Page 46: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 1995)

ELECTRONICS UPDATE

The Impact Of The New IMO ECE>IS Standard

The much anticipated passing of an International Maritime Organi- zation (IMO) standard for Electronic

Chart Display Information Systems (ECDIS), expected by November 1995, will impact the ECDIS indus- try in three ways. First, by its very existence, the standard will serve to legitimize electronic charting. Sec- ond, the IMO endorsement will in- crease demand for ECDIS data and systems by SOLAS class shipown- ers and government agencies. Third — and perhaps most important — the passing of this standard will

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In contrast with the impact on the industry as a whole, there will be little impact on the actual con- figuration of existing ECDIS data- bases and the systems already pro- duced by manufacturers. ECDIS technology is not new; it debuted in 1986 with the North Sea Project and has been undergoing change gradu- ally. These changes have been in accordance with the IMO standard as it is written now, so all that has really been missing is the final IMO stamp of approval.

Most companies who have been actively involved in the development of ECDIS over the past decade are already in compliance with the stan- dard. There is just one obstacle: complete worldwide data in the form of a vectorized ECDIS database is not yet available, and most govern- ment agencies are unable, for differ- ent reasons, to develop an ECDIS database on their own to meet the anticipated demand.

Over the past decade, there has been extensive testing with ECDIS, and existing ECDIS data have been used mostly for this purpose (al- though a handful of shipowners in- terested in the latest technology have already purchased systems).

But the complexity and uncertainty of the standard's passing have de- layed the completion of a world da- tabase of ECDIS charts for SOLAS class ships. C-MAP has in its ECDIS portfolio 3,000 charts, of which 50 already have some level of endorse- ment from a Hydrographic Office (HO). Soon, as a result of the new

IMO standard, demand for certified charts will accelerate. Yet, the task of certifying a world database in a short time is quite possible.

Government and private sectors working cooperatively to produce the ECDIS data would eliminate the major obstacle now impeding a swift use of the new IMO ECDIS standard on a global basis. Compa- nies could supplement the government's production and dis- tribution capabilities, while the HOs could conduct the validation and authorization of all data provided.

The mixing of private with govern- ment sectors—while seemingly non- traditional — has already worked.

In Italy, C-MAP has been pro- ducing electronic charts, over the past year, in cooperation with the local HO. C-MAP provides the data, and the HO provides the final qual- ity checking. These data have al- ready been released around the world on an experimental basis.

Another similar situation is de- veloping in the U.S., where C-MAP has delivered quality control soft- ware, DX-90 editor, plus test data, to NOAA for its review and testing.

A third example is NDI, the pri- vate sector electronic chart partner to the Canadian Hydrographic Ser- 48 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News