16 November 2010
The e-Navigation Working Group at IMO NAV 56 in July 2010 decided to hold a workshop on data structures, following a presentation by IHO on the S-100 Registry template and subsequent discussions. The Norwegian Coastal Administration sponsored the workshop, which was held at International Hydrographic Office in Monaco.
The Director of IHO, Robert Ward and the Chairman of the IMO e-Navigation Working Group, Jon Erik Hagen, welcomed the participants and presentations were given in the opening session by IMO, IHO, IALA, ICS, IHMA and JCOMM.
IMO (Capt Singhota) reminded the meeting of the Secretary General’s words at NAV 56 urging members to concentrate on the core business of e-Navigation and not be diverted on to other matters.
IHO (Robert Ward) stated that the S-100 Registry was available and that IHO would facilitate its use by other organisations for their own data domains.
IALA (Gary Prosser) mentioned the work being done within the IALA e-Navigation Committee on a Universal Maritime Data Model (UMDM), noted the introduction of S-100 and said that their compatibility was being investigated. However, he also observed that providing resources to implement an IALA domain would need the approval of the IALA Council.
John Murray, Director of the International Chamber of Shipping said that ICS reserved judgement on the “compelling need” for e-Navigation and cautioned against the view that the shipping industry could be treated as a “cash cow” to fund new developments.
Mike Hadley for IHMA (International Harbour Masters Association) noted that his members had recognised the need for a common format for information on port services and this was being implemented. However, IHMA did not have any technical resources and might be interested in setting up a domain under S-100.
Nick Ashton for JCOMM (Joint Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology) observed that the collection and processing of meteorological data has been developed over many years. The primary requirement is for up to date information for forecasting.
More detailed presentations were then given on behalf of the Norwegian Coastal Administration by Jon Leon Ervik, by Robert Ward on S-100 and by IALA (Nick Ward and Jan-Hendrik Oltmann) on the current IALA position (Guideline 1072) and the development of a Universal Maritime Data Model.
Two further sessions covered Emerging Methodologies and Governance, Marine Data Structures and Service Delivery Architectures, with presentations from various bodies including WMO, EC, FIG and ESRI.
In the closing discussion: it was noted that IMO only provided minimum standards – a certified data package must get to its destination intact. It would need a major change in thinking to include authentication, encryption and a guaranteed provider.
The Chairman’s Summary concluded that IALA has been addressing the need for a data framework to support the delivery of shore-based e-Navigation services. The IHO has developed S-100 to support a variety of hydrographic related digital data sources, products and customers. In answer to the workshop question “can there be a common data structure to use as a baseline for e-Navigation” it was concluded that S-100 should be considered as a baseline.
Recommendations also included the establishment of a harmonisation group by IMO and that IALA and IHO should continue their close liaison. Other domains relevant to e-Navigation should be invited to contribute through the Harmonisation Group to achieve inter-operability where appropriate. The Chairman’s summary is available for download.
Key Findings: The workshop agreed that IMO should consider setting up a Harmonisation Group on Data Structures. The IHO S-100 registry should be the baseline and an important element of e-Navigation.
