S-57 Overview

S-57 Standard, the full name of which is Digital Hydrographic Data Transfer Standard ( IHO Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data ). Electronic Chart is a standard for the exchange of digital hydrological data. The standard is intended to regulate the exchange of digital hydrographic data among national hydrographic services and their distribution to manufacturers, seafarers and other data users.

  • S-57 and Electronic Chart (ENC): ENC is a digital Sea Graph Database made according to the S-57 standard for ECDIS. The ENC contains all the necessary information for navigation and is certified by the official hydrographic department to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data. By using ENC, ships can realize electronic navigation and improve navigation safety and efficiency.
  • Main features of S-57
    • Data Standardization: S-57 provides a unified data structure and Encode Type to ensure that data from different sources can be compatible and interoperable.
    • Support rich navigation information: The standard can describe a variety of navigation elements, including geographical features, channel information, navigation AIDS, seabed topography, etc., to provide comprehensive navigation support for navigators.
    • Widely used: S-57 has been adopted by most countries in the world and has become the main standard for the production of electronic navigation charts, meeting the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) for Electronic Charts.
  • Future development: With the development of navigation technology, IHO is promoting a new standard S-101, which is a new generation of electronic navigation chart product specifications based on the S-100 universal hydrographic data model. The S-101 will replace the S-57, offering richer Data Types and greater flexibility to support more advanced navigation applications and services. It is expected that in the 2030s, S-101 will replace S-57 in an all-round way and become the new international standard.

This section will introduce you to the following:

  • S-57 Data Conversion : Describes the ability to import *.000 Chart Data files and export standard Chart Data.
  • Basic operation of chart : It introduces the basic operation contents of opening the chart, including opening the chart, viewing the attribute of Chart Group, viewing the attribute of the characteristic object, and the Display Control of the object element.
  • The chart shows : Set the chart display, including Chart Show Settings, Water Depth Show Settings, Filtering Show Settings, etc.
  • Chart object query : Introduce three Query modes of Object Long Name, Record ID and object attribute.
  • Chart Edit : describes operations related to Chart Edit. It includes feature object Dataset, object Editing, depth point editing, association Relationship Management, topology Relationship Management, etc.
  • Integration of land and sea : It introduces the support of SuperMap Desktop Chart Module for sea-land integrated storage, sea-land integrated display and sea-land integrated publishing.