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.
