UKHO Delivers Geospatial Intelligence to the MOD

The UKHO Defense Maritime Geospatial Services (DMarGS) capability has been launched on the UK MOD’s Defense Information Infrastructure (DII) and will be rolled out to users over the coming weeks. This capability delivers the full range of the UKHO’s Digital Defense Maritime Charts and other Maritime Geo Spatial Products and services to the wider UK MOD community in support of Situational Awareness and Mission Planning activities.  The final step of achieving security accreditation for the service has now been completed and the system is up and running.

The rapid and dynamic nature of today’s operations along with the availability of the internet and military network infrastructure, have raised expectations on the availability of information and timescales for delivery. To meet the demands of the defense community, the UKHO at Taunton require a sophisticated and integrated capability that provides access to all defense Maritime Geospatial Information through a simple, intuitive portal interface.

The Envitia and UKHO teams have been working to deliver DMarGS which will provide MOD users with direct access to the UKHO’s entire catalog of geospatial information. The DMarGS Information Management functions help the UKHO to maintain their data with all the latest updates being published immediately.

DMarGS is accessed through an Open Standards Portal running within a standard Web Browser, without the need for cumbersome plug-ins. Users have access to all the UKHO’s Chart and Maritime Products visible using OGC Web Services. Other value-added services are available through the portal, delivered using Web Processing Service Interfaces, such as Cross Sections, Total Tide and Oceanographic Profiles of Sound-speed and Salinity.

Dave Tomaney, Head of UKHO Defense Services, said “DMarGS is a major advance in the ability of the UKHO to deliver the Maritime Intelligence our customers need at the time they need it most.”

Alan Crisp, Business Development, Envitia, added “This capability is a great example of what can be achieved through collaborative working and agile development techniques.  UKHO is leading the world when it comes to making geospatial information available to the modern defense user.”