S-100 will enhance navigational displays 

The delay and fragmentation of critical watch keeping information, currently caused by reliance on radio broadcasts for weather warnings and the manual use of tide charts, will soon be largely a thing of the past.

The implementation of the International Hydrographic Organization’s (IHO) new S-100 data standard will enable navigation system OEMs to create a single, enhanced source of navigational information.

Electronic navigational chart displays and information systems (ECDIS) will include more data and functionality as a growing range of inter-related features are added seamlessly on to foundations created from electronic navigational charts (S-101) and bathymetric surface data (S-102). 

In the first S-100 implementation phase, water level adjustments (S-104), surface current data (S-111), automated delivery of navigational warnings as geo-referenced data that can be visualised directly with ECDIS (S-124), and under keel clearance management functionality (S-129) will allow for greater bathymetric accuracy than traditional chart soundings. 

As well as improving safety, this will facilitate vessel speed optimisation, including in restricted navigation channels, and reduce fuel consumption and emissions. It will also allow ports to provide safe passage guidance based on a vessel’s draught and arrival schedule. 

Quality bathymetry

“You cannot safely interpret dynamic water levels and currents without a good picture of the seabed,” said Penny Haire, Tidetech’s CEO. 

“S-102 bathymetric surface data effectively replaces a single chart sounding with a detailed depth grid. For Tidetech, S-102-quality bathymetry is the foundation that allows us to resolve channels, shoals, banks, and harbour basins accurately and simulate how tides and currents accelerate, slow, or diverge over these features. This is particularly critical when navigating in shallow, coastal and port environments,” Haire said.

Ports and pilots are likely to be first to enjoy the benefits of S-100. Only about 20 ports globally can currently provide accurate time-varying bathymetric data, and even that often involves extrapolation of single station tidal height predictions, rather than the complete, modelled spatial coverage that Tidetech can offer. 

Tidetech is already rolling out S-104 and S-111 coverage in priority regions for shipping and pilotage. The company’s S-100-ready products are designed to integrate with ECDIS, portable pilot units and other navigation software that supports S-100 or equivalent data feeds, including for non-SOLAS applications.

“Collaboration with trial partners has been excellent,” Haire said. 

“Our doors are open, and we are busy demonstrating the value of what we can offer. It has been reported through trials in New Zealand, for example, that people are amazed that what they thought was local knowledge is now in front of them on a screen.” 

Operational readiness

An interoperability standard (S-98) will define how the different S-100 data sets are integrated to provide mariners with a unified, un-cluttered navigational display. 

The IHO has sought to keep the presentation of the newly packaged datasets as consistent as possible with S-57, so S-100 navigation systems will not suddenly become unfamiliar to users. The details of what is displayed will still be controlled by the navigator, and the meaning of most chart features will remain the same, with some new symbols added to aid clarity and reduce reliance on written text overlays. 

One of the biggest misconceptions is that S-100 is just a new chart, said Christopher Jones, the UK Hydrographic Office’s tides technical lead.

“It is much broader than that — it’s a framework for interoperable maritime data,” Jones said.

“The real value is that S-100 is designed to make all the data usable within a common framework. That helps turn more complex hydrographic and oceanographic modelling into something more accessible at the point of decision-making on the bridge.”

“The transition to S-100 is not just about technology,” Jones said.

“Rather, it’s about operational readiness across the whole ecosystem — hydrographic production, system development, standards, portrayal, training, and end-user confidence. The implementation timeline set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and IHO reflects that, with a transition period rather than an overnight switch.”

Looking ahead

A catalogue of nautical products (S-128) will provide automatic tracking of product and service updates to help ensure up-to-date coverage and manage compliance checks. For SOLAS vessels, the data will have to be validated by regional electronic navigational chart centres and made available officially from hydrographic offices. 

The IMO has already adopted the revised Resolution MSC.530(106) on Performance Standards for ECDIS, and from 1 January 2026, S-100 ECDIS became legal for use, but data validation checks and interoperability standards for the various data layers are still being finalised. Concurrently, a second phase of S-100 implementations is already on the horizon. The IHO is currently developing specifications for marine protected areas (S-122), marine radio services (S-123), marine aids to navigation (S-125), marine traffic management (S-127), marine harbour infrastructure (S-131), dynamic ice information (S-411) marine weather warnings (S-412) and marine weather and wave conditions (S-413). The timeline for the introduction of these standards is still to be confirmed.

