Contents

UK HANDBOOK FOR

AML

Second Edition January 2007

Revised November 2008
 Contents
UK AML HANDBOOK EDITION 2.1

Foreword
Relevant, timely information and the intelligence derived from it are critical enablers across the
spectrum of modern warfare. Maintain information superiority over your adversary and your
chance of success in any campaign increases exponentially. Recent deployments in Iraq and
Afghanistan have confirmed this view and brought into sharp focus how effective the right
information can be as a force multiplier for today’s versatile, expeditionary forces. The same is
true in wider humanitarian support where multi-agency co-ordination cannot function without
good quality information. With over 80% of this information having some form of geographic
component defence geospatial services, provided in the UK through the Defence Environmental
Information Programme, are an inseparable part of current and future operations. Geospatial
information and intelligence (GEOINT) thus flows across all levels of command and increasingly
through digital C2 systems, navigational aids, weapons and sensors. To better unify this vital
resource UK MoD is developing, as part of ISTAR Network Enabled Capability (NEC), the
Recognised Environmental Picture (REP). The REP aims to provide a coherent and seamless
digital picture of the battle space, including the land, maritime and air domains. It will provide
a shared, deployable information and intelligence resource that will underpin any future Joint
Operations Picture.
The Additional Military Layers (AML) concept has been created specifically to support this new
electronic information environment. Wherever deployed at sea, in the air or on the ground, AML
will meet the objects, features, scale and scope demanded by the customer in an inherently
interoperable and optimised vector solution. It will no longer be necessary for users to have to
refer to environmental information across a variety of specialist legacy products from different
sources, often provided in books, paper or analogue overlay format. AML will open up existing
data and delivery ‘stovepipes’ and provide a comprehensive service that will bring tangible
benefits in supporting requirements for situational awareness, weapon systems and targeting.
As a NATO endorsed standard AML further offers the opportunity to increase our interoperability
both nationally and with key allies. Through collaborative programmes we will seek to provide
world-wide high quality coverage to meet increasing operational tempo and in a more efficient
manner.
AML also has a role in supporting digital navigation, especially within the Warfare Electronic
Chart Display and Information System (WECDIS). AML’s ‘smart’ vector data sets to complement
existing digital chart products and greatly enhance the manoeuvrability, access and reach of
maritime forces.
This handbook will introduce the reader to the concept of AML, the current products, how they
can be delivered and the way in which they can be used. I hope you find it useful. Any comments
or feedback would be most welcome and should be directed to Head Defence Customer Relations
at UKHO.
Jamie McMichael-Phillips
Captain, Royal Navy
Director
Intelligence Collection Strategy & Plans
Ministry of Defence
London
November 2008


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UK AML HANDBOOK EDITION 2.1

© CROWN COPYRIGHT 2008

Edition 2 – January 2007

Revised – November 2008

UKHO Point of Contact:

The UK Hydrographic Office Admiralty Way
Taunton
Somerset, TA1 2DN
United Kingdom
Fax: 01823 284077
For AML – Defence Situational Awareness Service Delivery Manager
Tel: 01823 337900 ext 3813
E-mail: [email protected]
For ENC – RN ENC Co-ordinator
Tel: 01823 337900 ext 3708
[email protected]

UKHO AML Web Pages: www.ukho.gov.uk/add/services.asp

FIMU Point of Contact (for obtaining AML data)

Geospacial Section Manager
Fleet Information Management Unit
MWC Building
QinetiQ Portsdown Technology Park
Southwick Road
Cosham
Hampshire
PO6 3RU
Tel: 02392 21 2064
Fax: 02392 21 2066
E-mail: [email protected]
CHOTS: FIMUN6-GEOMAN

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UK AML HANDBOOK EDITION 2.1

Foreword 1

1. INTRODUCTION 7
NATO Definition of AML. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.1 Purpose of this Handbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.2 Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.3 Background to AML. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3.1 The Need for AML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3.2 Sponsor and Developers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2. WHAT IS AML? 10
2.1 The AML Concept. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.1.1 Objective and Definition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.1.2 Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

3. AML PRODUCTS AND THEIR CONTENT 13

3.1 The Nature of AML Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2 Vector Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2.1 Characteristics of Vector Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2 Gridded Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.3 Product specifications and their status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.3.1 Status of Product Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.4 Description of Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.4.1 Level of detail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.4.2 Scale bands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.4.3 Spatial Scale Bands and temporal intervals for Gridded Products. . 17
3.4.4 Contour Line Bathymetry (CLB). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.4.5 Environment, Seabed and Beach (ESB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.4.6 Large Bottom Objects (LBO). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.4.7 Maritime Foundation and Facilities (MFF). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.4.8 Routes, Areas And Limits (RAL). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.4.9 Small Bottom Objects (SBO). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.4.10 Integrated Water Column (IWC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25


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3.4.11 Atmospheric and Meteorological Climatology (AMC). . . . . . . . . . 28

3.4.12 Network Model Bathymetry (NMB). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.4.13 Gridded Sediment ESB (GS-ESB). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Spatial Scale Band Spatial Computational Grid Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.5 Metadata. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.5.1 What is metadata?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.5.2 Metadata in AML. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.5.3 File naming in AML. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.5.4 In theatre collected data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4 SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL FOR AML & MFD 34

4.1 What will the UKHO supply?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.1.1 Products available. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.2 How do users know what is available?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.2.1 UK AML Catalogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.2.2 NATO AML Catalogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.2.3 Catalogues of Navigational Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.3 Customisation (System Profiles) and MFD packages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.4 Who can obtain MFD from the UKHO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.5 AML Requirements for new and emerging capabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.6 Obtaining AML for Situational Awareness (SA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.7 Obtaining AML (Navigation Systems). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.8 Obtaining ENC (Navigation Systems). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.9 Obtaining ENC (Navigation Systems). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.10 Time scales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.11 Areal limits of data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.12 How is AML delivered. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.12.1 Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.13 Updating policy - AML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.14 Security Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.14.1 Encryption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.14.2 Protective marking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41


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5. USE OF AML 42
5.1 What to expect in practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.1.1 New products?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.1.2 Coverage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.1.3 Consistency between AML and other products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.1.4 Positional Accuracy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.2 Which systems will AML be used in?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.2.1 Navigation - WECDIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.2.2 Command and Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.2.3 Environmental Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.2.4 Future Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5.3 Which Symbology will be used to Display AML?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5.4 How will AML be used? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

6 AML AND THE RECOGNISED ENVIRONMENTAL PICTURE (REP) 46

6.1 The Concept. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
6.2 Maritime Foundation Data (MFD). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

7 AML and the wider NATO picture 49

7.1 NATO nations developing AML. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
7.2 Production Specification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
7.3 Co-production. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
7.4 NATO AML Catalogue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

ANNEX A – AML Feature Classes by Product Specification 51

A.1.1 Note: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
A.1.2 Contour Line Bathymetry (CLB). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
A.1.3 Environment, Seabed and Beach (ESB). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
A.1.4 Large Bottom Objects (LBO). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
A.1.5 Maritime Foundation and Facilities (MFF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
A.1.6 Routes, Areas and Limits (RAL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64


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A.1.7 Small Bottom Objects (SBO). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

A.1.8 Atmospheric and Meteorological Climatology (AMC), Version 1.0 69
A.1.9 Integrated Water Column (IWC), Version 2.0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
ANNEX B – Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Annex C - AML - A BRIEF HISTORY SO FAR 72

C.1 Initial Concept. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
C.2 Gathering Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
C.3 Developing the first six Product Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
C.4 Prototype Production System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
C.5 Internal Trials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
C.6 External Trials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
C.7 AML STANAG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
C.8 Developing specifications for gridded products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
C.9 Version 2 specifications for vector products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
ANNEX D – AML Data Request Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75


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UK AML HANDBOOK EDITION 2.1

1. Introduction
NATO Definition of AML

“AML is a unified range of digital geospatial data products designed to satisfy the
totality of NATO non-navigational maritime defence requirements.”

1.1 Purpose of this Handbook

This handbook is intended to be a ready source of information about AML for its users and
others. It is not a detailed user guide. The aim is to provide:
•The background to AML and a basic understanding of the AML concept and its design
•A brief description of AML products
•To introduce the Recognised Environmental Picture (REP) and Maritime Foundation
Data (MFD) concepts and explain the position of AML within MFD
• An indication of systems that will use AML
• An outline of the Service Delivery Model for MFD
It may be used in support of or in conjunction with other related training material and/or
user guides.

1.2 Related Documents

Product Specifications for AML Products †
STANAG 7170 - AML Edition 1 (Sept 03)
Admiralty Manual of Navigation (BR 45) Volume 8 – WECDIS/ECDIS Navigation & ECS use
(October 2007)
The Maritime Foundation Data (MFD) Concept Paper : UKHO ( 26 Mar 2008)
The UKHO MFD Strategy Paper: UKHO ( 25 Mar 2008)
STANAG 4564 - WECDIS Edition 1
The Requirement For Digital Navigation Systems For The Royal Navy – SNBC/P(02)1 (Nov 01)
Environmental Exploitation - Future Navy Supporting Paper; D/ACNS/110/2 (Jan 2002)
AML Production Specification V1.1, July 2007 †
AML Guidance and Implementation Manual V3.0, 31st March 2008 †

†
Available on the AML pages of the UKHO Web site


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UK AML HANDBOOK EDITION 2.1

A Short History of AML (May 2004)

2006DIN-036 - The Delivery of Additional Military Layers as an aid to Situational Awareness
in new, emerging and in-service equipment and capabilities
EFC User Requirements Document - URD 9074.05 1* Draft, DOORS Baseline 0.5,
November 2005

1.3 Background to AML

1.3.1 The Need for AML

Hydrographic information for navigational use has been provided in the form of paper charts
and, more recently, in digital form via the raster Admiralty Raster Chart Service (ARCS)
product or the vector Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) product. These products have also
been used to meet wider situational awareness needs. However, hydrographic information
specifically for military use has typically been supplied in the form of a very large number of
specialist charts and overlays. These are often contained in several product ranges aimed at
different groups of users. Moreover, early digital products have commonly been designed
to replace particular existing analogue equivalents and each is aimed at a single specialised
system. This approach was unavoidable in the days when technology only allowed the
manufacture and use of paper products, but it often led to the same piece of information
being published many times - with all the overheads and potential for mismatching that this
may cause.


