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Category: Metereología y Oceanografía
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Published on Tuesday, 17 February 2026 18:08
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Written by Administrator2
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A new phase for safety of navigation
In September 2025, Brazil reached a historic milestone in the modernization of nautical cartography with the conclusion of its first electronic navigational chart (ENC) produced under the international S-101 standard. The work, led by the Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center (CHM) under the authority of the Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation (DHN), covers the area of the Port of Suape in the state of Pernambucoa – a strategic region for national maritime trade.
This initiative represents Brazil’s definitive entry into the global transition towards the S-100 framework, which is redefining how nautical data is structured, integrated and distributed. The completion of this project marks a new phase for safety of navigation and strengthens the country’s position within the international hydrographic community.
Methodology and controlled environment
The production of the first S-101 cell – 101BR00500912, covering the Port of Suape – followed a methodology inspired by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK). The process was designed across the phases of initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closure. This approach ensured traceability throughout all stages of the process, from scope definition to final quality control.
The CHM implemented the project within an isolated and controlled production database environment specifically designed for validation and prototyping. This setup enabled simulation of the complete workflow for generating an S-101 ENC directly from the national cartographic database (Figure 1), assessing potential impacts without interfering with the regular production of S-57 ENCs or other cartographic products (nautical charts, raster nautical charts and GeoTIFF files).
Figure 1: Production to the S-101 ENC from the Cartographic Database.
Within this context, a dedicated team carried out several analysis and conversion processes between S-57 and S-101 formats, such as automatic conversion trials, feature harmonization and symbolization adjustments. Cross-validation was also performed using production and ECDIS visualization tools, including ShoreECDIS and S-100 Viewer (Figures 2 and 3).
A critical step in the process was the manipulation of the mapping file, which contains the conversion rules between the objects and attributes of the S-57 standard and those of the new S-101 model. This file was carefully reviewed and customized by the CHM technical team to reflect the particularities of Brazilian nautical cartography, including local naming conventions, portrayal standards and specific usage categories within the national cartographic database. Modifications included adjustments to feature-mapping rules, harmonization of attribute domains and refinement of display codes, ensuring that the final product preserved both semantic and visual coherence with Brazil’s existing ENCs.
The Port of Suape cell was validated in accordance with the S-101 ENC Product Specification (Edition 2.0.0), using official verification packages provided by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Regional ENC Coordinating Centre (RENC). The validation process included compliance checks with standards S-58 and S-158:101, ensuring structural and semantic data integrity. It also involved spatial and cartographic presentation consistency tests to guarantee that the ENC behaves correctly across different display systems.
The rigorous methodology adopted reinforces the reliability of Brazilian ENC products and establishes a solid foundation for large-scale future production, aligned with the international S-100 implementation efforts.
Figure 2: Visualization of the ENC 101BR00900912 in ShoreECDIS.
Transition to the dual-fuel period
The introduction of the S-101 ENC marks the beginning of the dual-fuel period, during which the CHM will produce ENCs simultaneously in the S-57 and S-101 formats from its cartographic database (Figure 4). This strategy ensures operational continuity, preventing any negative impact on mariners who still use systems compatible only with the S-57 standard.
The positive impact of adopting the S-101 standard as the foundational layer supporting other S-100 products has been confirmed by recent sea trials conducted over the past year, including those in the St Lawrence River (Canada) and the Tjeldsundet Strait (Norway). Whether under normal navigation conditions or during emergency simulations, the S-101 continues to deliver enhanced detail, layer customization and seamless integration with other digital navigation support services, fully aligned with the e-Navigation concept. In practical terms, this means that a vessel equipped with an S-100-compliant ECDIS will soon be able to visualize density bathymetric data, tide and current information, Notices to Mariners and meteorological bulletins, on a single screen and continuously updated and presented in a coherent, harmonized manner.
This next generation of products not only enhances navigational safety, but also represents a qualitative leap in the management and dissemination of cartographic data, transforming the ENC from a static digital map into an intelligent and interoperable maritime information environment. Because of this, the CHM has determined that all future S-101 charts will be accompanied by new editions of other products covering the same area, including S-57 ENCs and paper and raster charts. This approach guarantees consistency across different formats and promotes harmonization within the cartographic database. In addition, the process will be incorporated into the CHM’s quality management system, certified under ISO 9001:2015, to institutionalize best practices and ensure standardization.
Figure 3: Visualization of ENC 101BR00900912 in the S-100 Viewer.
Future perspectives
The experience gained from developing the S-101 cell for the Port of Suape represents just the beginning of a broader path towards technical and institutional consolidation. Starting in 2026, the CHM plans to expand production to other strategic areas along the Brazilian coast. This process will be conducted gradually, as technical teams strengthen their expertise with the tools and standards associated with the S-100 framework.
This cartographic enhancement with the S-101 standard enables the CHM to continue studying the evolution of S-XXX products across domains such as oceanography and meteorology. The native S-101 interoperability framework allows seamless overlay of S-1XX datasets, including bathymetric surfaces (S-102), water level information (S-104), surface currents (S-111), marine weather warnings (S-412) and more.
The DHN is closely monitoring the evolution of other specifications within the S-1XX family, such as S-102, S-104, S-111, S-124 and S-412. As these products reach technical maturity and stable interoperability, they will gradually be evaluated and incorporated into internal studies and test phases. This cautious approach ensures that future adoption will be based on practical evidence, avoiding operational risks and maintaining the high cartographic quality that characterizes Brazil’s official nautical production.
In parallel, the CHM has been continuously investing in technical capacity building and specialized training for its personnel, promoting courses, workshops and exchanges with other hydrographic organizations and the private sector. These initiatives are essential to ensure that the team maintains proficiency in the new standards and emerging technologies within the S-100 ecosystem, strengthening national autonomy and the sustainability of the cartographic modernization process.
In the medium term, the goal is to consolidate the technical infrastructure and the knowledge gained through the S-101 to support the future integration of multiple S-100 products into a cohesive, interoperable and secure digital ecosystem.
Figure 4: Differences in the level of detail between the S-101 ENC (left) and the S-57 ENC (right), highlighting the greater number of objects and attributes represented in the new standard, along with improvements in the interpretation of nautical information.
Conclusion
The Brazilian experience aligns with best international practices as promoted by the IHO and leading hydrographic nations, demonstrating that the country has adopted a solid technical approach based on globally recognized project management methodologies and in full compliance with the principles of the S-100 framework.
The DHN has demonstrated its readiness to face the challenges of technological transition and to offer sustainable solutions, reaffirming its commitment to providing reliable, up-to-date products that meet the needs of the maritime community.
With this milestone, the country envisions not only a digital future for navigation but also a position of regional leadership and effective contribution to global maritime safety, strengthening the role of the Brazilian Navy as a reference in cartographic modernization and in the implementation of the S-100 standard in South America.
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