Addressing the issue of data quality symbology in marine cartography

Bathymetric data quality on Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) is encoded with the Category Zone of Confidence (CATZOC) providing information about horizontal and vertical uncertainty, seabed coverage, and feature detection. To support safe navigation, the nautical charting community has been investigating improved methods for the inclusion of data quality on charts and the integration on Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDISs).One of the major changes is the decision to replace the problematic star symbology. Recognizing that effective visualizations result in better–informed decisions, we investigate new techniques for the visualization of bathymetric data quality on ECDIS. This is expressed through our countable textures, one with lines and one with dot–clusters, as well as two techniques for improving the data quality integration within ECDIS safety checks. Regarding the former, this paper summarizes the research effort from identifying the deficiencies of star symbology, to conceptualization, development, and evaluation of the countable textures that demonstrated the superiority of the concept compared to ideas previously discussed within the community. Regarding the latter, this paper presents the two techniques under evaluation in collaboration with maritime academies in the US that aim to facilitate the use of data quality information during the execution of the passage.