Automated Creation of Depth Profiles for ENCS Using Partial Automation

Automated Creation of Depth Profiles for ENCS Using Partial Automation

Automating Bathymetric Depth Contours for Electronic Navigation Charts with CARIS BASE Editor 4.4

CARIS BASE Editor 4.4, a professional hydrographic software tool, is revolutionising the way bathymetric depth contours are generated for Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs). This software offers an automated approach to creating bathymetrically safe, legible, and scale-appropriate depth contours for ENCs, addressing the challenge faced by hydrographic offices in keeping their chart portfolio up-to-date.

The process begins with the import of high-resolution bathymetric survey data into CARIS BASE Editor 4.4. The software then applies algorithms to generate depth contours that represent the underwater terrain. These contours are automatically generated at specified intervals, ensuring they adhere to bathymetric safety criteria such as minimum depth limits.

The software's capabilities extend to maintaining contour legibility depending on the chart scale. Users can configure contour labeling and line styles to ensure contours are neither cluttered nor sparse. Moreover, the contours generated are validated against IHO standards for ENCs, ensuring they meet international navigation safety requirements.

A key feature of CARIS BASE Editor 4.4 is its customisation and scripting capabilities. Users can automate workflows and contour generation tasks via scripting, improving efficiency for repetitive chart production processes.

In practice, a hydrographer would import bathymetric data, set safe depth thresholds, select contour intervals, configure display properties, and use the automated tools to generate optimised depth contours. The software ensures the output is compliant with ENC specifications, which is critical for electronic navigational safety.

The workflow utilises a single input file in CARIS CSAR format, either as point cloud or raster. The Laplacian grid smoothing function is applied to raise the elevation of grid cells based on local elevation differences within each cell's neighbourhood. This function is controlled by specifying the number of iterations of the process.

The function applied creates circular columns in the bathymetric grid centred on shoal peaks. "Tiny deep" contours are deleted from the contour set. If there is not full grid coverage of the compilation area after the re-gridding, a triangulated irregular network (TIN) model is used to interpolate across data gaps.

The contours generated differ in presentation from traditional manual contouring in that shoal contours are not "pushed out" to cover deeper contours in steep-to areas. This approach enhances the ability of hydrographic offices to incorporate new data into ENC products, particularly in challenging environments such as reef areas.

A minimal degree of manual editing will remain for tasks such as edge matching of old and new data and to achieve minor cartographic improvements. However, this automation significantly reduces the time and potential errors associated with manual generalisation of complex bathymetry.

High definition bathymetric surveys have arguably made the challenge harder by capturing ever more sea floor detail that needs to be suitably portrayed. This workflow using CARIS BASE Editor software, produces a set of legible, scale-appropriate depth contours and depth areas suitable for ENC products, making it easier for hydrographic offices to keep up with the rapid acquisition of high-resolution bathymetric surveys.

For exact step-by-step guidance or scripting examples, consulting CARIS BASE Editor 4.4 official documentation or training resources would provide the most precise instructions tailored to ENC production protocols.

1. The automation offered by CARIS BASE Editor 4.4 in the hydrographic industry helps address the challenge of keeping Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) up-to-date, especially considering the increased detail in high-resolution bathymetric surveys.
2. The software's capabilities in data-and-cloud-computing and technology enable it to generate depth contours based on high-resolution bathymetric survey data, ensuring they meet international navigation safety requirements in the realm of environmental-science and climate-change.
3. The renewable-energy potential of new technology in the hydrographic industry can be traced back to the automation of workflows in CARIS BASE Editor 4.4, which improves efficiency for repetitive chart production processes, thereby saving time and resources.
4. The advancement in finance can be seen in the software's customisation and scripting capabilities, as users can automate workflows and contour generation tasks, enhancing the overall productivity and precision of the hydrographic industry.

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