S-100 will bring hydrographic data to life

The ability to provide time-varying or near real-time updates on dynamic ocean conditions will boost the safety of maritime navigation, particularly in coastal waters and ports.

With the roll-out of the International Hydrographic Organization’s (IHO) new S-100 data standard, mariners will benefit from greater accuracy and functionality than is possible with existing S-57 static electronic navigational charts and overlays. 

S-100 allows for the automatic integration of more diverse hydrographic data elements, including for example, Tidetech’s oceanographic data, which is centred on dynamic environmental parameters, specifically water levels (S-104) and surface currents (S-111). 

This functionality will enrich navigational support systems beyond current static bathymetric data based on five or 10 metre contour lines and static depths reduced to chart datum (for example approximately the level of lowest astronomical tide).

“The S-100 standard is a framework designed to make maritime data richer, smarter, and more geographically aligned,” said Penny Haire, Tidetech’s CEO.

“It’s a big change, but it’s also a logical progression aimed at enhancing situational awareness and decision-making tools.”

S-100 will make it easier for electronic navigational chart displays and information systems (ECDIS) and portable pilot unit systems (PPUs) to provide a consistent, accurate picture of passage conditions for everyone on the bridge to work from, what the military call a common operating picture. Sub-ECDIS commercial mariners will also benefit from more timely and accurate navigational information in non-ECDIS applications.

Ports will be able to increase safety within their waters by making use of accurate bathymetric data in their traffic management systems, which brings the added potential for optimising tug and fender operations. Greater accuracy and resolution in tidal heights with S-104 will potentially increase safety margins vessels and ports can use.

More accurate under-keel clearance (UKC) data will enable ship operators to fine tune cargo carrying capacity and berth planning to improve profitability. Their voyage planning systems will be able to factor in prevailing conditions to schedule port entry and reduce emissions — benefits available to both cargo shipping companies and offshore energy operators. 

Navies and coast guards will also be able to optimise their voyage plans, particularly for shallow-draft and amphibious craft operations.

Future potential

The functionality made possible by S-100 is itself dynamic. The standard is built around product specifications, feature catalogues and portrayal catalogues that can evolve over time.

“One of the strengths of S-100 is that it’s a flexible data framework rather than a single, fixed product,” said Christopher Jones, the UK Hydrographic Office’s Tides Technical Lead. 

“That means new capabilities do not always require the whole system to be reinvented. As user needs change, or as technology improves, individual product specifications can be updated, refined, or added. It gives the industry a way to incorporate richer datasets, improved portrayal, and new use cases within a recognised structure, rather than starting again with each innovation,” Jones said.

“From a future-looking perspective, S-100 gives maritime navigation a framework better suited to continuous improvement. That is especially important as hydrographic offices, OEMs and service providers learn more through implementation and operational trials.” 

Testing underway

Trials are already being conducted onboard ships and using simulators in the UK, France, Canada, and Australia. The trials bring together hydrographic offices, system OEMs, operators, ports, and specialist data providers. 

“This is important because successful S-100 implementation depends on interoperability across the whole chain, not just on one organisation producing one dataset,” Jones said.

Tidetech’s high-resolution English Channel and Solent models are active in several S-100 evaluations, including UKHO and French hydrographic office (Shom) trials that have been on-going since August 2025. The hydrographic offices are working with partners including ECDIS OEM Raymarine and ship operator DFDS to deploy S-100-enabled ECDIS onboard the Stena Vinga ferry, navigating initially from Portsmouth to Jersey then extending across the English Channel to Saint-Malo — a route chosen for its strong currents and tidal constraints.

“The trials have moved the conversation from theory into operational reality,” Jones said. 

They are helping identify where the more accurate data shows the strongest operational value. 

“In the case of the Stena Vinga route, the tidal and cross-border nature of the operating environment makes it a useful test bed for understanding how layers such as S-104 and S-111 may support bridge decision-making in practice. That is exactly the kind of evidence the industry needs as it prepares for broader rollout,” he said.

