The important role of international standards in transforming maritime
data into usable information for e-Navigation: methods and application
Abstract
e-Navigation—the digitalization and harmonization of data collection,
integration, exchange, presentation, and analysis on board and
ashore—is an International Maritime Organization initiative that
enhances marine navigation and supports safety of life at sea. As
e-Navigation and marine activities continue to grow and become more
diverse, data providers and users are also becoming more diverse, and
the number of data types and sources and amount of data are increasing.
Thus, there is an important need to standardize the data into uniform,
usable formats so that 1) navigation systems can easily integrate and
seamlessly display the data, and 2) mariners can make effective,
accurate, and swift navigation decisions based on those data. Effective
international standards are developed in consideration of all
stakeholder countries’ needs, with the flexibility to evolve to cater to
new user requirements. Following these principles, the International
Hydrographic Organization has developed a framework for standardization
of maritime data products (the S-100 Universal Hydrographic Data
Model)—a “standard for standards.” S-100 serves as the umbrella
structure by which all other data products should follow, such as high
resolution bathymetry (S-102), water levels (S-104), surface currents
(S-111), and weather (S-412). This presentation will provide insight
into the development and application of international standards for
three maritime data products: S-104, S-111, and S-412. Further, we will
provide examples of how a data provider employs the international S-100
standard, via state-of-the-art work at the NOAA/National Ocean Service
(NOS)/Office of Coast Survey that is converting in real-time, gridded
NOS Operational Forecast System surface current predictions into an
S-100/S-111 compliant format. Future work includes developing
interoperability standards and testing products to ensure they meet user
needs.