Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Articles

Number 7 (2012)

Production and Validation Solutions for Improving ENC Consistency

Submitted
August 13, 2013
Published
2012-01-01

Abstract

Paper charts have traditionally been produced as discrete entities. With the advent of the Electronic Navigation Chart (ENC) and the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) it has become possible to view multiple “charts” of varying scales on one seamless display. The ECDIS display has revealed that some of the assumptions and processes used to produce stand alone chart products are no longer valid for ENC production, and result in data inconsistencies and a disjointed chart display. The ENC is not a chart in the traditional sense. From the mariner’s point of view, the dynamic and seamless ECDIS display is the chart. Cartographic principles that apply to individual charts need to be applied to the seamless display, whether it is composed of one or multiple ENCs. The challenge for ENC producers today is to ensure consistent encoding of features that span multiple ENCs. The growing need for hydrographic offices to implement spatial data infrastructures (SDI) and the current development of the S-101 ENC Product Specification provide the perfect opportunity to address ENC consistency. With the aid of modern enterprise production suites, production guidelines and validation software, ENC producers will be in a position to produce high quality and consistent ENCs.