the New AML User Guide - United Kingdom Hydrographic Office

DMGIC 

Defence Maritime Geospatial Intelligence Centre 

Part of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, a Trading Fund 

of the Ministry of Defence 

AML User Guide 

Additional Military Layers 

Information superiority in the maritime environment 

Version 2.1 

2011

2 

UNCLASSIFIED 09/08/2012 

DMGIC 

© British Crown Copyright 2012

AML USER GUIDE 

This User Guide is provided for UK users of AML, but may be useful for others. 

We welcome your comments or contributions to tips for users: 

Please contact aml@ukho.gov.uk 

For technical help and access to the AML Global CD 

Please contact Fleet Information Management Unit at: 

FLEET-N6FIMUGEO4@mod.uk 

Telephone: +44 (0) 2392 212240 

AML Catalogues 

There are three separate catalogues available showing current AML coverage: 

• Standard Catalogue of AML designed for use in WECDIS, WAIS, DNA2 and other AML 

Capable systems. 

• WVS – World Vector Shoreline - Catalogue showing the AML coverage optimised for 

ADAWS 

The standard and WVS catalogues are supplied in one document. 

• Environment Risk Management Capability Catalogue showing AML coverage optimised 

for S2117 

Catalogues are provided in paper and digital formats by UKHO. 

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INTRODUCTION 

AML - Additional Military Layers - was introduced to replace the need for specialist paper charts 

and overlays in order to meet the RN aims for the paperless bridge. The purpose of the 

products is to enhance operational effectiveness in the maritime and littoral environments 

through superior situational awareness. At present 10 NATO members are actively involved in 

either producing or using AML while other defence forces interested in their application include 

the US Department of Defence, the Royal Australian and Swedish Navies. Within the UK they 

are produced by UKHO Taunton in support of the Recognised Environmental Picture (REP), 

part of ISTAR Network-Enabled Capability (NEC). 

The underlying concept of AML is to replace the need for reference to environmental information 

contained within specialist legacy printed publications by embedding it within databases that can 

be displayed on electronic systems, thereby enhancing situational awareness and tactical 

decision making. Within the Royal Navy AML is intended for display on WECDIS, WAIS, 

JC2SP, DNA2 as well as non-surface combatant command systems (e.g. MERLIN Tactical 

Command System). 

AML is distributed by FIMU to all RN ships and submarines in the form of a Global AML CD and 

are supported by the CSS-based UK AML Catalogue and NP114 NATO AML Catalogue (to be 

replaced by NATO AML e-Catalogue). 

THE BENEFITS OF AML 

AML provides enhanced operational effectiveness through information superiority. Designed for 

situational awareness, AML supports digital navigation within WECDIS to greatly enhance the 

manoeuvrability, access and reach of maritime forces. 

AML provides: 

• Unified data in one place 

• Attributed and searchable data 

• Rapid display 

• Selectable data 

• Can be displayed with other geospatial information 

• Interoperability with NATO nations 

• Format standardisation 

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AML Types 

AML is divided into the following product types: 

Vector Products: 

• RAL – Routes, Areas & Limits (see Fig1.0) 

• CLB – Contour Line Bathymetry (see Fig2.0) 

• LBO – Large Bottom Objects (see Fig 3.0) 

• ESB – Environment, Seabed & Beach (see Fig 4.0) 

• MFF – Maritime Foundation & Facilities (see Fig 5.0) 

• SBO – Small Bottom Objects (see Fig 6.0) 

Gridded Products: 

• IWC – Integrated Water Column 

• AMC – Atmospheric and Meteorological Climatology 

• GS-ESB – Gridded Sediment ESB 

AML is not a navigational product and any navigation decision must be made with reference to 

the ENC. However some types of AML can be displayed with an ENC on a navigation system 

but further guidance should be obtained from BR45. 