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UK AML HANDBOOK EDITION 2.1

The emergence, in the early 1990s of requirements for this data to be supplied in digital
form both highlighted the disadvantages of current data provision methods and presented
an opportunity for change.
The impetus for these digital products has been increased by the Royal Navy’s plans to
operate a “paperless bridge”. This will mean a move from paper navigational charts to
digital products such as ARCS and ENC. In the non-military world these products will
be used in and displayed by ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems).
ECDIS with extended functionality to provide military utility beyond that needed purely for
normal navigation is termed Warship ECDIS (WECDIS). An important aspect of this extra
functionality is the ability to read and display additional information such as that included
in AML. The use of WECDIS offers considerable advantages in terms of safety of navigation
and rapid availability of military maritime information.
AML is already being used in some Command, Command & Control and sensor systems
in service and is also needed for others under development such as Type 45, Replacement
Maritime Patrol Aircraft, ASTUTE submarine and Merlin.

1.3.2 Sponsor and Developers

The AML concept originated in 1995. It was adopted by UK MoD a year later and proposals
to take the development forward as a NATO initiative, within the work programme of the
NATO Ad Hoc Hydrographic Working Group (AHHWG) of the NATO Geographic Conference,
were agreed the following year. Much of the development has been undertaken by the
UKHO. A number of NATO nations have contributed to the definition of AML by participating
in the AHHWG/GMWG and by reviewing product specifications. Other agencies, such as the
US Naval Oceanographic Office, the UK Meteorological Office, and BAE Systems Ltd, have
played an active role in developing certain aspects of the concept.

*
The Ad Hoc Hydrographic Working Group was re-named the Geospatial Maritime Working Group (GMWG) in Summer 2004


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UK AML HANDBOOK EDITION 2.1

2. What is AML?
2.1 The AML Concept

2.1.1 Objective and Definition

This objective of the AML project was defined formally by the NATO Ad Hoc Hydrographic
Working Group at its second meeting in July 1999 as shown here.
“To provide all the information currently published as overlays or overprints to standard
charts or as defence specific products in a single, unified product range with no replication
of information”
For submission for NATO terminology, a true definition (as opposed to the developmental
objective above) has been adopted:
“AML is a unified range of digital geospatial data products designed to satisfy the totality of
NATO non-navigational maritime defence requirements.”
The totality referred to here includes hydrographic data beyond that needed for passage and
harbour navigation, as well as oceanographic and meteorological data.

2.1.2 Design
Generic – for all users and all systems
AML is a unified range of digital geospatial data sets designed to meet the needs of all
defence users for situational awareness.
Standards
AML is based on published and internationally accepted standards. It will not be tied to any
particular software or manufacturer or proprietary exchange standard. The International
Hydrographic Organisation’s S-57 Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data is
currently used for vector products. The GRIB and NetCDF formats will initially be used for
gridded data. In the longer term emerging standards such as GML are expected to be used
across the whole range of AML products.
Separation of Content from Carrier
Specifications for AML products are written in such a way as to separate the content from
the carrier (the data exchange standard that is used to encode it). The main body of a
product specification contains the data model defining the product’s content, and the way
in which the data model is implemented is contained in a separate annex for each exchange
standard. Multiple carrier definitions can therefore exist for a single product specification.
Thus, the resulting product that is available to the user will appear the same, regardless of
which exchange standard is used to ‘package’ it.

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UK AML HANDBOOK EDITION 2.1

Compatible products from different agencies

The above approach means that different agencies producing AML will generate products
that can be used by the same systems and will give the user matching information.

User Requirements

Exchange
Standard 1
N

Product
Content Model

System
Data

User
Product Systems
Exchange
Standard 2

Figure 2: The same content model can be implemented using different exchange formats to produce
corresponding products that will be identical when used.

No duplication of features
It is a principle of AML to publish each feature only once. However, in practice, this may not
strictly be the case. This will be discussed further in Section 5.
Data, not a viewing system
AML is a family of data products. It does not include a means of displaying or manipulating
the data. The required functionality within user systems to exploit AML data has to be
defined by the user community. The users know how they will require to filter, visualise and
manipulate the AML data and they will need to specify this in their requirements definition
that is passed to industry.

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No prescribed symbology
The AML product specifications do not prescribe a symbology for AML. This is a complex
issue as users from different warfare disciplines sometimes require the same features to
be depicted in different ways. These need not be restricted to viewing as a map or a chart:
data could also be displayed in tabular or book form. Moreover, as AML is fully attributed
vector data, it can be queried and manipulated in conjunction with data from other systems.
For instance, features in AML could be matched with sonar or radar contacts. The UKHO
produced an initial default symbology in 2002. This was intended to help system developers
by giving the a way of rendering sample data and was not intended to be used operationally.
An improved default symbology was produced in June 2005 and is issued with the AML
Guidance and Implementation Manual.
Use with other products or on its own
AML should not be thought of solely as ‘layers’ to overlay a navigational chart. Some
elements of AML will be used in this way, in conjunction with vector navigational products
such products as ENC or raster products such as ARCS, but AML has been designed so that
for non-navigational purposes, (e.g. mine warfare support) the necessary components of
AML can be used in their own right without a full navigational backdrop.
Updatable
AML is designed to be a service that includes updates. Different components of AML will
require different update frequencies. Because AML is intended for situational awareness
and must not be used as a primary aid to navigation, it is not the intention to issue frequent
updates in response to changes to navigational products. The updating policy is described
in paragraph 4.13. Where AML cells are encoded using S-57 there is the exchange standard
offers the option of producing incremental updates where the level of change does not
warrant the issue of a replacement cell. The advantage of this method is that the update files
are normally small and it may be possible to promulgate them via networks, even where
bandwidth is limited.

†
AML Guidance and Implementation Manual V3.0, March 2008

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3. AML Products and their content

3.1 The Nature of AML Products
All AML products are either vector or gridded, none are raster.
3.2 Vector Products
3.2.1 Characteristics of Vector Data
Vector data is more “intelligent” and flexible than raster data. Objects are represented by
points (nodes), lines (edges), or areas (faces/polygons). Each object is described in terms
of a feature class, indicating what sort of object it is; attributes, describing its properties
and a geographical position. This enables software to be written empowering the user to
manipulate the data in a variety of ways, for example by selecting and displaying a sub-
set of the feature classes in the product, and beyond that making selections based on the
attribution of certain feature classes. This helps to reduce clutter, emphasising the features
that are important to the user for the task in hand. User systems need not be limited to
displaying features in any one particular way and it is likely that users from different warfare
disciplines will wish to visualise the same feature differently. The data may be displayed in
non-geographical ways, such as a list of wrecks in a particular area, and may not even be
displayed at all but fed to a different system, such as a tactical decision aid, and used in
conjunction with other information.
Links to external text and picture files can be attached to features in vector AML products.

Figure 3: Here information from RAL, LBO and ESB are displayed together resulting in a cluttered picture
that is difficult to interpret. (Viewer – Tenet HUGIN Chartlink)

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Figure 4: Removal of ESB and some elements of RAL that are not of current specific interest, results in a
much clearer view. (Viewer – Tenet HUGIN Chartlink)

3.2 Gridded Products

Gridded AML products are intended to show the spatial, and sometimes temporal, variation
in some quality of the environment. For instance, gridded products can represent an analysis
of a large number of observations, collected over a long period of time to give the user an
idea of what conditions might be expected at a location at a particular time of year. Gridded
information may be presented to the user in a variety of ways, including contours derived
from the grid and colour banding, or it may be used directly by a system.

3.3 Product specifications and their status

3.3.1 Status of Product Specifications

At present, nine AML product specifications have been approved by NATO nations and one
more is in preparation.

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NATO approved product specifications

Vector – all now at version 2.1 November 2005
• Contour Line Bathymetry (CLB)
• Environment, Seabed and Beach (ESB)
• Large Bottom Objects (LBO)
• Maritime Foundation and Facilities (MFF)
• Routes, Areas and Limits (RAL)
• Small Bottom Objects (SBO)
Gridded
• Atmosphere and Meteorological Climatology (AMC) – Version 1.0 November 2004
• Integrated Water Column (IWC) – Version 2.0 November 2005
• Gridded Sediments ESB (GS-ESB) – Version 1.0 July 2005
Product Specifications in preparation
Gridded
• Network Model Bathymetry (NMB)
Version 1.0 of the six vector product specifications was published in November 2001. These
were frozen for two years and version 2.0 was published in July 2004 (now released as
version 2.1). The changes made in version 2.0/2.1 were mostly to make the documents more
readily understood. However, a small number of changes were made to the data models
including the transfer of some feature classes from one product to another. Unfortunately,
this prevents backward compatibility. Both versions (1.0 and 2.1) and summaries of the
difference between them can be found on the AML Web pages at www.ukho.gov.uk/add/
services.asp.
NATO has endorsed AML version 3.0 This version combines the 6 previous vector
specifications into a single product specification and feature catalogue. Version 3.0 also
extends the Feature Catalogue in the following areas:
• Additional land features and attributes from VMAP
• Ice features and attributes from WMO ECDIS Ice Objects v4.0
• Additional air features and attributes
• S-57 3.1.1 Archipelagic Sea Lane objects and extra enumerates on CATREA
• Generic attributes SCAMIN and SCAMAX
• Extra attribution on Marine Management Area.
The UKHO will continue production of data compliant with the first versions for some time.
All descriptions of the vector products and their content in this handbook refer to Version 1
of the product specifications.

