Navigating the Future: Everything You Need to Know About S-100

What Makes S-100 a Leap Forward for Maritime Navigation?

The maritime industry is undergoing a fundamental shift in how navigational data is collected, shared and displayed at sea. S-100, the IHO's next-generation data framework, replaces the decades-old S-57 standard with a modular, flexible architecture capable of integrating real-time currents, water levels, bathymetry and more all within a single composite chart view.

With the IMO mandating full S-100 compliance for all new-build and retrofit ECDIS installations from 1 January 2029, the transition is no longer a distant prospect. In this article, Teledyne SevenCs addresses the most frequently asked questions about S-100: what it means for shipping companies, ECDIS suppliers and vessel crews, and how our solutions are ready to help you make the switch with confidence.

What are the comparative strengths of the S-100 data model (relative to S-57)?

• The S-100 data model outperforms S-57: it is modular, extendable and flexible.  
• Modularity of the underlying data and its visual rendering make updates much easier and quicker to perform. 
• Modularity means that Feature Catalogue and Portrayal Catalogue are separate from the software used for the inputs of chart data. For example: a change to a conditional symbology procedure does not make a software update necessary.  
• Extendable: the S-100 is designed to integrate future products, including products not yet even developed.

What challenges does S‑100 present for shipping companies, ECDIS suppliers, and vessel crews? 

S-100 presents challenges and opportunities to the stakeholders. Here is a selection of the challenges faced: 

For shipping companies: 

• Hardware and software investment 
• Crew training 
• Real-time data integration with other bridge systems 

For ECDIS suppliers:  

• Interoperability: legacy systems struggle with modular data 
• Certification requirements: the approval process is lengthy and costly  
• Updates, based on real-time data streaming, demand fast processing  
• Display-enhanced visualisation demands better hardware than before 

For vessel crew: 

• Real-time data interpretation requires quick decisions  
• Route planning requires many adjustments – more than in S-57 era 
• Fears of data overload – numerous overlays combine with the ENC itself  
• New level of complexity of (multi-layered) ECDIS

Which S-100 products are the first focus of attention for electronic chart producers and users?

To assist the mariner, S-100 can integrate many more data types than S-57 can (primarily this is the data types concerning currents and weather). For Raymarine Commercial and SevenCs, the focus is currently S-101, S-102 (Bathymetry), S-104 (Water Level Adjustment) and S-111 (Currents).  

• S-102, S-104 and S-111 are IHO-defined Phase 1: ‘Route Monitoring’ tasks.  
• S-100 is designed to harmonise these tasks with the use of ENCs.  
• This is followed by IHO’s Phase 2: ‘Route Planning’ tasks.

What is the international standard underlying the S-100?

The ISO 19100 standards are at the heart of the S-100 data model. Integration of data from many sources is a key purpose of S-100. The relevant organisations that coordinate navigation-related specifications (examples: IALA and IEC, as well as the IMO for navigational charts) all use the S-100 data model, which is derived from ISO 19100.

What should ENC users expect?

S-100 is designed to enable vector-chart data and gridded data to be integrated into the same composite chart image. The first, key example of this is integration of S-101 (vector-based ENCs) and S-102 (gridded bathymetry). S-100 has different levels of interoperability (see IHO S-98 specification ‘Data Product Interoperability in S-100 Navigation Systems’).

What difference should users expect in terms of updates?

S-100 makes it possible to provide event-driven, real-time, efficient updates. 

• For updating, S-100 provides ‘plug-and-play’ functionality, via Exchange Sets.  

Users can easily exchange Feature Catalogues, Portrayal Catalogues and Interoperability Catalogues, simply by pulling out the old module from the ECDIS and inserting the new one.

• SevenCs’ sister company; Raymarine Commercial's CIO+ overlay on the ECDIS directly updates NtM (Notices to Mariners) and NavArea warnings.  

Doing this on a ‘Connected ECDIS’ provides the composite image that includes the ENC, without needing the crew’s manual intervention.

Can SevenCs’ solutions offer 3D-applications data?

S-100 is designed to offer full flexibility for three-dimensional data. For Teledyne SevenCs products, this applies to DTED (Digital Terrain Elevation Data) software, used for portraying land areas next to/very close to the body of water shown.

How does 4D, time-critical data relate to SevenCs’ S-100 products?

• This is primarily about precision measurement of tides, currents and winds.  
• Ferry services (example: UK/France test trials in 2025, using Teledyne SevenCs software): S-100 can improve the crew’s data-driven evaluation of whether, after a given delay, a ferry can still make its arrival time-slot. 
• Military applications: High-precision measurement of movements at sea. 
• VTS / Vessel Traffic Systems: Precise timelines on post-event analysis (insurance cases).

How will S-100 manage the interaction of S-102 bathymetric data overlay and the depth-soundings data in the ENC itself?

If a given ENC has an S-102 bathymetry overlay, that S-102 overlay’s depth data is interoperable with the ENC’s depth data. 

What is the timeline for switchover to S-100 data from S-57?

Starting on 01 Jan. 2029, the S-57 standard will no longer be a recognised data-exchange standard. The IMO defines the performance standards for S-57 ENCs and S-101 ENCs. Starting then, all new-builds installed on vessels, as well as retrofits, must offer full S-100 functionality.

How can Raymarine Commercial’s ECDIS as a Service help in successfully managing the transition from S-57 to S-100?

ECDIS as a Service is a Raymarine Commercial solution solving many challenges that users face in the transition from S-57 ENCs to S-101 ENCs. Some of the main benefits include:

• Lifetime warranty 
• Updates of hardware and software, free of charge.  
• One-click switchover of a user’s whole fleet to S-100.

Ready for the Future of Navigation?

The S-100 transition represents a defining moment for maritime navigation — one that brings greater precision, flexibility and real-time capability to the bridge. With the 2029 deadline approaching, now is the time for shipping companies, ECDIS suppliers and vessel crews to prepare. Teledyne SevenCs and Raymarine Commercial are ready to support that journey, every step of the way.