Tidetech’s ability to stitch together high-quality bathymetry from multiple sources (including UKHO) is vital because modelling dynamic water levels and currents depends on understanding the seabed accurately, Jones said.

“That is one reason why interoperable S-100 layers matter — the value comes from how the datasets work together rather than one in isolation.”

Managing expectations

The full potential of S-100 will, like S-57, be dependent on the quality of the data collected during hydrographic surveys. 

Different hydrographic offices are adopting different strategies in their S-100 rollout.

“Some will repackage existing data as they deal with the time and expense required to enhance their offerings,” Haire said.

Tidetech is working with partners to demonstrate the value of high-quality data and models, but ultimately, implementation will be patchy due to the differing capabilities of hydrographic offices around the world. It could take 20 years before everyone globally will have access to an enhanced and unified navigational system.

“It’s therefore important to remember that just because something is represented digitally, it doesn’t necessarily follow that it’s going to be accurate. For ECDIS users, the roll out of more accurate data will depend on the quality of survey data available for a specific location,” said Haire.

Survey in this context means bathymetric survey, but for the broader aims of S-100, additional repeated measurements of water levels and currents will be needed to validate the models which will ultimately be delivering the 4D (spatial-time) data.

This means the benefits will be felt at different rates around the world.

Preparing for change

Major milestones have been set for the roll-out of S-100. The first type approved S-100 ECDIS systems are anticipated in 2028, and there will be a transition period until 1 January 2029 when all new or retrofitted ECDIS systems must be S-100 capable. 

S-57 will not be retired immediately. A period of ‘dual-fuel’ S-57 and S-100 operation is expected, with no specific date set yet to sunset the old standard.

S-100 moves from concept to real world navigation

Tidetech stepped aboard Carnival Splendor in Sydney Harbour recently (April 2026) for something quietly significant.

Working in support of the Australian Hydrographic Office (AHO), Tidetech has supplied high‑resolution tidal and current data for Sydney Harbour as part of Australia’s first live S-100 services bridge trial. The trial is now underway aboard two Carnival Cruise Lines vessels calling at Sydney, bringing next‑generation digital navigation data onto the bridge in a real operational setting.

“S‑100 is a big change because it treats tides and currents as live navigational information rather than background context,” said Roger Proctor, chief scientist at Tidetech.

“With gridded S‑104 water levels and S‑111 surface currents, the challenge is delivering the right resolution in a way a bridge team can interpret quickly and use seamlessly in their operations.”

S‑100 is the International Hydrographic Organization’s (IHO) future framework for digital navigation. Designed to move beyond static charts, it enables interoperable, layered data products — from charts and bathymetry to tides, currents, and safety information — all delivered in ways intended to support safer, more informed decision‑making. For many bridge teams, however, this is totally new and represents a fundamental shift in how navigational information is presented and used.

From standards to the bridge

The data being tested includes Tidetech’s gridded S‑104 water level and S‑111 surface current datasets for Sydney Harbour, delivered at 100m resolution in 20-minute time steps. The focus is on technical performance and usability, specifically how bridge teams interpret dynamic information, how much detail is genuinely helpful, and where clarity matters more than density.

“This trial allows us to get real feedback from bridge crews operating regularly in a busy port,” said Alvaro Sanchez, director national charting for the Australian Hydrographic Office.

“The bridge crews of the two vessels will see the different products available to them in the future with the ability to turn layers on and off depending on how much they want or need at critical times like manoeuvring in a confined space like Sydney Harbour.

“In the case of Carnival Adventure, it passes under Sydney Harbour Bridge with sometimes as little as two metres of clearance above the vessel — what we call the air gap — so dynamic depths have the potential to improve the safety of that transit.”

Australia has previously explored S‑100 through simulator‑based testing, including work in the ICSM S‑100 Working Group testbed using Tidetech’s Torres Strait model. Those efforts were an important foundation, but a live trial aboard operational vessels is a different proposition altogether.

Live trials expose questions that simulators cannot always reveal, particularly around human factors like attention, trust in new data layers, and how information is prioritised when conditions change.