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3.4 Description of Products

3.4.1 Level of detail

There are over 350 different types of real world object carried within the specifications for
the initial six vector products and each of these carries a number of attributes. Therefore,
only broad descriptions, intended to give the key content of each product are given below.
Full details of objects and attributes for each product are contained in the Data Dictionary
which is found in Section 5 of each specification. The descriptions given below relate to the
version number indicated.

3.4.2 Scale bands

Some vector AML products (LBO, RAL and SBO) can be considered unscaled because
they contain only features that are points or regular geometric shapes, defined by specified
geographical co-ordinates. CLB, ESB and MFF contain features such as coastlines and
contours which are generated in a more generalised way at smaller scales. These products
therefore need to be prepared for use within a range of scale bands intended for different
purposes. For example CLB can be produced in nine scale bands for usages including:
• Tactical and strategic planning,
• Ocean operations,
• Detailed tactical operations e.g. mine counter measures and amphibious operations
The possible scale bands are based on the following scales with the intention that the data
should be displayed at scales ranging from 40% to 250% of its original scale.
Scale Band Data Scale
1 1:100,000,000 or smaller
2 1:25,000,000
3 1:5,000,000
4 1:1,000,000
5 1:250,000
6 1:50,000
7 1:10,000
8 1:2,500
9 1:600 or larger

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Scale Band Range of Intended Data Display Scale

1 <1:40,000,000
2 1:10,000,000 to 1:62,500,000
3 1:2,000,000 to 1:12,500,000
4 1:400,000 to 1:2,500,000
5 1:100,000 to 1:625,000
6 1:20,000 to 1:125,000
7 1:4,000 to 1:25,000
8 1:1,000 to 1:6,250
9 >1:1,500
In practice, it will normally only be necessary to produce a particular product in two or three
of these scale bands for a particular area.

3.4.3 Spatial Scale Bands and temporal intervals for Gridded Products
In the case of gridded products there can be a variation in the spatial grid interval at which
data is presented. This may depend on the purpose for which the dataset is intended or the
density of the source data. Some gridded AML products include values that vary according
to the time of year. The specifications for these products make provision for data to be
presented at a number of temporal intervals throughout the year e.g. quarterly or monthly.

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3.4.4 Contour Line Bathymetry (CLB)

The CLB version 1.0 product specification includes depth contours, spot soundings and
depth areas (areas where the depths lie within a particular range).
CLB is a scaled product.

Figure 5: Scale band 4 (1:1,000,000) Contour Line Bathymetry west of Scotland, useful for planning
(Viewer - OSI ECPINS v5.0.3)

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Figure 6: Detailed bathymetry in the Minch at Scale Band 6 (1:50,000), compiled at survey scale for tactical
use, is shown lower left. Compare with the Scale Band 4 data to the north and east.
(Viewer - OSI ECPINS v5.0.3)

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3.4.5 Environment, Seabed and Beach (ESB)

The ESB product is designed to provide information about the seabed as listed below. This
data is likely to be of particular value in support of mine counter-measures activities and
Amphibious operations.
• Composition and thickness of multiple Sediment layers including bedrock
• Acoustic/physical properties
• Slope
• MCM areas
• Sandwaves
• Trawl Scours
• Vegetation
• Beach – full map/chart at very large scale
• Beach – as overlay to standard mapping/charting
• Low resolution seabed information to support ASW
ESB is a scaled product.

Figure 7: Beach information from ESB displayed with MFF . Aerial photography from a linked external file is
also displayed. (Viewer – Tenet HUGIN Chartlink)

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3.4.6 Large Bottom Objects (LBO)

This product includes all objects on the sea bed that have a minimum extent of 5 metres in
either height, width or length. These include
• Wrecks
• Rocks
• Obstructions
• Seabed installations
The product is unscaled, as all objects are captured as point geometry.

Figure 8: Features from LBO displayed in the RN WECDIS alongside ENC.

The attributes of a wreck have been queried

This type of information is of general use during normal surface navigation and planning but,
where available, LBO contains information beyond that depicted on standard navigational
products. For instance, all wrecks are included not just those significant to surface navigation.
Wreck objects carry full attribution (where the information is available). LBO is of particular
use during submarine and anti-submarine operations, and for amphibious and mine warfare
applications.

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3.4.7 Maritime Foundation and Facilities (MFF)

MFF is designed to provide a suitable reference framework where users need a backdrop
but are not using AML products with any standard electronic mapping or charting product
(e.g. ENC, ARCS, DNC or VMAP) nor using AML products that provide such a context (for
example CLB or ESB).
An outline of the content of MFF is given below.
Framework –
• Coastline
• National boundaries and major cities
• Ports/Cities
• Port and harbour locations and facilities
• Major Lights
• Major Buoyage
• Magnetic information
• Tidal information
Miscellaneous tactical information -
• Radar reflective entities such as offshore platforms, buoys and beacons
• Communications facilities and coverage
• Pipeline and cable information
• Fishing activity
• Oil, gas or mineral production information
• Ice limits
• Search and rescue information
• Miscellaneous sea bed obstructions that cover a significant area

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MFF is a scaled product.

Figure 9: Scale band 4 MFF viewed in CARIS Easy View

3.4.8 Routes, Areas And Limits (RAL)

RAL contains abstract features that can be defined by points, lines, and areas. RAL is used
for a wide variety of planning and operational purposes.
The following are included:
• Marine management areas
• Military practice areas – danger areas (submarine and surface), practice and exercise
(PEXA) areas (surface and submarine), safe bottoming areas, testing and evaluation
ranges
• Patrol areas
• Q-Routes
• Restricted areas – historic wrecks, marine reserves, minefields, and offshore safety
zones
• Submarine transit lanes

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• Swept areas
• Territorial sea areas – EEZ, fishery limits, contiguous zone, continental shelf areas,
straight territorial baselines, and territorial sea areas
• Selected aeronautical information needed by the maritime operator – airfields/
airports, airspace (controlled, military, and regulated)§
• Waypoints/reporting/calling-in points – NAVAIDS, helicopter reporting points,
rendezvous locations, and reporting/radio calling-in points
• RAL is an unscaled product.

Figure 10: RAL with a military practice area highlighted and its attributes displayed. (Viewer – OSI ECPINS)

3.4.9 Small Bottom Objects (SBO)

SBO includes all known bottom contacts that are smaller than five metres, that is, mines
and mine-like contacts. Like LBO, this product is scaleless. Indicative usages include Mine
Counter-Measures, Amphibious and route lead-through operations.
§
Although RAL contains aeronautical information at present, it is planned that this type of information will be disseminated in
a separate Aeronautical Foundation Data (AFD) product provided by No 1 AIDU, rather than in AML. The carrier format will be
DAFIF. Following the definition of the AFD product, aeronautical components of RAL, other than those found on navigational
products, will be removed from the product specification.

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SBO is an unscaled product.

Figure 11: Fictitious sample Small Bottom Objects

displayed alongside ENC in WECDIS. The attributes
of a mine have been queried.

3.4.10 Integrated Water Column (IWC)

The product specifications for IWC are being published in two phases. The purpose of the
IWC is to provide climatological data to describe the likely conditions found within the water
column. A phase one IWC product specification, with an annex for implementation using
the NetCDF format, was endorsed by the Geospatial Maritime Working Group meeting in
October 2005. It was published as Version 2.0 in November 2005. The following features
are included in the specification.
Physical properties
• Temperature
• Salinity
• Sound speed
• Density

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Currents
• Surface
• Sub-surface
Biology (marine mammals)
• Qualitative
• Quantitative

Figure 12: January sea surface temperature from IWC visualised

using NCBROWSE, a freely available NetCDF viewer

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AML IWC phase 1 data may be rendered for a variety of purposes such as the depiction of
monthly climatological values over an area, or the distribution of marine mammals. Data
may be made available in a range of spatial and temporal resolutions as described in the
following tables.
Spatial Scale Band Spatial Computational Grid Size
1 20 degrees or coarser
2 5 degrees
3 1 degree
4 30 minutes
5 6 minutes
6 1 minute
7 30 seconds
8 6 seconds
9 1 second or finer

Temporal Scale Band Temporal Period

A Year
B Quarter Year
C Month
D Semi-month
E Week
F Day

Phase 2 is less well defined at present, but is likely to include:

Sea surface properties
• Surf
• Swell
• Sea state
• Ice
Ocean Features
• Fronts
• Eddies
• Internal waves
Noise
• Ambient
Optical properties
Marine Biology

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3.4.11 Atmospheric and Meteorological Climatology (AMC)

The product specification with an implementation annex for the GRIB format was produced
by the UK Meteorological Office and was endorsed by NATO nations in November 2004.
The purpose of the AMC data set is to provide a data set describing the climatological
meteorological conditions to assist with operational planning. The following types of
historical information are included.
Wind
• Speed
• Direction
• Frequencies
Air temperature
Relative humidity
Dew point
Pressure
Cloud cover
Visibility
Probability of meteorological phenomena
Version 1.0 of the AMC product specification provides for data to be supplied in scale bands
corresponding to compilation scales and spatial grid sizes as tabulated below.

Scale Band Data Compilation Scale Data Computation Grid Size

1 <1:100,000,000 20° or coarser
2 1:25,000,000 5°
3 1:5,000,000 1°
Products in these scale bands are intended to be displayed in the following scale and grid
size ranges.

