Customizing and standardizing data visualization templates and styles in maritime documentation within the DITA framework is essential for ensuring consistency, readability, and adherence to industry standards. This process involves defining templates, layouts, and styling rules that can be consistently applied across various documents. Here’s how it can be achieved:

Creating Custom Templates

In DITA, custom templates can be created to define the structure and layout of data visualizations. These templates specify how different types of data should be presented, including vessel tracking maps, weather charts, and performance analytics. By defining these templates, maritime organizations can ensure that visualizations follow a consistent format, making it easier for users to interpret the information.

Standardizing Styles

Standardizing styles involves defining a set of formatting rules for elements such as fonts, colors, and chart types. DITA allows for the creation of stylesheets that can be applied uniformly across documents. For example, organizations can define a standard color scheme for different data categories or specify font sizes for chart labels. This standardization enhances the visual consistency of maritime documentation.

Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA can be used to create a custom template for vessel tracking maps and standardize styles for maritime documentation:

<template id="vessel-tracking-map">
  <layout>
    <map>
      <layer>Positions</layer>
      <layer>Routes</layer>
      <layer>Weather</layer>
    </map>
  </layout>
  <styles>
    <color-scheme name="StandardColors">
      <color category="Vessel" value="#3366FF" />
      <color category="Weather" value="#FF9933" />
      <color category="Route" value="#66CC33" />
    </color-scheme>
    <font-size name="ChartLabels" value="12pt" />
  </styles>
</template>

In this example, a custom template for vessel tracking maps is defined with specific layout elements and layers. Styles are standardized using a color scheme for different categories of data and a font size for chart labels, ensuring a consistent look and feel for maritime documentation.