Seamarks/Lights
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Seamark tagging
Light
The tags defined on this page will render in various nautical charts.
This page defines values for the seamark:type=* tag for lights objects and their attribute tags.
Types
A light is a luminous or lighted aid to navigation.
| Type | S100 code | seamark:type | Definition | Example renderings | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major light | LIGHTS | light_major | A major light is a light that is intended to be seen at extended distances and will indicate the presence of prominent land masses or provide guidance into harbours or rivers. This tag is used where the supporting structure is not specified, otherwise the seamark:type tag should take the value of the supporting structure (most often "landmark") | 
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| Minor light | LIGHTS | light_minor | A minor light is a short-range light that marks obstacles in the same way as lighted buoys and beacons, otherwise the seamark:type tag should take the value of the supporting structure (most often "pile") | 
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| Light vessel | LITVES | light_vessel | A distinctively marked vessel anchored or moored at a charted point, to serve as an aid to navigation. By night, it displays a characteristic light(s) and is usually equipped with other devices, such as fog signal, submarine sound signal, and radio-beacon, to assist navigation. | 
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| Light float | LITFLT | light_float | A boat-like structure used instead of a light buoy in waters where strong streams or currents are experienced, or when a greater elevation than that of a light buoy is necessary. | 
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Attributes
Colours
Lights have a single colour, except those with alternating characters, which have two colours.
| Colour (COLOUR) | seamark:light:colour | Rendering |
|---|---|---|
| White | white | |
| Red | red | |
| Green | green | |
| Blue | blue | |
| Yellow | yellow | |
| Amber | amber | |
| Violet | violet | |
| Orange | orange | |
| Magenta | magenta |
Characters
Animated illustrations of light characters can be found here: light characters
| Character (LITCHR) | seamark:light:character | Pattern | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed | F | 
|
A signal light that shows continuously, in any given direction, with constant luminous intensity and colour. |
| Flashing | Fl | 
|
A rhythmic light in which the total duration of light in a period is clearly shorter than the total duration of darkness and all the appearances of light are of equal duration. |
| Long-flashing | LFl | 
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A flashing light in which a single flash of not less than two seconds duration is regularly repeated. |
| Quick-flashing | Q | 
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A light exhibiting without interruption very rapid regular alternations of light and darkness. |
| Very-quick-flashing | VQ | 
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A flashing light in which flashes are repeated at a rate of not less than 80 flashes per minute but less than 160 flashes per minute. |
| Ultra-quick-flashing | UQ | 
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A flashing light in which flashes are repeated at a rate of not less than 160 flashes per minute. |
| Isophased | Iso | 
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A light with all durations of light and darkness equal. |
| Occulting | Oc | 
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A rhythmic light in which the total duration of light in a period is clearly longer than the total duration of darkness and all the eclipses are of equal duration. |
| Interrupted quick-flashing | IQ | 
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A quick light in which the sequence of flashes is interrupted by regularly repeated eclipses of constant and long duration. |
| Interrupted very quick flashing | IVQ | 
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A light in which the very rapid alterations of light and darkness are interrupted at regular intervals by eclipses of long duration. |
| Interrupted ultra quick flashing | IUQ | 
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A light in which the ultra quick flashes (160 or more per minute) are interrupted at regular intervals by eclipses of long duration. |
| Morse | Mo | 
|
A rhythmic light in which appearances of light of two clearly different durations are grouped to represent a character or characters in the Morse code. |
| Fixed/flash | FFl | 
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| Flash/long-flash | FlLFl | 
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| Occulting/flash | OcFl | 
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| Fixed/long-flash | FLFl | 
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| Occulting alternating | Al.Oc | 
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| Long-flash alternating | Al.LFl | 
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| Flash alternating | Al.Fl | 
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| Group alternating | Al.Gr | 
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| Quick-flash plus long-flash | Q+LFl | 
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| Very-quick-flash plus long-flash | VQ+LFl | 
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| Ultra-quick-flash plus long-flash | UQ+LFl | 
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| Alternating | Al | 
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| Fixed and alternating flashing | Al.FFl | 
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Categories
| Category (CATLIT) | seamark:light:category | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Directional function | directional | A light illuminating a sector of very narrow angle and intended to mark a direction to follow. A light tagged with this category should also carry a "seamark:light:orientation" tag. |
| Leading light | leading | A light associated with other lights so as to form a leading line to be followed. |
| Aero light | aero | An aero light is established for aeronautical navigation and may be of higher power than marine lights and visible from well offshore. |
| Air obstruction light | air_obstruction | A light marking an obstacle which constitutes a danger to air navigation. |
| Fog detector light | fog_detector | A light used to automatically determine conditions of visibility which warrant the turning on or off of a sound signal. |
| Flood light | floodlight | A broad beam light used to illuminate a structure or area. |
| Strip light | strip_light | A light whose source has a linear form generally horizontal, which can reach a length of several metres. |
| Subsidiary light | subsidiary | A light placed on or near the support of a main light and having a special use in navigation. |
| Spotlight | spotlight | A powerful light focused so as to illuminate a small area. |
| Front | front | Term used with leading lights to describe the position of the light on the lead as viewed from seaward. |
| Rear | rear | Term used with leading lights to describe the position of the light on the lead as viewed from seaward. |
| Upper | upper | Term used with leading lights to describe the position of the light on the lead as viewed from seaward. |
| Lower | lower | Term used with leading lights to describe the position of the light on the lead as viewed from seaward. |
| Moire effect | moire | A short range (up to 2km) type of directional light. Sodium lighting gives a yellow background to a screen on which a vertical black line will be seen by an observer on the centre line. |
| Emergency light | emergency | A light available as a backup to a main light which will be illuminated should the main light fail. |
| Bearing light | bearing | A light which enables its approximate bearing to be obtained without the use of a compass. |
| Horizontally disposed | horizontal | A group of lights of identical character and almost identical position, that are disposed horizontally. A light tagged with this category should also carry a "seamark:light:multiple" tag. |
| Vertically disposed | vertical | A group of lights of identical character and almost identical position, that are disposed vertically. A light tagged with this category should also carry a "seamark:light:multiple" tag. |
Sectored light attributes
Note that sectored lights must bear a sector number (1+) even if there is only one sector. For more information on tagging sectored and directional lights, see: sectored and directional lights.