Scale Band Data Display Scale Range Data Usage Grid Size
1 <1:40,000,000 8° or coarser
2 1:10,000,000 to 1:62,500,00 0 2° to 12.5°
3 1:2,000,000 to 1:12,500,000 24’ to 2°
The initial product, produced by the UK Meteorological Office has a spatial resolution of
1.125 degrees, a temporal resolution of 1 week, provides meteorological data at a number
of height levels and is global.

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3.4.12 Network Model Bathymetry (NMB)

A good representation of the seabed is needed, and for many purposes a numerical model
of bathymetry is more useful than bathymetric contours. Types of model include matrix
(rectangular gridded) and Triangular Irregular Networks (TINS). Contours can be generated
automatically from bathymetric models. NMB will be specified in two phases, the first
of which will deal with data on rectangular grids. At the time of writing, an initial draft
product specification for Phase 1 of NMB has been circulated to industry for comment. It
is anticipated Phase 1 of NMB will be based in the Digital Bathymetric Database Variable
(DBDBV) format. Discussions about the inclusion of TINS are ongoing.

Figure 13: A 3D view derived from gridded bathymetric data

3.4.13 Gridded Sediment ESB (GS-ESB)

The Gridded Sediment – Environment Seabed & Beach (AML GS-ESB) product contains
geo-acoustic properties of the sediment layer, in a gridded form. It is a UK-only product with
an implementation annex for the Net CDF format.

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GS-ESB may be made available at the grid spacings given in the following table.

Spatial Scale Band Spatial Computational Grid Size

1 20 degrees or coarser
2 5 degrees
3 1 degree
4 30 minutes
5 6 minutes
6 1 minute
7 30 seconds
8 6 seconds
9 1 second or finer
Data may be used or displayed in information systems at a range of grid sizes as shown in
the following table.

Scale Band Usage Grid Size

1 8 degrees or coarser
2 2 to 12.5 degrees
3 24 minutes to 2.5 degrees
4 12 minutes to 1.25 degrees
5 2.4 to 15 minutes
6 24 seconds to 2.5 minutes
7 12 seconds to 1.25 minutes
8 2.4 to 15 seconds
9 0.4 to 2.5 seconds or finer

3.5 Metadata

3.5.1 What is metadata?

Metadata is information about the data. For paper charts it can be found in such places as
the chart catalogue, a chart’s title block or, if available, its source data diagram. Metadata for
digital data products is at least as important as it is for their paper counterparts.
Metadata can typically provide, for example:
• Identifying data: - Producing agency, name of the dataset, edition number, date of
release, product specification identity, geographical coverage, intended application,
compilation scale, owner authority.
• Data Quality – Accuracy, type of source, consistency, method of measurement.
• Units used – e.g. for height, depth, length, co-ordinates.

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• Frame of reference – horizontal and vertical datum.

• Security – protective marking, caveats, International Defence Organisation status.
• Update information – Update application date, update number
3.5.2 Metadata in AML
In AML products two ways of including metadata are used,
• Dataset Metadata, the meta information describing a data product as a whole.
• Meta Information, encoded within the data as meta information features or meta
information attributes. An example of a meta information feature, occurring in all
six vector product specifications, is Data Coverage which defines the geographical
area that the dataset covers. An example of a meta information attribute is Sounding
Accuracy which enables each depth value to be tagged with an estimated error.
It is important to understand that AML data is not inherently of better quality than its
antecedents; until new source data has been gathered it will be the same information
appearing in a different form. The user should make use of appropriate metadata, not only
to identify the data and its geographic coverage, but in order to understand its origins, its
appropriate usage, and its limitations. How metadata is accessed and displayed will depend
on the functionality of viewing systems.

3.5.3 File naming in AML

The name of an AML data file conveys some information about its contents. For instance
in the file UKC5U100.000, the first two characters indicate the producing nation**, the third
indicate that this is a CLB dataset, the fourth that the cell is scale band 5 and the fifth that
is UNCLASSIFIED. The last three characters identify the cell uniquely but do not give any
indication of its geographical location or details of its feature/attribute content. This has
proved to an issue for users of both AML and ENC when planning which cells they need
to install and display and there is a strong need for some way of using a title to describe
the cell, in the same way as is done for a paper chart. This title should appear in lists of
charts installed in software. Catalogues will provide a means of identifying data covering a
particular area, external to the reader system but a problem remains where, for instance a
system presents a list of file names of available cells to load. Figure 11 gives an example
from WECDIS.

** The latest NATO standard specifies three letter country codes but AML will continue to use NATO two letter codes for
versions 1 and 2.1. The version 3 S 57 Product Specification Implementation Annex specifies the three letter codes.

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Figure 14: This screen shot from OSI’s ECPINS shows a list of cells available for display. The file names are
shown but there is no indication of the area covered.

The most obvious solution would be to change the file name to a meaningful title. This is not
currently possible because the product specifications constrain the layout of the file name
and the S57 exchange standard limits the file name to eight characters with a three character
extension. In the longer term it is expected that S100 (future replacement for S57) standard
will cater for a chart-like title. An interim solution is required until S100 is published.
The UKHO has proposed and now uses, an interim solution to include a chart-like title in Data
Set IDentification COMmenT field DSID of the S57 file. This adheres to a pre-defined syntax
so that it is possible to program system software to retrieve and display the information.
Full details of the chart-like title syntax can be found in the AML web pages on the UKHO
Web site.

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3.5.4 In theatre collected data

It is anticipated that assets deployed in support of operations and exercises will collect
environmental information for the purposes of their immediate use and transfer to other
coalition forces. This data will be transferred around a coalition force in the form of AML
data, in datasets named in conformance with the standard for AML. Some of this data will
be fully conformant and have a long operational life but most is expected to have a short
operational life. Further information on aspects of in-theatre collected data can be found in
the AML Production Specification which can be found on the AML pages on the UKHO Web
site.

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4 Service Delivery Model for AML & MFD

4.1 What will the UKHO supply?

4.1.1 Products available

The following discreet components of Maritime Foundation Data (MFD) fall within the scope
of this document.
• ENC
• ARCS
• AML
The UKHO can also provide MFD packages containing the above products and also Mission
Specific Data (MSD), which can comprise of a wide range of other Environmental Information
(EINF), including imagery.
As described, in some circumstances, particular systems may be provided with AML
products optimised to meet particular system profiles.
AML Standard Test Data for CLB, ESB, IWC, MFF, LBO, RAL and SBO is available for
developers of systems and may be freely downloaded from the AML pages on the UKHO
Web site. Test data for AMC may be obtained from the UKHO AML contact address given on
page 2 of this handbook.

4.2 How do users know what is available?

4.2.1 UK AML Catalogue

The interactive, web based AML catalogue shows coverage and availability of data. Coverage
of cells is shown in graphical form and more detailed metadata for selected cells is displayed
textually. This catalogue is web enabled and it is intended to place subsets of it on the
military networks, according to the sensitivity of the content and coverage. It is also be
possible to distribute the catalogue in soft copy on CD for viewing with a web browser, a flat
file Microsoft PowerPoint version is also available for use where it is not possible to use the
web enabled catalogue. The AML catalogue will be updated periodically.

4.2.2 NATO AML Catalogue

A NATO – wide catalogue, NP114 Volume 2 of AML products has been produced in the
form described above. This is distributed with NP114, the catalogue of paper products. A
PowerPoint version has been placed on NATO SWAN.

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4.2.3 Catalogues of Navigational Products

For coverage of ARCS users should consult NP 131, The catalogue of Admiralty Charts and
Publications. For ENC availability contact the UKHO RN ENC Co-ordinator at the address
given on page 2 of this handbook.

4.3 AML Customisation (System Profiles) and MFD packages

The AML concept is that standard products are used in a wide variety of systems. The
default model is that standard products are supplied and, if display of a sub-set of features
is required, filtering is carried out within the system. However, some MoD systems will not
require all the features that are available from a fully populated AML product and will not
have the functionality and processing capacity within them to filter out the elements that they
need to use. In such cases the Defence Maritime Geospatial Executive Group (DMGEG)††
will, subject to resource availability, direct the UKHO to produce customised products for use
in these systems, containing only the objects and attribution required. A different “system
profile” will be used to generate the products for each system. For example, ADAWS and
Sonar 2087 will each have a data fill reflecting the role and function of the system.
In these cases, IPTs will be required to provide to the UKHO templates, which define
geographic coverage and the features required from the AML products.
Where a single platform has more than one system in which AML is used, each system may
be used by operators with different roles. Multiple sets of coherent AML data conforming to
different system profiles may then need to be supplied.
The assembly of an MFD package for visualisation in ESRI software or Tenet’s Chartlink,
to support an exercise or operation needs a certain amount of planning before work can
commence on building the package. It is therefore necessary to request it well in advance.
Approval will have to be sought from Defence Intelligence Collection Strategy & Plans (DI
ICSP) and the UKHO will need full details of the area of interest and content requirements
well in advance.

††
The DMGEG directs the Defence Hydrographic Programme (DHP) through Customer Communities that co-ordinate and
prioritise EINF requirements.

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Figure 15: The relationship between System Profiles, Systems and User Profiles

4.4 Who can obtain MFD from the UKHO

AML Standard Test Data is freely available, and may be downloaded from the AML pages on
the UKHO web site. Operational data will only be supplied to DI ICSP Authorised Demanders.
If a requester is not on the List of Authorised Demanders (LAD), any request will be passed to
the Joint Situational Awareness Customer Community (JSA CC) to prioritise the requirement.
Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs) will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Initial
approval must be sought via the Secretary of the JSA CC, who will then authorise direct
liaison with the UKHO for the provision of the MFD.
Operational AML data is normally supplied for use by defence and government departments
or authorities.
Figure 15 shows the routes for obtaining MFD for Navigation and Situational Awareness in
diagrammatic form and more detail is given in paragraphs 4.6 to 4.8.

