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Articles

Number 8 (2012)

The New IHO S-102 Standard: Charting a New Frontier for Bathymetry

Submitted
September 3, 2013
Published
2012-11-30

Abstract

Soundings and contours are the only official way data producers can push bathymetric information to the wide hydrographic community. The introduction of the S-102 standard for bathymetry will enable many possibilities within the community of bathymetry users. Liaising with the International Hydrographic Organization’s (IHO) Transfer Standard Maintenance and Application Development (TSMAD) Working Group, the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) and the US Naval Oceano-graphic Office (NAVO) has led the development and practical testing of this revolutionary standard, officially called the Bathymetric Surface Product Specification S‑102. In partnership with IIC Technologies, GeoNet Technologies, and CARIS, CHS created one of the first prototypes of S‑102 datasets, using the CARIS Bathy DataBASE software suite. A portfolio of 86 high definition bathymetric charts was subsequently produced within a few weeks, successfully validating a speci-fication that will potentially change the manipulation of bathymetric data we’ve known for years.