The recent successful roll-out of the S-100 suite is an international challenge for the top minds working at the forefront of the nautical charting industry and the broader ocean environment. Consequently, international cooperation and contributions are key. WGIC Member IIC Technologies contributed its expertise within the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) community and with its colleagues who contributed to this project and testing. The project is a testament to the synergy of IHO-industry partnerships as advancements with the S-98 interoperability framework and implementation for key S-100 product specifications have been made together with the development of a framework for the full implementation of S-164.

What is the IHO S-100 Standard?
The S-100 Standard is a framework document that is intended for the development of digital products and services for hydrographic, maritime, and GIS communities. It comprises multiple parts that are based on the geospatial standards developed by the International Organization for Standardization, Technical Committee 211 (ISO/TC211).

Background
As is now well known within the world of electronic charting, the shift towards electronic charting within a universal data(base) model is a primary goal and the successful introduction of the S-100 Framework and its associated suite of product specifications is imperative to the future of safe navigation and the full exploitation of data sets beyond the navigational realm. The process of this introduction is a complex international challenge involving cooperation at the international institutional levels, right down to the minutiae of the technical specifications and operation for a wide range of users.

During 2020 and 2021 IIC Technologies’ Innovation Team have worked with the Korean Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency (KHOA), together with other organizations (PROST, KRISO), and successfully progressed some of the key elements of the S-100 implementation. These key advancements complement the release of the KHOA S-100 viewer into the public domain. With the progress in S-100 rollout during 2020 and 2021, IIC Technologies leading Innovation Team experts have contributed to addressing some of the identified key bottlenecks relating to S-100 s maturity and, ultimately, the use of S-100 for primary navigation. This has been critical work with important outcomes and two key areas were addressed.

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Advancing the introduction of the IHO S-100 Universal Data Model