4.5 AML Requirements for new and emerging capabilities

The precise requirements for systems with new or emergent AML capability must be
articulated in the User Requirement Document (URD) and subsequently in the System
Requirement Document (SRD). These can then be developed into a comprehensive Data
Requirements Document (DRD) including area of coverage, type of AML coverage, scale

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band and time scale. If the requirement for a customised product is anticipated, this fact
needs to be established at this stage and its details defined in a system profile. The system
profile is developed jointly between the owning IPT and UKHO AML staff.

Define AML
request

Situational
Navigation Awareness

Request AML Navigation Request AML data

data from UKHO or SA from FIMU

Seek clearance No No
On LAD On LAD
from SO1N7NAV

Yes Yes

UKHO supplies Requirement via FMU supplies

DMGEG customer CDs via SIO
CDs directly
community

Figure 16: A diagrammatic view of the route for obtaining AML data for Navigation and Situational Awareness

4.6 Obtaining AML for Situational Awareness (SA)

The Fleet Information Management Unit (FIMU) will issue AML base cells and updates for
in–service systems to units via the SIO (Software Issuing Office) and will be the initial point
of contact for data requests.
MoD customers for AML data will be able to specify their needs using the AML Situational
Awareness data request form. The contact details for obtaining this are given at Annex D.
Details of the area of interest will be needed, together with the system(s) that the data
will be used in. If the required data is not available, for instance the area is not covered
at the required scale band or data conforming to a new system profile is needed, then the
requirement will be presented to the JSA CC. The JSA CC, in consultation with the DMGEG,
will produce a prioritised list of AML requirements which will be passed to the UKHO for
production.

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4.7 Obtaining AML for Navigation Systems

AML for use in navigation systems is to be demanded directly from the UKHO. Contact the
UKHO Situational Awareness Service Delivery Manager using the details on page 2 of this
handbook.

4.8 Obtaining ENC (Navigation Systems)

For WECDIS and other navigation systems, ENC will be supplied by the UKHO RN ENC Co-
ordinator as authorised by FLEET-CAP SC NAVSEA SO1.
For other systems using ENC for navigation a similar mechanism will be enabled

4.9 Obtaining ARCS (Navigation Systems)

For WECDIS and other navigation systems, ARCS will be supplied by the UKHO as authorised
by FLEET -CAP SC NAVSEA SO1. For full details see DCI RN 125 2004

4.10 Time scales

Data that is available off the shelf will be dispatched within ten working days of the request
being received. If it is necessary to generate new data products or modify existing ones, these
will be delivered to a timescale agreed between the demander, DI ICSP and the UKHO.

4.11 Area limits of data

Most UKHO AML products are now divided into rectangular cells and a complete global
scheme for these has now been devised.
For illustration, the scheme used by the UKHO for currently available CLB, covering parts of
the UK continental shelf, in three scale bands is shown in Figure 16.

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Figure 17: Existing scheme for CLB cells covering the UK Shelf.

Green – Scale Band 4

Red – Scale Band 6

4.12 How is AML delivered?

4.12.1 Media
The standard way of distributing AML data is currently on CD-ROM. MFD datasets are
distributed on CD-ROM or DVD. Occasionally, small quantities of data may be sent by e-
mail where a rapid delivery is required and the necessary facilities are known to exist. In
the future, when an infrastructure with sufficient bandwidth and with the necessary security
accreditation is in place and available to distributors and users of AML, a web enabled means
of delivery will be developed. If S57 incremental update files are used they will be relatively
small and it is likely that they will be made available over networks before distributing base
datasets is widely carried out using this technology. It is recognised that some systems will
be unable to read CD-ROMs and data will be made available on the appropriate media.

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Formats of MFD products are shown on the table below:

Product Format Encryption

ENC S-57 V3.1 NORMALLY (see 4.14.1)
ARCS HCRF NORMALLY (see 4.14.1)
AML (CLB, ESB,
LBO, MFF, RAL, SBO) S-57 V2.1 NO
AML (IWC) NetCDF NO
AML (AMC)‡‡ GRIB NO
GS-ESB NetCDF NO

4.13 Updating policy - AML

Although S57 AML could technically be S57 incremental updates, for the foreseeable future
replacement cells will be issued, on CD, to units known to hold the cells affected.
For the next few years effort will be concentrated on building up coverage of AML, particularly
in priority areas. The amount of updating will be limited. Current intentions are:
FY 2008/09 – Annual update to Scale Band 4 and updates to Joint Warrior area products to
meet exercise schedule.
FY 2009/10 – Annual maintenance of Scale Band 4 cells. On-demand product maintenance
service level (i.e. for life of deployment) for Scale Band 6

Mission specific datasets will not normally be updated.

4.14 Security Considerations

4.14.1 Encryption
In order to enable interoperability, and in accordance with STANAG 7170, AML data products
will be unencrypted.
ENC and ARCS products are normally encrypted for commercial licensing purposes, and
some systems (for example WECDIS) are built to handle the standard encrypted cells and
updates. It has become apparent that other systems will not, at least initially, be able to
make use of encrypted products and, for situational awareness, these will be supplied with
unencrypted ARCS or ENC. The only unencrypted ENC cells available in MFD will be those
produced by the UK.

‡‡ AMC is produced by the UK Meteorological Office but will be distributed by the same channels as other AML products

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4.14.2 Protective marking

AML data will be afforded the appropriate protective marking. The default classification for
UK produced AML will be RESTRICTED, however, data up to and including SECRET will
be prepared and some data, mainly small scale or on the UK continental shelf, will not be
protectively marked. Not all users will need all of the more highly protectively marked data
so this will be provided on separate CDs which will be stored, transmitted and handled
according to the rules laid down in the MOD Security Manual JSP 440.

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5. Use of AML
5.1 What to expect in practice

5.1.1 New products?

AML provides the facility to provide a wide range of features and attributes. However, AML
does not create new data, or improve the quality of existing data. The starting point for AML
content is the data that is available from within data sources already held at the UKHO. In
some parts of the world source data coverage will be sparse and gathered according to
a variety of standards of quality or completeness. The degree to which AML is populated
will depend on the availability of the required information and that will vary from place to
place.

5.1.2 Coverage
Resource limitations will limit the speed with which AML data can be captured from its
various sources and AML will not become available everywhere at the same time, and
may not, in some instances, initially carry the full range of attribution that is available, but
only that which deserves high priority. See the AML catalogue for details of current AML
coverage.

5.1.3 Consistency between AML and other products

Inconsistencies may be apparent between adjacent or overlapping datasets. For example the
coastline on a navigational product being used as a backdrop may not coincide with one in an
AML product. This could mean that they have been compiled at different scales or have been
taken from different sources. Contours in CLB will not necessarily coincide with the same
value contours on navigational product because different contouring criteria and methods
may have been used. Contours on CLB products in different scale bands will be generalised
to a different extent but may also be from different sources. For example gridded data such
as DBDBV (Digital Bathymetric DataBase Variable) may have been used for a small scale
dataset that is intended for planning, whereas contours derived from detailed surveys will
be used for larger scale products.

5.1.4 Positional Accuracy

The metadata contained within AML products contains, where possible, an indication
of accuracy (see 3.3 for information on metadata). On occasions, data is available for
which the only positional information available is of poor quality. As an example, a beach
reconnaissance may have been carried out and related to a single position that is insufficiently
accurate to positively identify the beach from among several candidates shown on charts or
maps. This data will still be provided in AML to forces in theatre so that the need for further
reconnaissance work may be identified.

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5.2 Which systems will AML be used in?

AML will be used in wide variety of situations. Doctrine for the incorporation of AML into
operational procedures is still developing but the following paragraphs give some examples
of systems that are likely to use AML.

5.2.1 Navigation - WECDIS

Warship ECDIS (WECDIS) is defined as
“an ECDIS as defined by the IMO, with additional functionality for navigation and conduct of
warfare onboard warships”
WECDIS is an ECDIS with additional functionality and the ability to ingest and exploit AML
data. It assists the Officer of the Watch in route planning, route monitoring, and warfare
support. It interfaces with standard navigation sensors, and in the future, possibly Command
Systems.
AML will form a major part of the WECDIS data fill along with other data products including
ENC and ARCS. The RN commenced the programme for fitting WECDIS in 2004. AML data
has now been supplied to several ships. Feedback received indicated that further work
needs to be undertaken to improve the portrayal of some features that are important to the
activities undertaken.

5.2.2 Command and Control

AML data will be made available to the following categories of systems:
• AML data will be made available to a wide range of systems including command
systems (e.g T45 CMS and SMCS NG), sensors and stand alone command aids such
as Sonar 2117 for environmental risk management.
Although its full integration of AML into the Royal Navy’s Command Support System (CSS)
will not be available for some time, selected AML data will be used alongside tactical and
geographic data already available. Some data that will be provided in AML, such as wrecks
and exercise area limits, are already supplied to CSS but will be subsumed by AML in due
course. A number of Command Systems have been upgraded to receive an AML capability
(e.g. ADAWS and NAUTIS 3), providing additional information to meet the operational profile
of the system.
The latest Mine Warfare Tactical Support System (MTSS) has a capability to ingest and view
AML data.

5.2.3 Environmental Management

The Environmental Risk Management Capability (Sonar) (ERMC(S)) includes AML as part
of the encyclopaedic data fill for risk assessments in deploying active sonar in the Type 23
Frigates initially.

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5.2.4 Future Systems

The requirement to use AML data is being built into several new UK defence systems. These
include Type 45 destroyer, the Replacement Maritime Patrol Aircraft (RMPA), the ASTUTE
submarine command system (SMCS NG) and the Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF).

