Paper chart products are nautical charts designed according to the requirements for marine navigation. A paper chart product typically includes hydrographic information necessary for planning and safe navigation. The charts can be hard-copy products or digital rasters. These products are supported with preconfigured geodatabase models, editing tools, symbology, geoprocessing tools, and export to product-specific formats. The necessary resources and functionality for paper charting are provided with the ArcGIS Maritime product data files and tools in ArcGIS Pro.
The paper chart data model supports hard-copy and raster nautical chart production at any scale. It stores S-57 feature object and cartographic information. The paper chart data model contains the CartographicFeatures, GRD_Grids, and Nautical feature datasets, as well as stand-alone support feature classes and support tables.
Note:
Before beginning the paper charting process, you may want to configure symbology rules or other parts of the charting workflow to meet your organization's specific needs.
Paper charting processes
Paper chart production workflows can be categorized into initial chart creation and chart maintenance. Initial chart creation includes additional steps that are only performed when creating a paper chart product.
The following high-level processes make up the creation and maintenance of a paper chart product:
- Preparing the ArcGIS Pro project
- Automated chart creation using the Chart Automation tool
- Creating cartographic features for the paper chart product
- Performing cartographic refinement
- Configuring the chart layout
After the chart finishing processes are completed, the chart can be used to produce various raster or vector outputs for publication and distribution. Individual chart finishing processes can be used to maintain charts to match real-world conditions.
The sections below provide an overview of the tasks associated with paper chart production and maintenance.
Prepare the ArcGIS Pro project
Before you create a chart product, you must do the following in ArcGIS Pro:
- Create a project containing a map for each chart plan (panel).
The ArcGIS Pro project is synonymous with the overall chart, including all maps and any layouts.
- Create a layout including layout elements, such as title blocks, scale bars, and explanatory notes.
Tip:
To import an existing ArcMap template (.mxd file), click the Insert tab and click Import Layout.
- Create a chart database for each chart plan.
A preconfigured paper chart workspace XML document is provided with the ArcGIS Maritime product files at <installation location>\ArcGIS Maritime\Product Files\<version>\Charting\Schema.
- Load source data into the geodatabase.
ENC data is commonly used in paper chart production; however, other data sources can be incorporated as well.
- Load or digitize the area of interest (AOI) for the chart product.
Many of these tasks can be streamlined by creating an ArcGIS Pro project template that contains preconfigured components such as maps, layouts, and chart template databases.
Automate chart creation
The Chart Automation tool automates chart creation by running selected chart-finishing processes on a production database with the paper chart schema. These processes include adding layers to the map, setting map properties such as the reference scale, creating grids and graticules, generating cartographic limits, generating light sectors, transferring the Quality of Position attribute information, and applying symbology. Most of these processes use tools in the Cartography toolset of the Maritime toolbox.
Learn more about chart finishing processes
Note:
The Chart Automation tool should only be used for initial chart product creation. For maintenance tasks, use individual geoprocessing tools to update modified features.
Add or create cartographic features
After running automated processes, you can add cartographic features to a chart, such as converting labels to annotation and creating a compass rose. If the chart data does not contain magnetic variation point data, you can create a TidesAndVariationsP feature to generate a compass rose. You can use the Calculate Magnetic Components tool to calculate the magnetic variation and annual change. Once you have added these cartographic features, you can begin any cartographic refinement processes that you want to apply to a chart.
Perform cartographic refinement
Cartographic refinement can be necessary when creating a chart product or during chart maintenance. Cartographic refinement includes the following:
- Changing or hiding a symbol
- Applying a symbol for a new or modified feature
- Adjusting symbol placement
- Masking portions of lines or outlines
- Moving or editing annotation
- Modifying light sector lines and arcs
ArcGIS Maritime uses attribute-driven symbology to connect symbol properties to attributes in the data. The data model is preconfigured with cartographic fields that are used to change the symbol and its properties, such as offset or rotation. Attribute-driven cartographic refinement can be performed on the Maritime Attributes tab in the Attributes pane.
Similar to attribute-driven cartography, the individual annotation symbol attributes and annotation formatting can also be managed in the Attributes pane. Annotation features can also be edited on the map using the Annotation tool 
in the Modify Features pane.
Masking
Masking is a technique used to clarify dense or detailed map content by having the features of one layer mask (hide) features of another layer where they overlap. A common use for masking is to mask features around annotation to ensure that the text remains readable. In paper charting, overlapping feature parts can be hidden by generating polygon masks or suppressing symbology.
Polygon masks
The Make and Apply Masks from Rules tool and a preconfigured file with masking rules is provided with the ArcGIS Maritime product files. The tool combines the Make Masks From Rules and Apply Masks From Rules tools to create polygon masks based on color rules.
Updates to masking, if required, can be done in two ways. For minor changes, the masking polygons can be modified using editing tools. If there is a large amount of mask features that require modification, you can use the Make and Apply Masks from Rules tool. The masking rules support the Overwrite Output parameter, which allows you to control how new masks are generated in a chart with existing mask features.
Symbology suppression
It may be necessary to hide a portion of a line or polygon outline where multiple features overlap. You can enable control points to apply the Suppress symbol effect and mark the segments you want to hide without altering feature geometry.
Configure the chart layout
The final chart finishing steps for both new products and chart maintenance are performed in the Layout view. Chart finishing in the layout may include tasks such as the following:
- Adjusting the page size
- Inserting or updating layout elements, such as an INT2 scale bar or edition number
Once the chart is complete, you can export it for publication and distribution.
Chart maintenance
When hydrographic data within the chart product area has changed, the changes must be incorporated into the chart. To do so, perform the individual chart finishing processes on the new or modified data. The Cartography toolset in the Maritime toolbox includes the following tools for processing a selected set of features that require modification:
- Generate Light Sector—Run this tool to re-create light sector lines and arcs when data is modified.
- Transfer Quality Of Position—Run this tool on features that have changes in spatial attributes.
- Generate Cartographic Limits—Run this tool on new or modified features that have corresponding cartographic limit feature classes in the CartographicFeatures dataset of the paper chart data model.
- Apply Maritime Symbology—Run this tool as a final step to assign symbology based on the S-57 attributes.
Configuration
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) provides standards for paper charting. The IHO established the S-4 chart specification for international (INT) charts. The S-4 publication includes three supplementary reference documents (INT1, INT2, and INT3). INT1 references the internationally agreed-on product specification for symbols, abbreviations, and terms used on charts. INT2 depicts the borders, graduations, grids, and linear scales approved for use on nautical charts. INT3 is a standard reference chart of a fictitious area with several examples of the use of the symbols and abbreviations on nautical charts.
These standards are provided as guidelines, and it is expected that each chart-producing agency employs its unique variation of the charting standards. ArcGIS Maritime allows you to customize the rules, tools, and workflows to meet your organization's specific requirements. For instance, the INT1 symbology rule file can be modified to tailor the paper chart symbology to meet the hydrographic office’s requirements.
Learn more about customizing maritime symbology
Guidance on how various paper charting components can be customized is provided in the ArcGIS Maritime Chart Automation Tool Quick Reference Guide in the Maritime product files at <installation location>\ArcGIS Maritime\Product Files\<version>\Charting\Tools.