with guidance on collecting perishable tsunami data immediately after the event. In 2014, the IOC published its revised Field Survey Guide to take into account the improvements in instrumentation and methods, needs to include the social and economic sciences, ecology, engineering, and other disciplines as importants part of post-tsunami surveys, and starting with the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the significant increase in interest of many scientists to conduct surveys.
The 2014 revision to IOC Manuals and Guide 37, renamed as International Tsunami Survey Team (ITST) Post-Tsunami Survey Field Guide (2nd ed, 2014), describes a flexible framework and guiding principles for undertaking post-tsunami surveys, and provides a set of best practices and templates for individuals and groups considering forming or participating in post-tsunami surveys.