SCIENCE REVIEW 1987 - Bedford Institute of Oceanography

Research
new media are also able to handle much
larger volumes of data at much faster rates
and with fewer errors.
International Electronic Chart Activities
The International Hydrographic Organization
(IHO), Monaco, recognized the
importance of Electronic Charts to the
future of hydrography in 1986 when it
established its Committee on Electronic
Chart Display and Information Systems
(COE). They felt that a COE was necessary
because:
1. Increasing emphasis by industry, and
an increasing diversity of Electronic Chart
Display and Information System (ECDIS)
equipments are being made available to the
mariner;
2. Of recognition by the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) of the
potential for increased safety in navigation
of an ECDIS conforming to appropriate
standards, and in particular the establishment
by the IMO Sub-Committee on
Safety of Navigation of a small Study
Group to consider certain ECDIS matters;
3. The development by the IHO Committee
on the Exchange of Digital Data of
a format suitable to “parent” an exchange
format for ECDIS data; and
4. The publication of a comprehensive
study on ECDIS by the North Sea Hydrographic
Commission which specifically
recommended that an IHO Working
Group on ECDIS be established.
Two ad hoc Working Groups were
formed for special projects.
IHO-COE and Other ECDIS
Specifications
The first Working Group, under the
Chairmanship of RAdm. van Opstal, R.
Neth. N., who had been Chairman of the
North Sea Hydrographic Commission’s
study on ECDIS was asked to prepare a
working paper on the content and characteristics
of the ECDB. Canada was represented
by M. Eaton on that group. He and
the other 9 members have produced one of
the most comprehensive descriptions of an
ECDIS available - the IHO “Second
Draft Specifications for Electronic Chart
Display and Information Systems”. They
represent the Hydrographic Oflice view
and are based on the assumption that the
ECDIS should be the equivalent of the
paper chart. A second smaller study with
48
representatives from Canada, U.S.A.,
United Kingdom and the Federal Republic
of Germany is now looking into the
problems of updating the ENC.
The U.S. Radio Technical Commission
for Maritime Services (RTCM) has also
produced a set of ECDIS specifications.
While they are very similar to the IHO-
COE specifications they tend to reflect the
views of users and manufacturers and
include one major addition. They define
three different categories of ECDIS equipment
ranging from large ocean-going
vessels to smaller commercial vessels (eg.
ferries and fishing vessels) to small pleasure
craft (RTCM,1988).
The North Sea Project 1987-88
The second Working Group was established
to carry out a project designed to:
- determine the type and level of cooperation
necessary between HOs to produce
an ECDB
-test how different ECDIS equipment
works on an ECDB according to IHO-
COE specifications
- test different methods of ENC updating
- demonstrate the potential of the EC to
shipping authorities, HOs and other
marine interests
- give IHO-COE information about
costs/resources needed to establish
regional ECDBs
The group is jointly lead by Norway and
Denmark. This project, called the North
Sea Project 1987-88, was started with a
meeting in Copenhagen in June 1987. The
participants included Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany,
United Kingdom, Netherlands, France and
Canada. Finland, Belgium and the U.S.A.
were observers. Each of the participants
were to digitize one of their harbors and
send the data to the Norwegian Hydrographic
Service where it would be entered into
a specially designed ECDB. The data
would later be sent to the 10 manufacturers
who have been selected to take part in the
month long sea test onboard the Norwegian
Survey Ship Lance in October, 1988.
International Activities in Data Exchange
Techniques and Formats
In the early eighties the IHO recognized the
need for a common international data
exchange format for the exchange of digital
chart data when it created the Committee
on the Exchange of Digital Data. They
developed a preliminary standard based on
magnetic tape being the transfer medium
that was endorsed by the IHO member
States at the International Hydrographic
Conference, 1987. Unfortunately no attempts
to use it were made until the North
Sea Project got underway. After considerable
effort on the part of the organizers it
was determined that the IHO approved
format was not yet fully enough developed
to handle the amounts and types of EC
data that were being produced. Since there
was insufficient time to upgrade the IHO
approved format for the North Sea Project
it was decided to use the internal Norwegian
Hydrographic Service format instead.
Meanwhile, a number of other data
transfer formats were being developed
around the world that took advantage of
and were consistent with the latest advances
in digital telecommunications technology.
The Canadian Map And Chart Data
Interchange Format (MACDIF), being
developed by IDON Corp., Ottawa, and
being supported in part by the CHS, is one
of the most advanced formats presently
available anywhere.
Conclusion
The Electronic Chart is still in its infancy
but it is growing up fast. Mariners who
have used the rudimentary systems that
presently exist are recognizing the improvements
the EC brings to both the safety and
economic aspects of ship operations and
the word is spreading fast. As technology
advances and the demand for these systems
increases the demand for digital hydrographic
chart data will also increase. Hydrographic
Offices around the world have a
very small percentage of their data in
digital form and a tremendous effort is
required, not just to digitize the charts, but
also to design the data bases, develop the
administrative and technical infrastructure
(both nationally and internationally) to
transfer the data to the Electronic Chart
user and, perhaps even more important, to
keep it up-to-date. Hydrographic Offices
and the various international agencies
involved with charting and shipping
operations have started to look at these
problems but they still have a long way to
go. The problem is more difficult because
changing technology makes the task
somewhat like shooting at a moving target.