S-41X Further Developments

Safe navigation throughout the world’s oceans is critical for mariner’s while they operate ships. These operations are a major driving force for consistency in the global supply chain; even if it is not well known to the general public. However, when disruptions occur there are drastic effects on the supply chain which in turn has effects on everyday life. There have been many incidents over the years that could have been avoided if vessels had the proper information to help aid in their decisions. The navigation systems that ships currently use are dated and are in need to be improved upon. This need is what brought about the conception of S-100.

S-100 is an international effort to improve navigation systems and is being led by the IHO while collaborating with other international bodies. This development is a list of standards for portrayals of bathymetric, hydrographic, and environmental data; the data provided will be used to modernize electronic navigation and enhance safety and efficiency. Included in the S-100 product suite is S-41X and consisting of four different product specifications for marine weather information. The four specifications are S-411 dynamic ice information, S-412 marine weather warnings, S-413 graphical and gridded data, and S-414 observations; these product specs will be utilized in electronic charting systems (ECS) and Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS). This under the regulations and guidance of the WMO will enhance the mariner’s ability to navigate ships safely across the world’s oceans. For this project the WMO has designated NOAA’s OPC to the role of creating the product specs for the S-41x product suite. For our office to complete this task, collaboration has been essential and we have been working alongside several other agencies such as Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the IHO, WMO, and other NOAA offices such as NOS’s precision marine navigation team to bring about further developments. Alongside this there has also been efforts to increase user feedback to get a more well rounded idea of how the mariner uses this equipment to increase our comprehension. Efforts to increase user interaction has included ship visits and working with the Maritime Institute of Technology And Graduate Studies (MITAGS). Our meetings and visits have given the development team a better understanding of what the equipment we are building is and a sense of how it is used daily for seafarers on ships. These meetings with mariners have been instrumental to ensuring that these products are formed to what those using them want. Our team has been working diligently to investigate the process of preparing weather polygons to be generated on test websites and other platforms. This will not just help us further along the development but the visual representation will encourage more feedback from end users.

S-100 and the edition of the S-41x product suite is essential in the next rendition of ship navigation systems. There have been many developments in the past few years to further this project along, while actively collecting feedback from those who will use our products. With the introduction of this new system, there is the potential to ensure that ships have the information they need to navigate safely. In turn this will not only have an economic impact but also the potential to save lives at sea.