The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) S-100 Universal Hydrographic Data Model is the latest evolution for the IHO’s approach to Digital Hydrographic Data. Anticipation for the standard has been growing in the hydrographic community over the past few years. The S-100 series of standards expands the variety of supported digital hydrographic data sources and products. Conformance with ISO/TC211 standards allows S-100 to leverage the power of GIS for the hydrographic community by maximizing interoperability with other geospatial data type and platforms. It is also going to be compatible with other industry standards such as NATO DIGEST, which will expand data applications for the hydrographic community beyond chart production.
Esri’s Maritime team is actively involved in the development of the IHO S-100 Universal Hydrographic Data Model. We actively participate in both the IHO S-100 Working Group and related S-101 and Test Strategy Development project teams, the ENC Standards Maintenance Working Group and the Hydrographic Services and Standards Committee (HSSC).
As an industry partner for the design of the S-101 standard, Esri in partnership with NOAA has developed an IHO S-57 to S-101 converter to support the S-100 Test Strategy Working Group and HSSC in testing and validating the S-101 standard before it becomes published for the international hydrographic community. The current release of the converter (version 0.8.19) was developed against the S-100 Test Strategy baseline.
As the S-101 Product Specification matures over the next year as feedback from the S-100 Test Strategy project team and other S-100WG members is presented at the next S-100WG meeting held in Tokyo, Japan 14-18 March 2016, Esri will continue with its commitment to provide IHO and the community a free S-57 to S-101 Converter. If you’re interested, please email maritime@esri.com to request a copy.
Esri’s Maritime team is committed to ensuring that our users have access to the latest in hydrographic standards and data formats. We will continue to be on the front of the S-100 discussions and will be prepared and excited to support the standards once they are completed. For any questions about the S-100 standard or Esri’s commitment to supporting it and the industry, please email maritime@esri.com.
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