Dangerous Cargo - All substances of an inflammable nature which are liable to spontaneous combustion either in themselves or when stowed adjacent to other substances and, when mixed with air, are liable to generate explosive gases or produce suffocation or poisoning or tainting of foodstuffs.
Category: - Maritime - Risk

Dangerous Liquids - Liquids giving off inflammable vapors.
Category: - Risk

Data-cleaning - Removal and/or correction of erroneous data introduced by data entry errors, expired validity of data, or by some other means.
Category: - GIS

Data Dictionary - The part of a database containing information about the files, records, and attributes rather than just the data.
Category: - GIS

Data Mining - Revisiting existing data to explore for new relationships using new and more powerful tools for analysis and display.
Category: - GIS

Data Structure - The logical and physical means by which a map feature or an attribute is digitally encoded.
Category: - GIS

DATUM - The most probable position of a search object, corrected for drift,at any specific time."point de repère ou DATUM"
Category: - SAR

Datum - A datum is a mathematical surface on which a mapping and coordinate system is based.
Category: - GIS

Datum Marker Buoy - Datum Marker Buoy’s are small waterproof radio transmitters, dropped from helicopters, airplanes or boats, which are used to mark the location of floating debris. The DMBs drift at or near the same speed as the actual sea current, enabling ships and aircraft to track the drift of the debris or to serve as location reference."bouée-repère électronique""
Category: - SAR

Davit - A crane arm used in handling small boats, lifeboats, stores, gear, etc.
Category: - Maritime

Davits - Two radial cranes on a ship which hold the lifeboats. They are constructed in such a way as to lower and lift the lifeboats the easiest way possible and are also unobstructed in case of an emergency.
Category: - Maritime

Deadfreight Factor - Percentage of a ship's carrying capacity that is not utilized.
Category: - Maritime

Dead Man - A buried timber (etc.) that has an attached pipe or cable going to the surface for the purpose of securing a vessel at a dock or along a riverbank.
Category: - Maritime

Dead Reckoning - Dead Reckoning is a method of estimating your position based only on your course and your known speed, after departing from a known position.
Category: - Maritime

Dead Rise - The rise or upward slant of the bottom of a ship from the keel to the bilge.
Category: - Maritime

Deadweight - The total weight of cargo, fuel, water, stores, passengers and crew, and their effects, which a ship can carry.
Category: - Maritime

Deadweight tons - (DWT) A common measure of ship carrying capacity. The number of tons (2240 lbs.) of cargo, stores and bunkers that a vessel can transport. It is the difference between the number of tons of water a vessel displaces "light" and the number of tons it displaces "when submerged to the 'deep load line'." A vessel's cargo capacity is less than its total deadweight tonnage. The difference in weight between a vessel when it is fully loaded and when it is empty (in general transportation terms, the net) measured by the water it displaces. This is the most common, and useful, measurement for shipping as it measures cargo capacity.
Category: - Maritime

Deck - A part of a ship corresponding to the floor of a building.
Category: - Maritime

Deck Gang - The officers and seamen comprising the deck department aboard ship. Also called deck crew, deck department, or just deck.
Category: - Maritime

Deckhand - Seaman who works on the deck of a ship and remains in the wheelhouse attending to the orders of the duty officers during navigation and manoeuvering. He also comes under the direct orders of the bosun.
Category: - Maritime

Deck House - Small superstructure on the top deck of a vessel which contains the helm and other navigational instruments.
Category: - Maritime

Deck-House - A shelter built on deck.
Category: - Maritime

Deck Log - Also called Captain's Log. A full nautical record of a ship's voyage, written up at the end of each watch by the deck officer on watch. The principal entries are: courses steered; distance run; compass variations, sea and weather conditions; ship's position, principal headlands passed; names of lookouts, and any unusual position, principal headlands passed; names of lookouts, and any unusual happenings such as fire, collision, and the like..
Category: - Maritime

Deck Officer - As distinguished from engineer officer, refers to all officers who assist the master in navigating the vessel when at sea, and supervise the handling of cargo when in port.
Category: - Maritime

