Australia host Malaysia in the next IC-ENC secondment
Australian Hydrographic Office (AHO) have successfully completed hosting the IC-ENC Secondment “Validation Overview” with Lt Cdr Gs Muhamad Khairul bin Abdullah RMN as the successful secondee from National Hydrographic Centre (NHC) of Malaysia. The secondment was conducted between 2nd to 6th September 2024 at AHO, Wollongong, Australia.
Day 1: The Secondment began with meeting Director National Charting, Alvaro Sanchez, Assistant Directors Michael Andrew, Ben Hazelgrove, Andrew Austin, Rob Cario, Alper Celebi, Gabi Balla and Richard Cullen, Director of National Hydrography. Everyone shared their aspirations towards leading AHO and promoting safety for navigation whilst bringing the organization in line with current technologies.
Ben Hazelgrove, Michael Andrew, Andrew Austin, Robert Cario, Alper Celebi, Gabriela Balla, Alvaro Sanchez and Muhamad Khairul bin Abdullah
Led by the Data Management Directorate, the AHO team showcased their role as the hub for incoming data, efficiently distributing using Jira and Mediaflux as their primary tools. Jira acts as the workflow management system and is linked with attached documents, comments, assignment of tasks. Spatially registered data, location, data visualization and discovery is done through Mediaflux.
The Data Management Team allows the overseer of any data type to be assigned to the right person for the right job. The workflow Manager oversees the categorization of incoming data and the development of future workflows. Advances in technology have increased the need for more refined data management. Simply grouping all nautical data under "marine data" would be inefficient. Therefore, identifying specific data categories such as wrecks, underwater pipelines, and Aids to Navigation is essential for improving geospatial management workflows moving forward.
Lt Cdr Gs Muhamad Khairul bin Abdullah RMN giving a presentation to AHO staff
Day 2: The secondment continued with the Bathymetric Data Assessment and Deconfliction team. Utilizing Jira and Mediaflux, the team can track the volume of data submissions, prioritize them, and manage data assessment more effectively.
The first stage of assessment involves reviewing the data for holiday infill, identifying spike outliers, and classifying the Category of Zone of Confidence (CATZOC). The database manager explained the process of resolving data conflicts to merge all data coverage into a single, unified surface across Australia. This workflow ensures that large datasets are thoroughly assessed and effectively combined.
The session concluded with a knowledge-sharing exchange between the AHO and the NHC, where insights into tasks, responsibilities, workflow structure, and challenges were discussed. The discussion proved fruitful, as both Hydrographic Offices deal with similar issues but approach them in different ways.
Day 3: The next session was led by the Assistant Director of National Chart Production. It covered the production of the Australian Charting Scheme, which has been publicly shared and integrated with the Hydro Scheme Industry Partnership Program (HIPP). The discussion then focused on how the AHO is managing the current number of nautical paper charts. While there is a recognized need for their gradual withdrawal, it is being done slowly to accommodate user demand. The conversation also touched on AHO’s initiative to explore and enhance the Caris AutoChart software, which shows great potential for automating the production and maintenance of nautical charts.
The following session was led by Assistant Director of the Maritime Safety Coordination team. It provided an overview of data maintenance, with the Product Impact Assessment team managing wrecks, underwater cables, pipelines, and naming underwater features, which is coordinated with the Sub-Committee on Underwater Feature Names (SCUFN). Finally, the Notice to Mariners team steps in to publish and distribute the information to users. The process involves multiple stakeholders, with thorough data verification and approval to ensure the accuracy and safety of all information presented in AHO products for navigation.
Day 4: The day began with a discussion on chart validation led by the visit coordinator, Ben Hazelgrove, who heads Charting Quality Assurance and Specifications. The session highlighted the significant improvement in AHO's quality assurance, with the acceptance rate of ENC products by IC-ENC rising from 70% to 99%. This success is attributed to having a dedicated management team within the hydrographic office that oversees workflows, product specifications, updates product catalogs, and maintains constant communication with the production team, ensuring the highest quality of AHO products from creation to dissemination.
The discussion then moved to Project Theseus, which focuses on the development of S-101 and S-102 products and the implementation of S-100 data standards in line with IHO goals. The team has been working meticulously on mapping S-57 products for accurate conversion to S-101 by updating conversion files (XML) and exploring the best methods to ensure that the new S-101 products closely resemble the original S-57 versions.
AHO Staff and Lt Cdr Gs Muhamad Khairul bin Abdullah RMN
The next session was led by the Assistant Director of International Charting Coordination. AHO has been actively involved in producing nautical products for waters beyond Australia, including Antarctica, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Macquarie Island, and Timor Leste. Strong international partnerships are crucial to ensuring these products are regularly updated with the latest data, guaranteeing safe navigation in the regions surrounding Australia.
The session concluded with a forward-looking focus on S-100, led by the Assistant Director of S-100 Coordination. The AHO has carefully planned its approach to preparing for S-100 data implementation. Currently, the AHO is concentrating on engaging with various agencies to enhance coordination and readiness for S-100 implementation. In addition to Project Theseus, which focuses on S-101 and S-102 production, the S-100 Working Group will also address S-104 (Water Level), S-111 (Surface Current), S-124 (Navigational Warnings), and S-128 (Catalogue of Nautical Products).
Day 5: The final day began with a meeting with David Durston, IC-ENC Data Validator. The session provided detailed insights into the data validation process and the role of Data Validators in reviewing data submissions from member states. The discussion highlighted the distinction between Hydrographic Offices, which verify the accuracy of existing data, and IC-ENC Data Validators, who ensure that the data is properly represented in the ENC and displayed correctly in ECDIS.
The validation process involves using various third-party tools such as 7Cs Analyzer, 7Cs Designer, DKart, and other data management software. After reviewing the validation reports generated by these tools, the Data Validator categorizes the findings into Critical Errors, Errors, and Warnings. Hydrographic Offices must address Critical Errors, while other issues may be optional or flagged for awareness. Some warnings may not be critical for S-57 data structure now but will become important once S-100 data implementation is enforced in the future. Additionally, IC-ENC Data Validators can assist with ENC production support upon request by member states. The discussion also touched on managing the Scale Minimum of features and the importance of continuity for significant objects to ensure safe navigation.
Hilary Thompson and Lt Cdr Gs Muhamad Khairul bin Abdullah RMN
A session with Hilary Thompson, Executive Director of the AHO, followed. This meeting provided an opportunity for the secondee to exchange views on the shared challenges faced by both the AHO and NHC, particularly in the transition and preparation for the new S-100 data structure model.
The day concluded with another discussion, this time with IC-ENC Vice Chair, Michael Andrew, who shared knowledge on managing licensing and data dissemination. The session explained how IC-ENC ensures that ENC data is well protected using the S-63 format, preserving data standards and ensuring that users receive the correct and updated versions of ENC products.
Secondment lead, Ben Hazelgrove stated “Khairul had plenty of questions for the team and it was clear that his knowledge was at a high level. Each session became an opportunity for AHO staff and Khairul to share knowledge on topics and this was fantastic for both Khairul and AHO team members. He has made many new contacts at the AHO and we are looking forward to keeping the communication ongoing for any matters that may arise after Khairul has returned to the NHC.”
For more information about the IC-ENC secondment scheme, please click here.