Page 51: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2004)

Marine Electronics • Integrated Bridge Solutions available free to all subscribers of C-

MAP's CM-93/3 commercial chart data- base. This format enables the navigator to download NTM corrections directly into the ECDIS/ECS (Electronic Chart

Display and Information

System/Electronic Charting System) quickly and securely from any location around the globe.

Circle 3 on Reader Service Card tribution and licensing agreements with them. Having adopted this strategy C-

MAP is able to offer a worldwide data- base of electronic charts together with a distribution, licensing and updating infrastructure. ENCs and commercial electronic charts may be updated by means of CDs or floppy discs, but deliv- ery of these is subject to similar delays to those that apply to paper NMs and they can arrive in batches and several weeks could have elapsed from the time when the update was originally issued to it being available for the ships officer to bring his charts up to date.

The obvious solution is to correct elec- tronic charts automatically via satellite communication, telephone or landline. but the cost factor has prohibited many ship owners and managers from adopt- ing this methodology. C-MAP's solution is Real Time Updating Service (RTU), as files are compressed to 17 percent of their original size and competitive satel- lite rates are available through service providers.

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C-Map's RTU and the

Ending of the Paper Trail

The introduction of the electronic chart is a major step forward in improv- ing the safety of navigation at sea, as it save mariners time and effort and improves safety, and offers optimized functionality. ENCs (Electronic

Navigational Charts), issued by

Hydrographic Offices, are now recog- nized as charts as defined by SOLAS, provided they are displayed on a type approved ECDIS (Electronic Chart

Display Information System) and are kept updated.

It is the responsibility of National

Hydrographic Offices to produce ENCs.

Production of ENCs has proved more difficult than •' •• ' anticipated and to date nomi- nally 15 per- cent coverage exists. The rf * * * v gaps can be :>r ; ; , -4 X. filled in with J ' - \ w . , commercial vector electron- ic charts which although func- tionally similar to ENCs are not recognized by the IMO as equivalent to paper charts. Nevertheless they permit seam- less electronic chart navigation, albeit in conjunction with the paper chart where

ENC coverage is not available. C-MAP supplies production and quality tools to

Hydrographic Offices for the production of ENCs. It also carries out subcontract work on behalf of a number of

Hydrographic Offices. It is anticipated that both of these activities will acceler- ate the production and availability of

ENCs.

The original concept put forward by the International Hydrographic Office for a series of Regional Electronic Chart

Centers to distribute ENCs has proved difficult to implement. C-MAP has implemented a strategy based upon working with HOs and entered into dis- yi-

C-Map aims to make updat- ing electronic charts quick and cost effective with its

Real Time Updating

Service.

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Fleet 33 Fleet 55 Fleet 77

Voice coverage Global Global Global

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Data speed 9.6k 6i+k ISDN 6t,k ISDN

MPDS Yes Yes Yes

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Smart Communication Solutions xantic

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May 2004 47