Navigational charts contain a combination of geospatial information of varying quality collected at different times using various techniques.  Bathymetric data quality is mainly encoded in electronic charts with the Category of Zones of Confidence (CATZOC). CATZOC provides information about the horizontal and vertical uncertainty of depth information, as well as the seabed coverage and feature detection. It is visualized in Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) as an additional layer with glyphs using a rating system of stars: six to two stars for the best to lowest quality data and “U” for unassessed data. The current symbology creates visual clutter which is worse in areas of high quality bathymetry. Furthermore, horizontal and vertical uncertainties may not be adequately assessed by the user. This paper presents a research program aimed at the development of a method for portraying bathymetric data quality and for integrating the quantified uncertainties in ECDIS.

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