Routes, Areas and Limits - RAL 

Intended for Planning and in theatre Situational Awareness: 

Main features: 

• PEXAS / Exercise Grids 

• SM Transit Lanes 

• Fishery Limits 

• Patrol Areas 

• Stovepipes / Shipping Lanes 

• Territorial Water Limits 

• RAL can be displayed over ENCs 

• Maritime Protected Areas in support of MESAT (Maritime Environmental Sustainability 

and Assessment Tool) 

At present coverage for Territorial Waters limits within RAL cover the following regions*: 

• Eastern Mediterranean 

• Red Sea 

• Gulf of Aden 

• Persian Gulf 

• Caribbean 

* UKHO has a schedule of planned 

Territorial Waters AML; this priority can 

change if demand requires it. 

Fig 1.0 - Scale Band 0 Routes 

Areas and Limits Cell 

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Contour Line Bathymetry - CLB 

CLB is intended for ASW operations showing higher density bathymetric information. 

Main Features: 

• Depth Areas 

• Depth Contour and Survey Reliability data 

• Soundings 

CLB should not be overlayed with an ENC in a navigational scenario. Products used for 

situational awareness do not have the same updating cycle as navigational products and 

may also be constructed from other source material. If viewed together in a navigational 

scenario the resulting display could prove very misleading. 

Fig 2.0 - Scale band 4(1:1,000,000) Contour Line Bathymetry west of Scotland, 

useful for planning (Viewer – ECPINS, RN WECDIS) 

Large Bottom Objects - LBO 

LBO is an un-scaled product showing all objects on the sea bed greater than five metres in any 

direction. 


• Wrecks (charted and uncharted) 

• Rocks 

• Obstructions 

• Seabed installations 

All objects are captured as point geometry. LBO includes information additional to that shown 

on standard navigational charts e.g. wrecks which are not significant to navigation. 

Each wreck depicted includes full attribution which cannot be shown on a standard chart making 

the data useful for submarine and anti-submarine operations and for mine warfare applications. 

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Fig 3.0- Features from LBO (Viewer – ECPINS, RN WECDIS) alongside ENC. 

The attributes of a wreck can be seen in the display window. 

Environment Seabed and Beach – ESB 

Designed to provide the user with information about the sea bed and beach areas, ESB is of 

particular value in support of mine counter-measure activities and amphibious operations. It is a 

scaled product. 


• Composition and thickness of multiple sediment layers including bedrock 

• Acoustic/physical properties 

• Slope 

• MCM areas 

• Sand waves 

• Trawl scours 

• Vegetation 

• Beach – full map/chart at very large scale, or as an overlay to standard mapping/charting 

• Low resolution seabed information to support ASW 

Fig 4.0 - Sediment Layer from ESB (Viewer – ECPINS, RN WECDIS). 

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Maritime Foundation and Facilities - MFF 

MFF is a scaled product designed to provide a suitable reference background and context 

where standard electronic products such as ARCS or ENC are not used. 


• Coastline 

• National boundaries and major cities 

• Main ports, harbour locations and facilities 

• Major lights and buoyage 

• Magnetic information 

• Tidal information 

• Radar reflective entities such as offshore platforms, buoys, beacons 

• Communication facilities and coverage 

• Pipeline and Cable information 

• Fishing activity 

• Oil, Gas and mineral production information 

• Ice limits 

• Search and rescue information 

• Miscellaneous sea bed obstructions that cover a significant area 

Fig 5.0 - Scale band 4MFF viewed with Scale Band 4CLB (Viewer – ECPINS, RN WECDIS) 

Small Bottom Objects- SBO 

Used by the mine warfare community, SBO is un-scaled and includes all known bottom contacts 

whose dimension is less than five metres in any direction. SBO is categorised into mines and 

mine-like contacts. 

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Fig 6.0 - Fictitious sample Small Bottom Objects displayed alongside ENC (Viewer – 

ECPINS, RN WECDIS). The attributes of a mine have been queried. 

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LOADING TIPS 

The display settings for viewing AML are important; individual features will not display if 

the settings are incorrect. 

