Page 102 - Electronic Navigation Cyber Book

ECS And ECDIS
Electronic Chart Systems (ECS) are those digital chart display systems
that do not meet the IMO requirements for ECDIS. Until an ECDIS
standard is approved and a particular ECS meets that standard, no ECS
can be classified as an ECDIS. The practical consequence of this
distinction is that an ECS cannot be used to replace a paper chart. Legal
requirements notwithstanding, several companies are producing very
sophisticated integrated bridge systems based on electronic chart
systems. These integrated bridges combine accurate electronic
positioning sensors with electronic chart presentations to produce a video
representation of a chart which displays and updates the ship’s charted
position at frequent intervals. Electronic charts can also display track
lines, cross-track error, and other operational data.

These systems have the potential to integrate radar systems and control
systems to create a fully integrated bridge. The uncertainty surrounding
the final ECDIS Standard has not lessened the marine community’s
demand to exploit the potential of this revolutionary technology.

One consequence of this demand has been that some national
hydrographic offices are producing official digital raster charts for use in
electronic charting systems. In addition, a number of commercial
companies have been licensed to digitize the paper charts of various
national hydrographic offices. However, these are not the data bases
envisioned by the IMO standard.

Remember that ECDIS is a system. The electronic chart data base is only
a subset of this system. Therefore, even though electronic charts come
from a national hydrographic office or from official charts, the integrated
bridge system in which the chart is used may not meet the ECDIS system
requirements.

Correcting The Digital Nautical Chart
There are currently three proposed methods for correcting the DNC data
base: Interactive Entry, Semi- Automatic Entry, and Fully Automatic
Entry.

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