The 3rd Joint IHO-IALA Workshop in Istanbul focused on digital data standards for enhanced maritime safety and navigation.
The 3rd Joint IHO-IALA Workshop, hosted by the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, brought to the forefront common digital data standards in maritime navigation. Serhat Aytuğel stated that the work conducted during the four-day meeting will play a critical role in the future of maritime safety and real-time navigation.
Istanbul hosted an international meeting aimed at developing the technical infrastructure for digital transformation in maritime affairs. The '3rd Joint IHO-IALA Workshop on S-100/S-200 Development and Demonstration,' organized in collaboration with the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), took place from September 1 to 4, 2026, at the InterContinental Istanbul.
According to a statement made by Acting Deputy General Manager of Coastal Safety Serhat Aytuğel after the workshop, over 70 experts from 22 countries came together for the event. IALA’s announcement also highlighted the participation of hydrographic offices, organizations responsible for aids to navigation, maritime administrations, international organizations, industry, and academic representatives.
Aytuğel stated, 'It will play a critical role in the future of maritime safety.'
In a post-workshop evaluation shared on LinkedIn, Aytuğel noted that they had a productive and unforgettable week in Istanbul, stating: 'It was a great honor for us at the General Directorate of Coastal Safety to host the 3rd Joint IHO-IALA Workshop. Over the past four days, more than 70 distinguished experts from 22 countries came together to advance technical cooperation, interoperability, and digital data exchange standards.'
Emphasizing the importance of discussions regarding the S-100 and S-200 frameworks, Aytuğel continued his assessment with the following words: 'The discussions, technical presentations, and collaborative working sessions on the S-100 and S-200 frameworks will play a critical role in shaping the future of maritime safety and real-time navigation.'
Aytuğel expressed that the event was made special not only by technical achievements but also by reuniting with colleagues and welcoming new partners. He thanked the IALA Deputy Secretary-General, IMO, and IHO representatives for their support and leadership. Aytuğel emphasized the significant effort of the IALA team and the Coastal Safety aids to navigation team in the success of the organization.
Common agenda: Data compatibility, accuracy, and secure sharing
According to IALA’s announcement, the main agenda of the meeting focused on the harmonization of international standards, operational applications, data quality and validation, secure data exchange, and experiences gained from applications. The goal was to support the use of information produced by different organizations in compatible digital maritime services.
The published technical program featured Aytuğel along with IALA Deputy Secretary-General Omar Eriksson and IHO Deputy Director Yong Baek in the opening section. The presentation title by IMO Technical Expert Cafer Özkan İstanbullu was about the implementation of S-100 and developments regarding S-100 compliant Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).
The program included topics such as S-201 related to aids to navigation, S-212 developed for VTS digital information services, interoperability with S-125, joint display of data products under S-98, cybersecurity, and data validation. Initial implementations in Finland, ongoing work in the USA, and lessons learned from IHO’s maritime trials were also included in the program’s experience-sharing section.
What will S-100 and S-200 change?
The S-100 Universal Hydrographic Data Model developed by IHO serves as a foundation for defining and utilizing various maritime data within a common technical framework. The S-200 family, under the responsibility of IALA, encompasses S-201–S-299 product specifications compatible with S-100, extending into aids to navigation, vessel traffic services, positioning, and communication areas.
The maritime counterpart of this structure allows the electronic chart to be used with various data layers such as depth, water level, current, and navigation alerts. IHO aims for S-100-based services to support mariners' situational awareness and decision-making processes with near real-time updates.
These headings compiled from IHO and IALA’s product definitions illustrate different application areas. The development and implementation phases of the products are not the same. In IALA’s accessible status table, the S-201 version 2.0.0 is shown as ready for implementation, while S-211 is in the review phase, and S-212 is listed as a product under development.
Operation, technology, and education were addressed together
The working group’s terms of reference for the workshop outlined three dimensions of transformation: operation, technical infrastructure, and education.
The operational group’s agenda included how aids to navigation would be displayed in different data products and screens, as well as the relationships between electronic charts, navigation alerts, and aids to navigation data. Among the tasks of the technical group were identifying gaps in standards, evaluating cybersecurity, and assessing data exchange arrangements that would enable system interoperability.
For the education group, examining the training needs of mariners, users, hydrographic offices, and organizations responsible for aids to navigation was anticipated. Co-chairs of the operational group included Dave Lewald and Selay Turan from Coastal Safety. The terms of reference aimed to present findings and recommendations to IHO and IALA for evaluation.
Rostopshin: Emphasis on practical application in VTS operations
Sharing his evaluation of the workshop, Dmitry Rostopshin described the week in Istanbul as productive. Rostopshin noted that valuable discussions were held, particularly on interoperability, data quality, and the practical application of digital maritime services in Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) operations.
Rostopshin thanked IALA, IHO, and the General Directorate of Coastal Safety for organizing the event that brought together experts from various sectors of the maritime community.
Humphrey: From lookout towers to digital data exchange
Scott Humphrey, Executive Director of the Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region, also highlighted the historical continuity of information sharing in maritime affairs in a post following the first day of the workshop.
Humphrey stated that his organization has been collecting, processing, and transmitting maritime data since 1849, recalling that in the early days, ships seen on the horizon were reported to local merchants from lookout towers. He described this history by saying, 'Information exchange in the maritime field defines our entire mission.'
Evaluating the activities in Istanbul as one of the significant developments in modern navigation and electronic data infrastructure, Humphrey noted that they expect critical information regarding port operations to be shared among stakeholders in a common format with messaging standards like S-211.
Humphrey indicated that his organization is striving to learn new data structures and adapt its platform to operational needs through collaborations with IALA and IHO to prepare for this future.
Transition starting in 2026 extends to new ECDIS installations in 2029
The meeting in Istanbul coincided with a period when concrete steps were being taken for the implementation of S-100. According to IHO’s announcement dated March 10, 2026, the first phase of S-100 product specifications will come into effect in January 2026. Thus, a new phase has been initiated for the production, testing, and use of operational versions of the relevant products.
According to the schedule announced by IMO, the renewed ECDIS performance standards supporting the use of S-100 products can be voluntarily applied in new installations starting January 1, 2026; from January 1, 2029, they will be mandatory for all new ECDIS installations. The schedule is based on new installations; it does not mean that all existing devices must be collectively replaced by 2029.
When considered in conjunction with this transition timeline, the significance of the Istanbul workshop lies in its ability to bridge the development of data standards with the practical needs of field usage. The workshop’s agenda reveals that, for the success of digital navigation services, not only compatible data production but also accurate representation, secure sharing, and user training are decisive factors.
IALA — Official event announcement for the 3rd Joint IHO-IALA Workshop
General Directorate of Coastal Safety — Protocol communication list
IALA — Announcement of the Istanbul workshop on the corporate LinkedIn page
IALA — Technical program of the workshop
IALA — Terms of reference for Istanbul working groups
IHO — Product definitions for S-101–S-199
IALA — S-200 product family and development statuses
IHO — Transition of the S-100 framework to the operational phase, March 10, 2026
Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region — Management team
IMO — ECDIS transition timeline, January 9, 2026
Social media statements: User-provided texts from Serhat Aytuğel and Dmitry Rostopshin, along with a screenshot of Scott Humphrey's post. Profile links are not presented as post links.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