Collaboration at the core

The trial aboard Carnival vessels reflects a close collaboration between hydrographic offices, ship operators, external data providers and software manufacturers (OEM). It brings together AHO’s leadership on national hydrographic data, Carnival’s willingness to trial emerging technology in an operational environment, OSI Maritime Systems’ innovation, and Tidetech’s experience delivering high‑resolution, operational metocean data.

“It’s great to be involved with the development of S-100 products and to be introducing them to our bridge teams at an early stage,” said Doug Bird, nautical manager for Carnival Cruise Lines.

“This allows us to familiarise with what’s coming, provide feedback direct to a hydrographic office, and shape future navigation practices.”

For Tidetech, the project sits in the long arc from standards development to real‑world use. S‑100 products are new and still present various challenges. What happens next — how they are developed for, used, understood and trusted on the bridge — will shape their impact just as much as the technical standards themselves.

A meaningful milestone

This trial marks an important step for Australia in moving S‑100 from concept to operational reality. Its aim is to show what’s possible when standards, data and users come together in a live environment, and it provides practical insight into how dynamic ocean information can support navigation in the years ahead.

“You can learn a lot in standards meetings and simulator testbeds, but a live bridge trial is where the interesting questions come up,” Proctor said.

“We’re interested in learning about what gets noticed, what the bridge crews like and dislike, and what actually helps decision-making when they’re navigating for real.

“For Australia, seeing S‑100 move into an operational setting like this is a genuine milestone, and it’s exactly the kind of feedback opportunity we need for continued development of the standards.”

Although this is a small step in a long journey , it signals something much larger at the beginning of a new chapter in how navigation information is delivered and used in Australian waters.

Photos: Jamie Millar

Shaping the Future of Marine Discovery

Our scientific and technical director, Sébastien Mancini, was in Wellington for Hydrospatial 2026 in March 2026 — the Australasian region’s flagship hydrographic and marine geospatial conference.

With the theme Shaping the Future of Marine Discovery, the event brought together national hydrographic offices, technology providers and researchers to talk seriously about where the sector is heading, and how fast it needs to get there. It was a conference grounded less in aspiration and more in implementation — a sign of how far the conversation has shifted in recent years.

S‑100 moves from concept to practice

Seb presented on S-100 and its role in moving beyond charts towards a connected operational ecosystem. One that supports voyage planning, port calls, dynamic routing and safer decision‑making through integrated data layers.

A recurring theme throughout the conference was that S‑100 is no longer theoretical, it is arriving. Progress is uneven, the complexity is real, and the pathways are not always clear — but the momentum is unmistakable. Across sessions and side conversations, the focus was less on whether S‑100 will be adopted, and more on how it will be implemented responsibly, consistently and at scale.

That shift is important as standards only become valuable when they start to shape day-to‑day operations.

A keynote that set the tone

A standout keynote came from Adam Greenland, New Zealand’s national hydrographer at Land Information New Zealand, who framed S‑100 as an enabling platform for integrated marine operations rather than a simple upgrade to navigational products. His talk prompted wide ranging discussion about what that really means in practice.

Questions surfaced repeatedly around data validation, update frequency, governance, and responsibility. Who publishes which products? How often are they refreshed? How are conflicts between datasets resolved? And how do products such as S‑104 and S‑111 move from pilots and trials into trusted operational use?

These are not abstract concerns — they sit at the heart of whether S‑100 delivers tangible benefits to mariners, ports and regulators, or becomes another technically elegant standard that struggles to gain traction.

Ports — the biggest beneficiaries, and the hardest to engage

One point raised repeatedly across sessions and informal discussions was that ports stand to be among the greatest beneficiaries of S‑100. Improved situational awareness, better coordination, safer transits and more efficient operations all sit squarely within the promise of the framework.

Yet port representation at the conference was limited.

By contrast, hydrographic surveyors were out in force. Many have long‑standing, productive working relationships with ports and understand their operational realities well. Surveyors openly acknowledged both the importance of port engagement and the difficulty of getting port stakeholders into the room more often.

This disconnect is not a criticism of ports. They are busy, operationally focused environments with competing priorities. But it does underline a challenge the sector needs to address. If ports are to be major beneficiaries of S‑100, they also need to be active participants in shaping how it is implemented.