5.3 Which Symbology will be used to Display AML?

Unlike the Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) which has to be displayed according to the
standards laid out in IHO S-52, AML does not have a mandated symbology associated with
it. In 2002 the UKHO produced an initial default symbology, based on the US GEOSYM
(MIL-PRF-89045), a symbology system developed by the United States National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency (NGA), but this was primarily intended for use by those who are not
familiar with warfare symbology and was intended to be used during the trials phase of AML
development. In 2005 a further, more comprehensive Symbology Guidance document which
attempted to improve on the original default symbology was produced. The AML symbology
spreadsheet has been compiled by attempting to find a suitable match for the AML entities
in each of the three symbology standards MIL-PRF-89045; IHO S-52; and MIL-STD-2525B.
Where no symbol is available from these standards, an independent symbol is included as a
suggestion. The 2005 symbology guidance differs from the earlier default symbology, in that
different symbols for the same feature class with multiple values of a “category of” attribute
have been included where the categories represent markedly different real world entities. In
a small number of cases, where it has been considered appropriate, multiple symbols for
the same feature class are given to reflect variations in attribution other than “category of”.
The symbology guidance is distributed on CD alongside the AML Implementation Manual
and is available from the contact address on Page 2 of this handbook.
The symbology guidance described above is intended for guidance only and is not mandated.
It is envisaged that there will be requirements for AML data to be visualised in a variety
of ways depending on the relevant purpose and context and it is more appropriate that
specifications for display are defined by warfare specialists who will be using the data.

5.4 How will AML be used?

This handbook cannot attempt to present detailed military doctrine for the use of AML. This
will emerge when AML is available in systems and is a matter for warfare experts rather than
data producers. However, some general comments are made below.
• It is unlikely that any one of the individual AML products described above will satisfy
the requirements for a particular role. It is more likely that elements from several of
the AML products will be combined to give the required picture.
• In some cases AML data will be used along with digital navigational products such
as ENC or ARCS, but for other purposes AML will provide all the information needed
and a navigational backdrop will not be required.

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• Trials with AML have shown that it is very common for the operator to need to add
extra information of his own in real time as an overlay to AML and the backdrop in
use. This includes such features as mine danger areas and air defence coverage.
• AML will be used for situational awareness and not on its own for navigation. There is
a need to replace the current bathymetric charts available to submarines with a digital
vector product. This will be done by creating products with the required bathymetry
using the ENC specifications rather than as CLB. In the compilation of CLB the best
survey available is used . Older surveys are not inspected for shoal features that are
not considered to be fully disproved by the more modern survey, and these features
will not be incorporated in the CLB product.

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6 AML and the Recognised Environmental Picture (REP)

6.1 The Concept

For every operation a Joint Operations Picture (JOP) is developed. This includes the
components shown in Figure 15. The Recognised Environmental Picture is a component of
the Joint Operations Picture JOP.

The endorsed definition of the Recognised Environmental Picture is§§:

“A controlled, distributed database comprising information on the physical environment and
its operational effects, and tailored to a particular Defence requirement. It will have optimal
coherence and consistency in its content, and provide all its users with shared knowledge
of and (direct or indirect) access to whatever such information can be made available to
them to minimise environmental risks and maximise operational and tactical environmental
benefits in their plans and activities.”
It is the complete assemblage of environmental information needed by the war fighter to plan
and conduct operations. This is not an assemblage of data that will be viewed all at once but
a selection from it, the details of which will depend on circumstances, and may be displayed
visually or used by systems to drive a process. To build the REP it is necessary to combine
dynamic data with a foundation of static and quasi-static data, the Geospatial Foundation
Information (GFI). The GFI is comprised of the Geospatial Information Infrastructure, which
is essentially land mapping and elevation data supported by imagery, and the Maritime
Foundation Data (MFD). AML makes up a major part of the UK MFD along with ENC, ARCS
and imagery. Data products of US origin such a DBDBV and Tactical Ocean Data (TOD) will
also contribute to the UK MFD, either as separate products or by their data content being
included in AML products. The composition of the REP is shown in Figure 16.

§§
EFC User Requirements Document - URD 9074.05 1* Draft, DOORS Baseline 0.5, November 2005

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Figure 18: The Joint Operations Picture

6.2 Maritime Foundation Data (MFD)

As stated above, MFD is not a data product but draws from various products, including
AML.
It is intended to employ a readiness and responsiveness strategy that leads towards an
information management environment. A wide area, thin cover of data will be provided off
the shelf, and this will be densified in areas of interest as defined by priorities endorsed
by the Defence Maritime Geospatial Executive Group (DMGEG), and more locally by the
addition of Mission Specific Data.

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Figure 19: Components of the Recognised Environmental Picture

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7 AML and the wider NATO picture

7.1 NATO nations developing AML
Several NATO and other nations now have the capability to produce AML data and others are
developing it. Table 1 lists these nations.
NATO Nations Other NATO nations Nations outside NATO
implementing AML interested in AML implementing AML
Canada Belgium Australia
Denmark Estonia Finland
France Greece Sweden
Germany Portugal
Italy USA
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Spain
Turkey
UK
Table 1: The extent of AML activity and interest

The above nations regularly attend and contribute to the NATO Geospatial Maritime Working
Group.

7.2 Production Specification

While the product specifications and their annexes define the content and structure of AML
products, determining the final detailed nature of a product involves decisions beyond the
specifications. For example, the CLB product specification does not specify the contour
interval to be used. In order to ensure that products produced by different agencies within a
coalition are consistent, a Production Specification has been written. This covers a number
of issues but is not exhaustive and will be added to as more issues and their solutions
emerge. The Production Specification can be downloaded from the UKHO AML web pages.

7.3 Co-production
Following tasking by the NATO GMWG, the UK and French Hydrographic Offices, during
2005, investigated the capability to co-produce CLB, LBO and MFF datasets across the
median line. A number of issues and recommendations for improvements emerged from
this study.

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7.4 NATO AML Catalogue

The system used to produce UK digital AML catalogue has also been used to generate a
NATO AML catalogue, NP114 Volume 2. See 4.2.2. The UKHO does not normally hold AML
data from other nations. As with NP114 Volume 1, which lists paper products, an entry in
the catalogue does not necessarily indicate a willingness to share the AML data with other
nations.

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ANNEX A – AML Feature Classes by Product Specification

A.1.1 Note:
The purpose of this annex is to give the user a good impression of the content of the six
vector products and the NATO endorsed gridded products. All feature classes are listed and
an indication is given where they are not in both Version 1 and Version 2.1 of the vector
product specification. Where these have an attribute “Category of” the possible values of
this attribute are given. In some cases these values indicate that different occurrences of the
feature class are in fact quite different types of real world object. For a full list and explanation
of feature classes and attributes refer to the Data Dictionary under Section 5 of each product
specification. Both Versions 1 and 2.1 of the six vector AML product specifications, the
differences between them and a standard test dataset compliant with Version 1 can be
downloaded from the AML pages on the UKHO website. A similar test dataset compliant
with Version 2.1 is in preparation. The UKHO has not so far produced data compliant with
Version 2.1 of the vector product specifications, for operational purposes.

A.1.2 Contour Line Bathymetry (CLB)

Conformance to the Product Specification
Categories: Complete
Partial
Data Coverage
Categories: Coverage available
No coverage available
Data Source Area
Depth Area
Depth Contour
Sea Area
Categories: Gat
Bank
Bay
Trench
Basin
Reef
Ledge
Canyon
Narrows
Shoal
Mudflats

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Reach
Ridge
Continental Margin
Spur
Continental Rise
Pinnacle
Abyssal Plain
Plateau
Shelf
Trough
Saddle
Abyssal Hills
Apron
Archipelagic Apron
Borderland
Escarpment
Province
Rise
Sea Channel
Seamount Chain
Shelf Edge
Sill
Slope
Terrace
Valley
Gap
Fracture Zone
Guyot
Fan
Hill
Hole
Levee
Median Valley
Moat
Mountains
Peak
Seamount
Knoll
Deep

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A.1.3 Environment, Seabed and Beach (ESB)

Anchorage Area
Area of Imagery Coverage
Beach
Categories: Green (denotes suitability for certain types of landing craft)
Yellow “ “ “ “
Red “ “ “ “
Beach Exit
Beach Profile
Beach Survey
Bottom Feature
Bottom Tactical Data Area
Bridge
Building, single
Built-up Area
Burial Probability Area
Cable Area
Cable, Overhead
Cable, Submarine
Coastline
Categories: Steep Coast
Stony Shore
Flat Shore
Shingly Shore
Glacier (seaward end)
Mangrove
Marshy Shore
Coral Reef
Ice Coast
Conformance to the Product Specification
Categories: Complete
Partial

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Control Point
Conveyor
Coverage
Categories: Coverage available
No coverage available
Current
Data Coverage
Data Source Area
Diving Location
Drop Zone
Dumping Ground
Environmentally Sensitive Area
Fishing Activity Area (v1 only)
Fishing facility (v2.1 only)
Categories: Fishing stake
Fish trap
Fish weir
Tunny net
Unknown
Multiple
Not applicable
Other
Fortified Structure
Geological Layer
Iceberg
Iceberg Area
Ice Lead
Ice Line
Ice Movement
Ice Polynya
Land Elevation

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Land Ice
Land Region
Landing Area
Landing Place
Landing Point
Landing Site
Landing Strip
Landing Zone
Landmark
Leisure Activity Area
Light
Categories: Directional function
Leading Light
Aero Light
Air Obstruction Light
Fog Detector Light
Flood Light
Strip Light
Subsidiary Light
Spotlight
Front, Rear, Upper, Lower
Emergency Light
Moiré Effect
Bearing Light
Horizontally Disposed
Vertically Disposed
MCM Area
Mooring Facility
Category: Waiting Position
Performance Data Area
Pipeline Area

