Extract text from S-57 hydrographic data files (031)
To convert 031 hydrographic files to another format, you need OpenCPN or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "Marine Navigation Data" file type, you need software like OpenCPN or a similar tool.
The .031 file is a highly specialized update file used in the IHO S-57 standard for Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC). It functions as an ISO/IEC 8211 encapsulated data structure containing incremental geographical and navigational updates to a base marine chart. These files are critical for maritime navigation and are typically processed by Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) or specialized software like OpenCPN.
For the average user or basic data analyst, the .031 format is exceptionally difficult to work with. It is essentially an incremental patch file, meaning it relies entirely on the presence of the original 000 base cell file to function. Without the base file, the .031 file is just an isolated list of geometric changes. Furthermore, the obscure binary ISO 8211 structure prevents standard text editors or common mapping tools from reading the data natively.
To make this maritime data usable in standard Geographic Information Systems (GIS), you must convert the combined S-57 dataset. The best conversion targets are SHP (Shapefile) for ArcGIS or GeoJSON and KML for QGIS and web mapping applications. Converting to these formats makes the raw geometry accessible, but it will strip away the strict, specialized ECDIS rendering rules and symbology used by shipboard navigation systems.
Standard online converters usually fail to process .031 files because they are complex, rely on external base files, and use rare parsing libraries like GDAL. Even if full chart rendering is impossible without the base file, our analysis can often detect the embedded text and coordinates, allowing you to inspect the underlying data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your 031 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ENC_ROOT, 000, ENC, ZIP, TXT, CTF, CLB, CLG and 030 files.
If you want to convert 031 file to TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD, LOCK or PID, you can use OpenCPN or similar software from the "S-57 Chart Update File" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DEVICE, CACHE, SOCK, SYMLINK, PID, MOUNT, FIFO, LOG, PIPE, TMP, JUNCTION or TEMP files to 031, try OpenCPN or another comparable tool in the "S-57 Chart Update File" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our 031 converter.