Nautical symbology

The process of adding nautical symbology to a geodatabase is separated into two parts: update and calculate.

Update

When the Update tool is run on a database, additional columns are added to each feature class or table that participates in nautical symbology. These fields are required for representations. They include the following:

• A field that holds the representation rule number
• An override field associated with the representation to store symbol exception information
• Text string field for labeling features

  Note:

  The chart schema already has the update process applied and comes preconfigured with INT1 symbology.

Calculate symbology

The Calculate Symbology geoprocessing tool assigns symbology and text fields for selected features or feature layers. It uses attributes to determine the way features are symbolized. The following types of nautical symbology are supported:

S-52

S-52 is the color and symbol specification for display of Electronic Navigation Charts (ENC) in an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS).

INT1

INT1 is a supplementary reference within the IHO S-4 publication and references the internationally agreed-on product specification for symbols, abbreviations, and terms used on hard-copy navigational charts.

National symbol specifications

National symbology is a customized symbol specification. The nautical charts produced around the world have a distinctive look that is unique to each hydrographic office, which varies from the international standard. You may use the INT1 specification as a starting point to create your own National symbol specification.

Rendering nautical data

There are two methods to render and view nautical data after representations have been applied to the geodatabase.

Views

Views are accessible from the Production Symbology toolbar.

Views are map settings that can be saved to and retrieved from any geodatabase. They allow you to manage the data frame properties and layers and can be reapplied at any time. This allows you to decide which current map properties to keep and which to override.

A view will need to be applied when rendering nautical data with S-52 symbology.

Note:

An S-52 view is preconfigured and is available at <Install Location>\ArcGIS\MaritimeCharting\Desktop<variable>\Common\Symbology.

Using a layer file

The layer file stores properties such as symbology, label placement, font characteristics, and draw order. A preconfigured Nautical.lyr file with INT1 symbology is automatically used by the Chart Automation tool.

Note:

The Nautical.lyr file is configured using the Maplex Label Engine. It is recommended that you enable Maplex before using the Nautical.lyr file or the Chart Automation tool to preserve the placement properties stored in the Nautical.lyr file.