Interoperable Data Formats Technical Session Summary Report

1. Interoperable Data FormatsTechnical SessionSummary Report International Ice Charting Working Group – VI Ottawa, October 2005 John Falkingham

2. Action Item 5.6 • Clearly define the objective of developing common data base scheme i.e. seamless customer support vs ice service interoperability. Outline a project plan including goals for the first technical workshop on the issue

3. Objectives for Technical Workshop • Education • To understand better what we mean by interoperable data formats • Decision • Where we want to go with interoperable data formats – are we on the right track? • What can we achieve within our own organizations and what can we achieve together? • Commitment to Action • To develop action plans, that we can all commit to, for going forward

4. Outline for Technical Workshop • Education • Ice in Electronic Chart Systems • Tim Evangelatos & Doug O’Brien - Canadian experts on ECDIS and IHO under contract to the Canadian Hydrographic Service • Advances in Sea Ice Presentation for ECDIS • Yuri Scherbakov – AARI expert on ECDIS • Interoperable Data Formats in Production Systems • Dave Denault – CIS expert on Geographic Information Systems • Brian Scarlett – ESRI contractor at CIS

5. Outline for Technical Workshop • Decision • Plenary discussion • Breakout Groups • Operational Ice Information Producers • Standards Enforcers • Commitment to Action • Breakout group reports • Workshop Report

6. Results • Agreement from the entire group that: • Developing standards for incorporating ice information into Electronic Chart Systems is a role that the JCOMM ETSI should play • With IICWG as its Technical Advisory body • Now is an appropriate time to be doing this • We are not at the bleeding edge but are close enough to it to be effective • It may be a lot of work for which resources (people) are not easily available but that will never change

7. Results (cont) • Should separate the content from the carrier • Carrier issues are already resolved by others • Content model is an essential first step for interoperability between ice services and with users • Define how ice information is described in a common way by all ice services

8. Results (cont) • IHO Ice Register (Ice Object Catalogue) is the logical starting point for a content model • Register was developed under ISO standards and has a formal “home” • ICE Register should reference and be completely compatible with the WMO Sea Ice Nomenclature • SIGRID-3 should be merged into the Register • ETSI should be the “owner” of the register and be responsible for the “control body”

9. Results (cont) • Ice Object Catalogue must incorporate standards for display of images • It is not necessary for ETSI to define the portrayal (presentation) standards but it would be useful to define a default set • Existing WMO Symbology and Colour Standards would suffice

10. Operational Ice Information Producers Breakout Group • Participants: • Klaus Strubing, German Ice Service, BSH • Keld Hansen, Danish Met Institute • Thor Jakobsson, Iceland Met Service • Robert Ringrose, Qinetiq Corp • Helge Tangen, Norwegian Met Service • Paul Seymour, National Ice Center • Ari Seina, Finnish Ice Service • Barbara O’Connell, Canadian Coast Guard • Brian Scarlett, GIS Technical Expert • Lina Assad, rapporteur

11. Standards Enforcers Breakout Group • Participants: • Doug O’Bren – IDON Corp • Tim Evangelatos – Terraquaeous Corp • Vasily Smalyanitsky – AARI, ETSI, • Yuri Scherbakov – AARI • John Falkingham – Canadian Ice Service • Ian Pilling – Qinetiq Corp • Eric Madsen – NOAA • Dan Fequet – Canadian Ice Service • Mikhail Krasnoperov - WMO

12. Issues/Challenges • Communications cost too high when accessing data over web • Security model to protect data that needs to be protected • Portrayal of the data format is not the same for different clients • Inter-operability of data and charts • Standard settings must be established in order to enable the exchange • Technological progress (tap from each other’s skills)

13. Barriers • Government regulations; • Ownership of data, licensing, management of data; • Resources (people) to do the necessary work

14. Action Plan – next 6 months • Complete final version of the Ice Objects Catalogue • editorial changes • correct references • review for consistency with Sea Ice Nomenclature and SIGRID-3 • Survey/questionnaire to Ice Services to determine common denominator • What is the current capability for inter-operability?

15. Action Plan – next 6 months • Establish formal relationships • Letter of liaison from JCOMM co-presidents to IHO (Technical, CHRIS) (1 March 2006) Done? • Letter of liaison from JCOMM ETSI chair Vasily Smolyanitsky to ISO TSMAD chair, Mike Brown (before 7-11 November 2005) • Letter of liaison from JCOMM co-president to ISO Chair to expand existing WMO liaison domain to include sea ice (15 May 2006)

16. Action Plan – next year • Standardize the SIGRID3 implementation among ice centres • ISO standard for metadata • Complete metadata definition for sea ice • Investigate relations with MarineXML (JCOMM ETMDP) • ISO standard for imagery • No need to define standards for imagery but must define what standards we shall employ at user level • possible solution is to follow IHO • Presentation content • Recommend default presentation in isolation • WMO Nomenclature, Colour standard for Ice Charts

17. Action Plan – longer term • Encoding • Develop SIGRID-4 in alignment with ISO GML (ISO 19136) • S57 will serve in the interim to carry ice information in Electronic Ice Systems • Web Services • Determine the level of standard web services required for interoperability among producers • Web Mapping Services • Web Feature Services • Web Coverage Services

18. In SummaryDid we meet our objectives? • Education - Accomplished • We are all at a common level of understanding • Decision – Accomplished • Agreed that we should progress in a certain direction • Commitment– Partially Accomplished • Relatively detailed action plan drafted – we know what to do • Resources to implement this action plan not identified – we don’t yet know how to do it