| Attribute | seamark:light:#:<attribute> | Value | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector limit one (SECTR1) | sector_start | Decimal degrees | The sector limit 1 specifies the first limit of the sector. The order of sector limit 1 and sector limit 2 is clockwise around the light. |
| Sector limit two (SECTR2) | sector_end | Decimal degrees | The sector limit 2 specifies the second limit of the sector. The order of sector limit 1 and sector limit 2 is clockwise around the light. |
Light visibility
| Visibility (LITVIS) | seamark:light:visibility | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| High intensity | high | Non-marine lights with a higher power than marine lights and visible from well off shore (often 'Aero' lights). |
| Low intensity | low | Non-marine lights with lower power than marine lights. |
| Faint | faint | A decrease in the apparent intensity of a light which may occur in the case of partial obstructions. |
| Intensified | intensified | A light in a sector is intensified (i.e. has longer range than other sectors). |
| Unintensified | unintensified | A light in a sector is unintensified (i.e. has shorter range than other sectors). |
| Visibility deliberately restricted | restricted | A light sector is deliberately reduced in intensity, for example to reduce its effect on a built-up area. |
| Obscured | obscured | Said of the arc of a light sector designated by its limiting bearings in which the light is not visible from seaward. |
| Partially obscured | part_obscured | Parts of the sector are obscured. |
Exhibition conditions
| Exhibition (EXCLIT) | seamark:light:exhibition | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Light shown without change of character | 24h | A light shown throughout the 24 hours without change of character. |
| Daytime light | day | A light which is only exhibited by day. |
| Fog light | fog | A light which is exhibited in fog or conditions of reduced visibility. |
| Night light | night | A light which is only exhibited at night. |
| Warning | warning | A light which is exhibited to warn of a present or imminent danger. |
| Storm | storm | A light which is exhibited to warn of a present or imminent storm. |
Other attributes
| Attribute | seamark:light:<attribute> | Value type | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focal height (HEIGHT) | height | Decimal | The vertical elevation of the actual lamp or light source (in meters) above the specified vertical datum (typically, mean sea level) – known as the focal height.
Example: Lamp is 1.5 m below the roof of a 10 m lighthouse, atop a hill at elevation of 20 m above MSL. Then, Luckily, most light lists already calculate the focal height. |
| Multiplicity of lights (MLTYLT) | multiple | Integer | The number of lights of identical character that exist as a co-located group. |
| Nominal range (VALNMR) | range | Decimal | The nominal range at which the light can be seen in nautical miles. |
| Signal group (SIGGRP) | group | Text | The number of flashes, the combination of flashes or the Morse character(s) within one period of full sequence. |
| Signal period (SIGPER) | period | Decimal | Time of the time occupied by an entire cycle of intervals of light and eclipse. |
| Signal sequence (SIGSEQ) | sequence | Text | The sequence of times occupied by intervals of light and eclipse for all 'light characteristics' except for occulting where the sequence of times is occupied by intervals of eclipse and light. |
Other objects
Lights may have other objects as part of their structure
| Object | S100 | Definition | Wiki page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fog signal | FOGSIG | A warning signal transmitted by a vessel, or aid to navigation, during periods of low visibility. Also, the device producing such a signal. | Fog signals |
| Radar transponder beacon | RTPBCN | A transponder beacon transmitting a coded signal on radar frequency, permitting an interrogating craft to determine the bearing and range of the transponder. | Radar beacons |
| Radar reflector | RADRFL | A device capable of, or intended for, reflecting radar signals. | |
| Radio station | RDOSTA | Radio navigation beacons and AIS transmitters | Radio stations |
Editing
Use the JOSM-seasign-Editor Plugin, or the "OpenSeaMap online editor". Both offer a graphical interface for adding details about angles and flashing rates.
References
OSM seamark resources
- Seamark tag values(en)
- Seamark objects(en)
- Seamark attributes(en)
- Categories of objects(en)
- INT-1 cross reference(en)
- Inland waterway notice marks (CEVNI, Europe)(en)
- Inland waterway lateral marks (CEVNI, Europe)(en)
- Inland waterway notice marks (BNIWR, Brazil)(en)
- Inland waterway notice marks (PPWBC, Brazil/Paraguay)(en)
- Inland waterway notice marks (RIWR, Russia)(en)
JOSM presets & styles
External sources
- S-101 ENC/iENC registry (iho.int), the ENC Data Classification and Encoding Guide (DCEG) can be downloaded as zipped PDF, online access to symbols in Portrayal Register
- International nautical chart symbol legend (Chart INT-1, NOAA)
- Encoding Guide for Inland ENCs (openecdis.org, 2018), an international standard of the Inland ENC Harmonization Group is currently in development (IEHG Publication S-401, 2019)
- European Code for Inland Waterways (CEVNI), (UNECE, Fifth revised version 2015)
- European Code for Signs and Signals on Inland Waterways (SIGNI), (UNECE Resolution N0. 90, 2018)
- U.S. Aids to Navigation System – also details the Western Waters Marking System, Intracoastal Waterway system, and Uniform State Waterway Marking System