Collaboration as a practical necessity

What was encouraging, Seb said, was the appetite to move faster. Across hydrographic offices, surveyors and technology providers, there was broad recognition that collaboration is not optional. S‑100 spans hydrography, oceanography, meteorology and navigation, and cuts across institutional and jurisdictional boundaries.

Progress will depend on clearer pathways for publishing and consuming data products, better alignment between producers and users, and continued testing in real operational environments. It will also depend on conversations that are sometimes uncomfortable — about responsibility, readiness and resourcing — but are essential if the framework is to mature.

Why events like Hydrospatial are key to advancement

Events like Hydrospatial play a crucial role in this transition — they move the discussion out of standards documents and into practical reality. They create space for honest technical debate, shared learning and the relationships needed to turn ambition into delivery.

They also remind us that the future of marine discovery will not be shaped by standards alone, but by the people and organisations willing to engage, collaborate and make those standards work.

Thanks to the Australasian Hydrographic Society for a thoughtful, well run event, and to everyone who shared insights, questions and ideas along the way.

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and France’s national hydrographic and oceanographic office, Shom, have launched what is arguably the most ambitious test of S-100 data standards yet. Their international sea trials programme, running under the International Hydrographic Organisation’s (IHO) coordinated testbed framework, is not just a technical exercise, it’s a glimpse into the future of maritime navigation.

What’s happening

Since August, UKHO has been working with partners including Raymarine and DFDS to deploy S-100-enabled ECDIS aboard the Stena Vinga ferry, navigating from Portsmouth to Jersey. Early next year, the trials will extend across the English Channel to Saint-Malo — a route chosen for its tidal complexity and cross-border challenges.

The trials will test six interoperable S-100 data layers in live navigation scenarios:

• S-101 Electronic navigational charts
• S-102 Bathymetric surface
• S-104 Water levels
• S-111 Surface currents
• S-124 Navigational warnings
• S-128 Catalogue of nautical products

Multiple ECDIS and portable pilot unit manufacturers are involved, from Furuno to Navtor, ensuring that interoperability — the key to S-100 — is front and centre.

Why this matters

S-100 isn’t just a new standard, it’s a framework designed to make maritime data richer, smarter and more connected. By harmonising data formats across borders and systems, S-100 promises safer navigation, better decision-making and, ultimately, more sustainable operations.

Instead of static charts, vessels will have access to layered, real-time and forecast information — tides, currents, warnings — integrated into a single view. This could be transformative for efficiency and safety.

Spotlight on S-104 and S-111

Among the six layers being trialled, two stand out for their operational impact (and because it’s some of what we do at Tidetech!):

• S-104 water levels — vital for ports and tidal waterways, enabling precise under-keel clearance and optimised routing
• S-111 surface currents — critical for voyage planning, fuel efficiency and emissions reduction

These datasets turn environmental variables into actionable intelligence. This intelligence supports a variety of outcomes, including optimised departure times, speed optimisation in restricted navigation channels, fewer delays, better under keel clearance management, and lower fuel consumption (and therefore reduced emissions).

Industry collaboration and Tidetech’s role

The UKHO-Shom trials are a milestone for the industry. They show what’s possible when hydrographic offices, technology providers and end users work together.

At Tidetech, we support this broader movement. Our high-resolution English Channel and Solent models are being used in other S-100 evaluations. We’ve also created S-104 and S-111 datasets for trials in different regions, working alongside partners including UKHO and the Australian Hydrographic Office, and various ECDIS manufacturers.

What this demonstrates is that S-100 readiness isn’t a one-off event — it’s a global effort. Every dataset, every trial contributes to a shared goal — making navigation safer, smarter and more sustainable.

Looking ahead

The insights from these trials will feed directly into IHO standards and guidance, shaping how S-100 is implemented worldwide. For shipowners, pilots and ports, that means clarity on what to expect — and confidence that new systems will deliver real-world benefits.

As Thomas Mellor of UKHO put it, these trials are about ensuring products are “fit for purpose before wider release”. That’s good news for everyone who depends on the sea.

S-100 is coming. These trials show how we’re making progress, and how collaboration is critical to getting us the rest of the way.

Read the news of the trial via the UKHO here.