UK Hydrographic Office and European Space Agency invite companies to explore space-enabled maritime services
The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is partnering with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) to support companies developing commercial services combining S-100 universal hydrographic data with satellite Earth observation, communications or navigation information.
The S-100 Universal Hydrographic Model Thematic Campaign seeks to engage companies through ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) and help turn their concepts into scalable, commercially sustainable services. The campaign will provide relevant S-100 data licences free of charge, helping companies develop services that address real maritime customer and operational needs.
S-100 was designed from the outset to support interoperability between different domains, providing a common framework for different types of hydrographic and maritime information. While its introduction is transforming navigation, its potential applications extend further. Combining S-100 data with satellite Earth observation, communications or navigation information creates opportunities to develop services for use beyond traditional navigational products for use on board vessels, in ports and ashore.
Space-enabled supporting capabilities could include:
Earth observation: Providing environmental information across wide areas, with repeat observations to complement hydrographic surveys and other data sources.
Satellite communications: Supporting the delivery of information between ships and shore, including beyond terrestrial network coverage.
Satellite positioning, navigation and timing: Providing location and time references to support accurate geo-referencing.
Potential applications include safer navigation, more efficient vessel and port operations, environmental monitoring, maritime security and automated systems. Companies are also encouraged to propose other uses.
As the maritime industry prepares for S-100 capability to become mandatory for new ECDIS installations from 2029, the campaign also offers companies a valuable opportunity to develop, pilot and validate commercially viable space-enabled services for early-adopter maritime customers.
Since 2010, BASS has helped companies deliver space-based services and products through more than 1,000 studies and 750 projects. Now part of ESA’s ACCESS programme, its core aim is to accelerate the development of innovative ideas into commercially viable, market-ready space-based services and applications that deliver measurable social and economic benefits.
Tom Mellor, Head of Technical Partnerships at the UKHO, said: “The S-100 framework was always designed to support interoperability with a greater breadth of geospatial information. S-100 is a key enabler for safe navigation, but we want companies to consider what could be possible above and beyond navigation when hydrographic information is combined with space-based data and new technologies.
“By working with ESA to make relevant S-100 data available, we hope to give developers the opportunity to explore ideas, test commercial propositions and identify uses we may not yet have considered. We’re interested in the customer needs they could address and the services they could create. It’s also possible that through these R&D and proof of concept developments we might also see the IHO S-100 framework extended to support this new domain.“
Nil Angli Padro, Maritime Lead at ESA, said: “The maritime sector is undergoing a digital transformation, and the introduction of S-100 opens up exciting opportunities for space-enabled innovation. “By combining the S-100 interoperability with satellite Earth observation, communications and navigation capabilities, we can unlock a new generation of maritime services that improve safety, efficiency and sustainability. Through ESA’s BASS programme, we want to support companies turn these opportunities into commercially viable solutions, working closely with maritime stakeholders to address real operational needs.”
Companies can find out more about the campaign, funding opportunities and available support by registering for the ESA-hosted webinar on 18 November 2026. During the session, the ESA will present its assessment of the commercial opportunities associated with S-100 and invite companies to discuss if and how ACCESS BASS could support the development and commercialisation of their propositions. The UKHO will explain how interoperable S-100 data could contribute.
Further details can be found on the ESA and UKHO websites.