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Pipeline, submarine/on land

Categories: Intake Pipe
Outfall Pipe
Sewer
Bubbler System
Supply Pipe
Pipeline, Overhead
Categories: Intake Pipe
Outfall Pipe
Sewer
Bubbler System
Supply Pipe
Resource Location
Risk Data Area
River
Road
Sea Area
Categories: Estuary
Nearshore
Sea Ice
Seismic Activity Area (v2.1 only)
Shelter Location
Shoreline Construction
Survey Area
Trafficability Area
Trawl Scours
Vertical Datum Shift Area
Viewpoint
Weed/Kelp
Category: Kelp
Seaweed
Sea grass
Sargasso
Posidonia

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A.1.4 Large Bottom Objects (LBO)

Conformance to the Product Specification
Categories: Complete
Partial
Data Coverage
Categories: Coverage available
No coverage available
Data Source Area
Impact Scour
Obstruction
Categories: Wellhead
Diffuser
Crib
Fish haven
Foul ground
Ground tackle
Well protection structure
Subsea installation
Pipeline obstruction
Free standing conductor pipe
Manifold
Storage tank
Template
Pontoon
Sundry objects
Sensor Anomaly
Underwater /Awash Rock
Wreck
Categories: Non - dangerous wreck
Dangerous wreck
Distributed remains of wreck
Wreck showing mast(s)
Wreck showing any portion of hull or superstructure

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A.1.5 Maritime Foundation and Facilities (MFF)

Administration area
Categories: Port
Territorial Land Area
Beacon (Major)
Cardinal
Category: North cardinal
South cardinal
East cardinal
West cardinal
Isolated danger
Lateral
Categories: Port hand lateral mark
Starboard hand lateral mark
Preferred channel to starboard lateral mark
Preferred channel to port lateral mark
Safe water

Special purpose
Categories: Firing danger Mark
Target Mark
Marker Ship
Degaussing Range Mark
Cable Mark
ODAS
LANBY
Notice Mark
TSS Mark
General Warning Mark
Restricted Vertical Clearance Mark
Maximum Vessel’s Draught Mark
Restricted Horizontal Clearance Mark
Strong Current Warning Mark
Ferry Crossing Mark
Pipeline Mark

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Built-up area
Buoys (only conical, can, spherical, pillar, spar, barrel and super buoys (LANBY and ODAS)
are included in AML MFF.)
Cardinal
Category: North cardinal
South cardinal
East cardinal
West cardinal
Installation
Category: Catenary anchor leg mooring (CALM)
Single buoy mooring (SBM)

Isolated danger
Lateral

Safe water
Special purpose
Categories: As Beacons, Special Purpose
Cable area
Cable, submarine
Coastguard station
Category: Marine Rescue Coordination Centre
Marine Rescue Sub-centre
Coastline
Conformance to the Product Specification
Categories: Complete
Partial
Data Coverage
Categories: Coverage available
No coverage available
Data Source Area
Deep water route centreline
Category: Based on a fixed system of marks
Not based on a fixed system of marks

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Deep water route composite

Deep water route - part
Ferry route (v1 only)
Categories: Free moving ferry
Cable ferry
Ice ferry
Fishing facility (v1 only)
Categories: Fishing stake
Fish trap
Fish weir
Tunny net
Fishing ground
Harbour area (administrative)
Harbour facility
Categories: Ro Ro terminal
Ferry terminal
Fishing harbour
Yacht harbour/marina
Naval base
Tanker terminal
Passenger terminal
Container terminal
Bulk terminal
Ice area
Inshore Traffic Zone
Categories: IMO Adopted
Not IMO Adopted
Land Area
Major lights (Those that have a nominal range equal to or greater than 15 miles; or where
the light is on an island; or where the geographical distribution of lights is so sparse as to
warrant the inclusion of lights with a lesser range.)
Light
Categories: Directional function
Leading Light
Aero Light

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Air Obstruction Light

Fog Detector Light
Flood Light
Subsidiary Light
Spotlight
Front, Rear, Upper, Lower
Emergency Light
Moiré Effect
Bearing Light
Horizontally Disposed
Vertically Disposed
Light float
Light vessel
Local Magnetic Anomaly
Magnetic Variation
Marine farm/culture
Categories: Crustaceans
Oysters/Mussels
Fish
Seaweed
Pearl culture farm
Marine Safety Information Area (v1 only)
Categories: Search and Rescue Region
GMDSS Area
Forecast Area
INMARSAT Coverage
MilSat Coverage
Obstruction
Categories: Fish Haven
Foul Area
Foul Ground
Ground Tackle

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Offshore Platform
Categories: Oil Derrick/Rig
Production Platform
Observation/Research Platform
Articulated Loading Platform (ALP)
Single Anchor Leg Mooring (SALM)
Mooring Tower
Artificial Island
Floating Production, Storage And Offloading Vessel (FPSO):
Accommodation Platform
Navigation, Communication and Control Buoy (NCCB)
Offshore Production Area
Pipeline Area
Categories: Outfall Pipe
Intake Pipe
Sewer
Bubbler System
Supply Pipe
Pipeline submarine/on land
Categories: as Pipeline Area
Precautionary area (v2.1 only)
Production/storage area
Categories: Stockpile
Power Station Area
Refinery Area
Factory Area
Tank Farm
Wind Farm
Slag Heap/Spoil Heap
Radio Broadcast area (v1 only)
Radio Station (v1 only)
Categories: Circular (Non-Directional) Marine or
Aero-Marine Radiobeacon:
Directional Radiobeacon
Rotating Pattern Radiobeacon
Consol Beacon

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Radio Direction Finding Station

Coast Radio Station providing QTG service
Aeronautical Radiobeacon
Decca
Loran-C
Differential GPS
Toran
Omega
Syledis
Chaika
GSM
MSI Broadcast Station
Rescue station
Category: Lifeboat lying at a mooring
Sea area
Seismic Activity Area (v1 only)
Signal Station, warning
Categories: Tidal stream
Tide gauge
Tidal Stream flood/ebb
Categories: Flood stream
Ebb stream
Other tidal flow
Tidal Stream Panel Data
Tidal Stream - Harmonic Prediction
Tidal stream - non-Harmonic Prediction
Tidal Stream - Time Series
Tide - harmonic prediction
Tide - Non harmonic prediction
Tide - Time Series
Traffic Route (v1 only)

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Traffic Separation Line

Categories: IMO Adopted
Not IMO Adopted
Traffic Separation Scheme, Boundary
Categories: As Traffic Separation Line
Traffic Separation Scheme, Composite
Traffic Separation Scheme, Crossing
Categories: As Traffic Separation Line
Traffic Separation Scheme Lane, Part
Categories: As Traffic Separation Line
Traffic Separation Scheme, Roundabout
Categories: As Traffic Separation Line
Traffic Separation Zone
Categories: As Traffic Separation Line
Vertical Datum Shift Area (v1 only)
Weed/kelp (v1 only)
Categories: Kelp
Sea weed
Sea grass
Posidonia
A.1.6 Routes, Areas and Limits (RAL)
Airport/Airfield
Categories : Civil Aeroplane Airport
Civil Heliport
Emergency Airfield
Military Aeroplane Airport
Military Heliport
Search and Rescue
Airspace Restriction
Categories: Danger Area
Prohibited Area
Restricted Area
HIRTA: High Intensity Radio Transmission Area

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Provost Marshall Prohibited Area (PMPA)

Provost Marshall Restricted Area (PMRA)
Airborne Early Warning Area (AEWA)
Transmission Area
ATS Route
Checkpoint
Category: RV Location
Conformance to the Product Specification
Categories: Complete
Partial
Contiguous Zone
Continental Shelf Area
Controlled Airspace
Controlled Airspace Composite
Categories: Airway
Altimeter Setting Region (ASR)
Avoidance Area (AA)
Control Area (CTA)
Control Zone (CTR/CTZ)
Flight Information Region (FIR)
Terminal Control Area (TMA, TCA)
Aerodrome Traffic Zone (ATZ)
Helicopter Protection Zone (CTZ)
Helicopter Main Route (HMR)
Helicopter Transit Route (HTR)
Military Aerodrome Traffic Zone
(MATZ)
Oceanic Control Area (OCA)
Coastguard Track
Data coverage
Categories: Coverage available
No Coverage Available
Data source area
Exclusive economic zone

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Ferry Route (v2 only)

Categories: Free moving ferry
Cable ferry
Ice ferry
Unknown
Not applicable
Other
Fishery Limits (Changed to Fishing Zone in Version 2)
Ice Advisory Area
Ice Route
Internal Waters Area
Marine Management Area
Categories: Conservation and Management Zone
Foreign Fishing Rights
ICES Fishing Area
Maritime Pollution (MARPOL) Reporting Grid
Marine Nature Reserve
Marine Management Area Composite.
Maritime Safety Information Area (v2 only)
Categories: Search and rescue region
GMDSS area
Forecast area
INMARSAT coverage
MilSat coverage
Unknown
Not applicable
Other
Military Exercise Airspace
Categories: Area of Intense Aerial Activity (AIAA)
Aerial Tactics Area (ATA)
Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ)
Air to Air Refuelling Area (AARA)
Military Terminal Control Area (MTCA)
Low Flying Area (LFA)
Night Flow Area (NFA)

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Helicopter Training Area (HTA)

Military Operating Area (MOA)
Instrument Flying Area (IFA)
Military Practice Area
Categories: ACLANT Grid
Surface Danger Area
JMC Areas
Practice and Exercise Area
Stovepipe
Safe Bottoming Area
Submarine Danger Area
Submarine Exercise Area
Testing and Evaluation Range
Range
Impact Area
Military Practice Area Composite
Navigation System (NAVAID)
Patrol Area
Categories: 4W Disposition Grid
Operational/Naval Patrol
Patrol Area Composite
Q-Routes
Radar Coverage
Radar Station
Categories: Radar Surveillance Station
Coast Radar station
Radio Broadcast Area (v2 only)
Radio Station
Categories: Circular (non-directional) marine or aeromarine
radiobeacon
Rotating pattern radiobeacon
consol beacon
Radio direction-finding station
Coast radio station providing QTG service
Decca

