Maritime organizations ensure that navigation documentation remains up-to-date and compliant with navigation regulations by implementing robust strategies within the framework of DITA XML.

Continuous Review and Revision

One key aspect is establishing a continuous review and revision process for navigation documentation. DITA enables organizations to maintain an audit trail of changes and updates. Subject matter experts periodically review the content to ensure it aligns with the latest regulations and best practices. Metadata and versioning within DITA topics make it easy to track when revisions were made, who made them, and the specific changes implemented.

Compliance Checks

Maritime organizations can leverage automated checks and alerts to monitor compliance with navigation regulations. DITA allows for the inclusion of compliance checks as part of the documentation. For example, specific tags or attributes can be used to indicate compliance status for various regulations. Automated scripts can then scan the documentation to flag any non-compliant sections. This proactive approach ensures that the documentation is always aligned with the most current regulatory requirements.

Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA supports compliance with navigation regulations:

<topic id="navigation_procedures">
  <title>Navigation Procedures</title>
  <version>3.0</version>
  <last-reviewed>2023-11-10</last-reviewed>
  <compliance>
    <regulation id="safety-at-sea" compliant="true" />
    <regulation id="nautical-charts" compliant="false" />
  </compliance>
  <content>... (Content)</content>
</topic>

In this DITA example, the topic includes version information, last review date, and compliance checks for safety-at-sea and nautical charts regulations. The “compliant” attribute indicates whether each regulation is met or not.