By Alex Wallage and Toby Pascoe

Alex and Toby are Senior Data Validators at IC-ENC, and in this article, they share what their role involves and what it’s like to work in the International Validation Team. Both started as Geospatial interns and have progressed to Senior Data Validators.

Who are IC-ENC?

IC-ENC works with over half of the world’s Hydrographic Offices to ensure the consistent production and distribution of accurate ENCs, promoting safety and efficiency in global maritime navigation.

IC-ENC’s 54 Members and 5 Regional Offices

Our services include:

ENC Validation: Checking ENCs against IHO standards and IC-ENC policy, providing detailed feedback and recommendations.
Production Support: Tailored assistance for Members at all stages of ENC production, from establishing workflows to improving data consistency.
Distribution, Revenue Management, and S-100 Services: Supporting Members in delivering high-quality, compliant products to mariners worldwide.

Senior Data Validator Job Role

The purpose of the Senior Data Validator (SDV) role is to support and deliver high-quality validation and production support services to IC-ENC’s 54 Member Hydrographic Offices. This includes providing expert technical advice, maintaining team competency, and contributing to service improvements and strategic projects.

This is achieved through:

Validation Work
Quality Control
Improvement Activities
Training delivery
Documentation
Project Work

Another core part of the SDV job is delegating for the Data Manager when they are on leave. This includes, managing the workflow, acting as Duty Manager for weekly data releases and acting as technical point of contact for IC-ENC Membership.

Toby Pascoe, IC-ENC Senior Data Validator

Toby reflects on his journey to becoming an SDV

I joined IC-ENC in 2022 as a Geospatial Intern before my final year at Coventry University studying Geography. I became a Data Validator and continued working part time for IC-ENC whilst completing my degree. After graduating I returned full time to IC-ENC and later progressed to Senior Data Validator.

My role involves validating Member ENCs for compliance with S-57 and S-58 standards, assess horizontal and vertical consistency between adjacent and overlapping ENCs, and ensure good ECDIS usability. I also contribute to international and virtual training courses, helping members improve their production processes.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with IC-ENC. We are a small team that deliver across a broad range of services for our members. Due to our small dynamic nature, I’ve had many opportunities within IC-ENC to deliver across different parts of the team. I hope Alex and I can reflect the varied nature of the role in this article and indeed it is reflected in the job descriptions of both the Data Validator (DV) and SDV.

During my time at IC-ENC I’ve had many training opportunities, both to deliver training and receiving it. As well as receiving our internal training, I was fortunate to attend a 5-day Level 3 Award in Education and Training Course which has assisted with my transition to a SDV and the training requirements it entails.

Oman was a country I had never visited before, but I had the opportunity to travel there to deliver IC-ENC’s ‘ENC Quality and Conversion Course’. There several opportunities for travel, for example the validator exchange allows validators to work from our different regional offices (Australia, Brazil, North America, West Africa) and gain local expertise and perspectives.

Toby, alongside S-100 Officer Laura Tyzack for the ENC Quality & Conversion Course in Oman

Another key part of the SDV job role is project work. I have been involved in the development of our ECD service. IC-ENC’s Electronic Chart Data (ECD) Service seeks to address the lack of up-to-date navigational data available to vessels not using an ECDIS. IC-ENC provide ENC data to appointed third parties (Distribution Partners) to develop a range of navigational products. I have set up the assessment service of these products as part of our assurance work for our Members. I have assessed an array of apps, web-based displays, GeoTIFFs and software that use our Members data.

Alex Wallage, IC-ENC Senior Data Validator

Alex reflects on his experiences

I joined IC-ENC in 2021 as a placement student during my studies at University, returning after graduation as a Data Validator and later progressing to Senior Data Validator. My core responsibility is to validate Member ENC data to S-57, S-58 standards and support the international validation team to do the same. I enjoy the problem-solving involved in tracing the root cause of errors, understanding their impact, and determining appropriate corrective actions.

A large part of my role involves supporting the International Validation Team, helping interpret complex error messages, ensuring consistent competency across the team, and training new colleagues. I also deliver external training courses, which has taken me to countries including Australia, Brazil, Turkiye and the USA. Sharing knowledge with a diverse community, and learning from their experiences, has been a real highlight.

I’ve also led continual improvement projects that apply GIS techniques to enhance efficiency and quality control, using tools like FME Workspace and Flow. These projects have strengthened my project management skills and allowed me to combine technical problem-solving with bigger-picture thinking. IC-ENC has also supported me in completing an MSc in GIS, which gave me valuable experience across the full GIS workflow and has directly informed enhancements to our validation service.

Looking ahead to the transition to S-100, I’m excited by the opportunity to help shape how quality assurance evolves, ensuring the principles behind high-quality S-57 products carry through to the next generation of maritime data services.

Alex Wallage - Training delegates during the ENC Quality & Conversion Course in Istanbul

The Wider Benefits of Working in IC-ENC

Generous Holidays: We know you need a break so offer 26.5 days annual leave, rising to 31.5 days after five years – plus nine paid bank holiday days each year (pro-rata for part-time employees).
Family First Thinking: Our onsite nursery and enhanced maternity leave pay, adoption and shared parental pay, shows how much we value our staff and their family life.
Flexible Working: We offer a range of flexible working options, from hybrid/remote working to condensed hours, job shares and career breaks for greater work/life balance.
Outstanding Pension: Saving for the future is vital and our pension contribution rates are currently up to 28.97%.
Discounts and Rewards: We have reward, recognition and discount schemes to ensure we help all employees where we can.
Award Winning Facilities: Our state-of-the-art office in Taunton, Somerset, has exceptional facilities, including an onsite gym.

IC-ENC are currently recruiting! Please click here for more information and to apply. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact therenc@ic-enc.org

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