Deep Tank - A deep compartment usually extending from tank top to lower deck.
Category: - Maritime

Demurrage - A fee levied by the shipping company upon the port or supplier for not loading or unloading the vessel by a specified date agreed upon by contract. Usually, assessed upon a daily basis after the deadline."
Category: - Maritime

Dependent Variable - The variable on the left of the equals sign in a formula model, whose values are determined by the values of the other variables and constants.
Category: - GIS

Derrick - A device for hoisting heavy weights, cargo, etc.
Category: - Maritime

Determinant - An influencing or formative element or factor
Category: - Risk

Det Norske Veritas - Det Norske Veritas (DNV) verification and classification services provide expert assistance in planning, designing, building, operating as well as de-commissioning offshore constructions and plant. Norwegian firm.
Category: - Maritime

Dew - As the surface of the earth cools at night, warm moist air near the ground is chilled and water vapour in the air condenses into droplets on the grass and other objects. Dew is particularly heavy on clear nights, when the earth cools rapidly. When a blanket of cloud insulates the earth, the cooling rate is slower.
Category: - Weather

Dew Point - The temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated by the water vapour already present in the air.
Category: - Weather

DFO - Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada
Category: - Acronym

DFO - Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index.htm)
Category: - General

Digital Selective Calling - Digital Selective Calling is a synchronous system developed by the International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR), used to establish contact with a station or group of stations automatically by means of radio.
Category: - Maritime

Direction Finder - radio; determines the direction of incoming radio waves
Category: - Maritime

Disabled - A situation wherein a vessel or aircraft afloat and not in distress or potential of distress, has lost all means of propulsion, steering or control to such a degree as to be incapable of proceeding to safety without assistance. "Désemparé"
Category: - Maritime - Risk

Disabled Ship - When a ship is unable to sail efficiently or in a seaworthy state as a result of engine trouble, lack of officers or crew, damage to the hull or ship's gear.
Category: - Maritime - Risk

Disaggregate - To subdivide into component parts, such as examining a subset of data
Category: - Risk

Discharges - An essential document for officers and seamen as it serves an official certificate confirming sea experience in the employment for which he was engaged.
Category: - Maritime

Dispersion - The spatial property of being scattered about over an area or volume
Category: - Risk

Dispersion Algorithm - A MARIS algorithm to spread simulated traffic over a feasible region, such as a fishing ground.
Category: - General

Displacement - The total weight of the ship when afloat, including everything on board, (equals weight of water displaced.) Usually expressed in long tons.
Category: - Maritime

Distress - A search and rescue incident where there is a reasonable certainty that one or more individuals are threatened by grave and imminent danger and require immediate assistance. "Détresse"
Category: - Maritime - Risk

Distress Beacon - A generic term used to describe any emergency locator transmitter (ELT), emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or personal locator beacon (PLB). "balise de détresse"
Category: - Maritime - Risk

Ditching - Ditching refers to two things in SAR: when an aircraft is forced to do an emergency landing in the water, it is said to have ditched "amerissage forcé"; the SAR Techs will often refer to ditching when they talk about removing their SCUBA tanks and equipment under water. If a diver becomes entangled in under water debris, often the only way to disentangle him or her self is by ditching their gear.
Category: - Maritime - Risk

DMB - Datum Marker Buoy’s are small waterproof radio transmitters, dropped from helicopters, airplanes or boats, which are used to mark the location of floating debris. The DMBs drift at or near the same speed as the actual sea current, enabling ships and aircraft to track the drift of the debris or to serve as location reference."bouée-repère électronique"
Category: - Acronym - SAR

DND - Department of National Defence, Canada
Category: - Risk - Acronym

DOD - Department of Defense, USA
Category: - Risk - Acronym

Dog - A small bent metal fitting used in closing doors, hatch covers, manhole covers, etc.; a bent bar of round iron used in holding shapes on bending slab; any small flat lug temporarily welded to structure as backing for a wedge.
Category: - Maritime