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Loran-C
differential GPS
Toran
Omega
Syledis
Chiaka (chayka)
GSM: Global System for Mobiles
MSI broadcast station
Directional radiobeacon:
Aeronautical radiobeacon:
LO: Locator
DME: Distance Measuring Equipment
NDB: Non-Directional Radiobeacon
RACON: Radar Responder Beacon
RAMARK: Radar Responder Beacon
VOR: VHF Omni Directional Radio Range
VORTAC: VHF Omni Directional
TACAN: Tactical Air Navigational equipment
LOC/DME: Localiser/Distance Measuring Equipment
Unknown
Multiple
Not Applicable
Other
Reporting/radio calling in point
Restricted Area
Categories: Offshore Safety Zone
Maritime Notification Area
Military Area
Historic Wreck Area
Minefield
Mine Danger Area
Submarine transit lane
Swept area
Territorial Sea Area

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Territorial Sea Baseline

Categories: Archipelagic
Normal
Straight
Traffic Route (v2 only)
Turning Point

A.1.7 Small Bottom Objects (SBO)

Contact (v1 only)
Contact History
Conformance to the Product Specification
Categories: Complete
Partial
Data Coverage
Categories: Coverage Available
No Coverage Available
Data Source areas
Mine (v1 only)
Small Bottom Object (v2 only)
Survey Area
Vertical Datum Shift Area (v1 only)
Viewpoint

A1.8 Atmospheric and Meteorological Climatology (AMC), Version 1.0

AMC contains a single feature class “Grid point” with 22 attributes referring to the parameters
that can be included.
Attributes: Mean scalar speed of wind
Mean u-speed of wind
Mean v-speed of wind
Standard vector deviation
Mean temperature
Standard Deviation of temperature
Mean relative humidity
Mean dew point
Mean lowest 0° C isotherm

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Vertical altitude of freezing point.

Mean height of pressure surface
Altitude equivalent to standard pressure surface.
Mean 10- m scalar speed of wind
Mean 10-m u-wind
Mean 10-m v-wind
Mean total cloud cover
Mean 2-m temperature
Mean 2-m dew point
Mean MSL pressure
Standard Deviation of MSL pressure
Mean low cloud cover
Mean medium cloud cover
Mean high cloud cover
A.1.9 Integrated Water Column (IWC), Version 2.0
Temperature and Salinity Distribution Grid Point
Ocean Current Distribution Grid Point
Marine Mammal Distribution Grid Point

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ANNEX B – Glossary
Acronym Term in Full
ADAWS Action Data Automation Weapon System
AFD Air Foundation Data
AHHWG Ad Hoc Hydrographic Working Group
AMC Atmosphere and Meteorological Climatology
ARCS Admiralty Raster Chart Service
CLB Contour Line Bathymetry
CSS Command Support System
CVF Carrier, Vehicular, Future (Aircraft Carrier)
DAFIF Digital Aeronautical Flight Information File
DBDBV Digital Bathymetric Database Variable
DI ICSP Defence Intelligence, Intelligence Collection Strategy & Plans
DIGEST Digital Geographic Information Exchange Standard
DIJE (obsolete) Defence Intelligence Joint Environment
DIN Defence Instructions and Notices
DNC Digital Nautical Chart
DNSOM (obsolete) Directorate of Naval Surveying Oceanography and Meteorology
ECDIS Electronic Chart Display and Information System
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone
EFC Environmental Fusion Capability
EINF Environmental Information
ENC Electronic Navigational Chart
ERMC Environmental Risk Management Capability
ESB Environment, Seabed and Beach
GFI Geospatial Foundation Information
GII Geospatial Information Infrastructure
GML Geography Mark - up Language
GMWG Geospatial Maritime Working Group
GRIB GRIdded Binary
GS-ESB Gridded Sediment Environment Seabed and Beach
IHO International Hydrographic Organisation
IWC Integrated Water Column
JOP Joint Operational Picture
LBO Large Bottom Objects
MFD Maritime Foundation Data
MFF Maritime Foundation and Facilities
MSD Mission Specific Data
MTSS Minewarfare Tactical Support System
NetCDF Network Common Data Form
NGA National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
NMB Network Model Bathymetry
PEXA Practice and Exercise Areas
RAL Routes, Areas and Limits
REP Recognised Environmental Picture
RMPA Replacement Maritime Patrol Aircraft
SBO Small Bottom Objects
SMCS (NG) Submarine Command System (New Generation)
STANAG Standardization Agreement (NATO)
TIN Triangulated Irregular Network
TOD Tactical Ocean Data
VPF Vector Product Format
WECDIS Warship ECDIS

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Annex C - AML - A Brief History So Far

The purpose of this Annex is to give a brief synopsis of the history of AML prior to the
availability of this handbook.

C.1 Initial Concept

The concept paper for AML was produced by the UKHO in 1996. During 1997 and 1998
NATO authorities considered the requirements for a Warship ECDIS (WECDIS). In doing so,
they mandated the use of AML within such systems.

C.2 Gathering Requirements

A series of workshops and discussions with representatives from various warfare disciplines,
on content requirements took place during the second half of 1998 and early 1999. The
information gathered during these was documented in a Content Requirements paper dated
March 1999.

C.3 Developing the first six Product Specifications

Product specifications for six vector AML products, with corresponding sample data were
drafted during 2000 and, following review by NATO nations and consequent amendment,
were endorsed and baselined in November 2001.

C.4 Prototype Production System

The UKHO took delivery of a prototype production system from CARIS in November 2001.
This was formally accepted in January 2002 and used to produce data for trials.

C.5 Internal Trials

Internal trials on realistic volumes of data intended for external trials were completed in
March 2002 and demonstrated that valid s-57 data was being produced and could be read
in a viewing system independent from the production system.

C.6 External Trials

The first set of AML external trials took place during the Joint Maritime Course in June – July
2002 off north west Scotland. Feedback on the AML concept and data was received from
over 100 potential users from a variety of units. This trial was aimed mainly at exposing the
AML concept and data to potential users.

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Further trials were conducted during JMC 031 in February - March 2003. Building on the
experience gained on and feedback from the previous trial the aims on this occasion were
• To test the military utility of AML data in some warfare areas
• To demonstrate to potential users from warfare disciplines that did not have the
opportunity to see it during the Summer 2002 trial.
• To demonstrate Maritime Foundation Data to Purple Forces
• To demonstrate the use of AML within WECDIS. ECDIS systems have been developed
to read and display AML data.
While there is still work to be done in some areas all these aims are considered to have
been met.
AML data was produced for inclusion with Maritime Foundation Data to support Exercise
Northern Light 03. In-theatre data was collected by a Norwegian Autonomous Underwater
Vehicle (AUV) during the exercise, sent to SACLANTCEN, La Spezia for processing into AML
compliant data which was placed on a Web site and successfully read at the UKHO.
The opportunity arose to supply AML data for use with US mine warfare forces during
exercise GOMEX 03 in December 2003. Data was sourced from the US and AML datasets
produced and included in MFD. Two members of UKHO staff with mine warfare experience
joined the US force and were able to demonstrate the usefulness of AML .
Neither JMC 022 nor JMC 031 had an amphibious element. Maritime Foundation data,
including AML and an AML expert on board HMS Albion, the primary amphibious command
and control platform, were provided for exercise Joint Winter 04 which had the emphasis
on amphibious warfare and took place in northern Norway. This trial also used AML data
provided by Norway.
MFD, including AML was requested for use in exercise Rapid Alliance, by a number of mine
warfare and amphibious units which took place in June 2004.
Data was provided for HMS Illustrious to use in WECDIS during her Basic Operational Sea
Training in March 2005. Feedback indicated that, while AML contained much useful data,
improvements in symbology were needed to enable it to be readily used. The requirement
for a catalogue and the issue of file naming, discussed earlier in this handbook, were also
highlighted.

C.7 AML STANAG

STANAG 7170 for AML was promulgated in September 2003.

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C.8 Developing specifications for gridded products

The AMC product specification was drafted by the UK Meteorological Office and, following
endorsement by NATO, was published in November 2004 It has an annex for implementation
using the GRIB format. The Met Office also produced an AMC data set consisting of a global
climatology on two CD-ROMs. The product specification for Phase 1 of the IWC product with
an implementation annex for NetCDF, prepared by the UKHO, was published in November
2005 following GMWG and MILOC approval.

C.9 Version 2 specifications for vector products

Following review, and endorsement by the GMWG second versions of the six vector product
specification were published in July 2004. For more detail see 3.2.1

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ANNEX D – AML Data Request Form

In order to meet specific requirements for AML data it is necessary to gather full details of
what is required.

Situational Awareness
AML Data Request Forms for requesting products for Situational Awareness in either paper
or electronic form are available from:
Geospacial Section Manager
Fleet Information Management Unit
MWC Building,
Qinetic Portsdown Technology Park
Southwick Road
Cosham
Hampshire
PO6 3RU
E-mail: [email protected]
CHOTS: FIMUN6-GEOMAN
BT: 02392 212064
Mil: 93821 2064

Navigation Systems
AML Data Request Forms for requesting products for use in navigation systems are
available from:
Defence Situational Awareness Service Delivery Manager
The UK Hydrographic Office
Admiralty Way
Taunton
Somerset, TA1 2DN
United Kingdom
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: 01823 337900 Ext. 3813
Fax: 01823 284077

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