Recommended settings for AML within WECDIS/WAIS –Version 5.3.1 

Colour Scheme - 

OSL DAY HI or OSL NIGHT HI 

AML Feature Group Feature 

RAL – Category - 

AML Groups 

Displayed Features - Water-space Management 

Intelligence and Information (TW) 

Category - 

Viewing Groups 

Displayed Features - Cautionary Areas, 

Administrative Areas (TW) 

CLB – Category - 


Displayed Features – Contour Labels, depths 

Contour Labels, Safety 

Contours, tides and Magnetic Data 

Water and Seabed features 

MFF – Category - 


Displayed Features - Administrative Sources 

Conspicuous Landmarks 

Information Areas 

Lights 

Port Features 

Seabed/Obstructions 

Services (Pilots) 

Shore Features 

ESB – Category - 


Displayed Features - Bottom Information 

Beach and Landing Information 

Intelligence and Information 

Category - 


Displayed Features - Information Areas 

Major Coastal Features 

Natural Features 

Seabed and Obstructions 

Shore Features 

LBO - Category - 


Displayed Features - Bottom Information 

Category - 


Seabed and Obstructions 

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Loading Sequence of AML into WECDIS/WAIS 

Insert AML disc into WECDIS/WAIS terminal. 

Begin install procedure as indicated below: 

Choose directory where AMLs are being imported from i.e. CD drive. 

Single click on drive and click “Search for Charts” or double click on drive 

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In the left hand window, all the products on the disc will be displayed. These will generally be 

displayed as exchange sets. 

Select or create a folder you wish to place the cells in. 

Double click on the exchange set e.g. UKCBU107. All the cells within the exchange set will 

appear in the “select charts” window. 

Click on “Select visible” then “Install Charts”. This will install all the charts into the folder 

selected. 

A message informing you that all the cells have installed correctly will be visible. 

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Once the AML cells have been installed, they then have to be loaded to view. 

In the main menu, click on chart selection then as shown below “load charts” 

A loading window will appear as shown below. 

Choose the folder you wish to view contents of in left hand window. 

Double click on the cell you wish to view or click once and then click load. 

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Note: If when you load the cell an error message appears “Invalid Checksum”, this means there 

is a problem with the Catalogue file. (The catalogue file is a text file generated when AML cells 

are packaged together to form an exchange set. It is this file ECPINS (WECDIS) looks for when 

loading AML data to know, not only what cell it should be loading but also the geographic 

extents of these cells). 

If the CATALOGUE file is not present another error message appears “Note: Required 

CATALOG file(s) could not be found……” Without this file some AML cells i.e. RAL will still load 

but any additional components like those found in ESB i.e. photographs, beach gradient 

diagrams will not. 

IF EITHER OF THESE MESSAGES APPEARS, PLEASE CONTACT FIMU, HMS 

COLLINGWOOD OR DEFENCE SERVICE DELIVERY UKHO TAUNTON. 

FLEET-N6FIMUGEO@mod.uk 

Mws-wtg-necs@fleetfost.mod.uk 

aml@ukho.gov.uk 

Viewing Territorial Waters AML 

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In order to view Territorial Waters AML it is essential to use the correct settings. 

Example of Territorial Water Limits (TW) 

displayed in ECPINS, RN WECDIS 

showing the settings needed to view RAL (TW) 

AML. 

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If you have user tips to share for the benefit of others please contact aml@ukho.gov.uk 

The following user tip was provided by the NO of HMS Liverpool October 2011: 

Decryption: Currently the documentation states that the disk should be decrypted on a Bycrypt laptop, 

then the AMLs can be burnt to a CD to be installed on WECDIS. The process is smoother if you take 

softlock off WECDIS and decrypt the CD to a temporary folder on the D drive. Then all three WECDIS 

terminals can install the AMLs from that location. The danger is that on completion you are using up disk 

space by having two copies of the AMLs on the system, so the temporary folder needs to be deleted once 

the AMLs are installed. This process also prevents a decrypted disk from needing to be destroyed. 

This tip was provided by the Navigator of HMS Illustrious October 2011 

By using a DII capable USB stick in the RPT (AES lock type) I can move the AMLs into the WAIS 

terminals. 

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the New AML User Guide - United Kingdom Hydrographic Office

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