CoastGIS'99: geomatics and coastal environment
Clearly it would have been better for all concerned as well as the environment
if the Exxnn Valdez had not hit Bligh Reef. ECDIS with appropriate ENC
content offers to reduce the incidence of such accidents and therefore,
m my view, it is patently obvious that prevention is better than cure!
Given that Australia boasts some ot the most environmentally sensitive
regions in the world, her maritime agencies have a vital interest in
prevention. A key part of the strategy is the achievement of efficacious
ENCs for use in ECDIS.
Background
The last decade or so has been a thrilling period in the development of
nautical charting around the globe. This truly international activity has
seen the development of ENCs to a point where they will soon, routinely,
deliver a range of capabilities suited for use on a variety of ingenious
programmed devices and applications. ENCs promise both improvements
in productivity and increased safety margins to the navigation task of
vessels at sea. However, progress has not been without its challenges!
Government agencies and private commercial concerns around the world
have co-operated, competed, fought, argued, created and generally
excelled to bring electronic charting to fruition.
The decade’s activity has resulted in international standarcls for electronic charting which promise to deliver to mariners authorized electronic
charts of the highest standard. ECDIS is governed by four major standards.
These are managed by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) through a number
of technical committees and working groups and the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). (IMO, 1995; IHOa, 1996; IHOb,
1996; IEC, 1998). The ECDIS Performance Standard (IMO, 1995) is the
over-arching standard that provides the basic performance framework
for ECDIS. It describes what functions and capabilities are required
from ECDIS. It is complemented by the other standards. For a detailed
destription of ECDIS and its potential and limitations, see the reference
at Warcl et al., ( 1 999).
ECDIS is supported by the delivery to the market of complementary
computer systems which potentially provide dynamic and real-time
navigational capability to the ship’s master, navigator, regulator, safety
authority and ship’s owners and crews simultaneously. Many commercial
companies have pushed ahead to market, often brilliantly designed,
navigational applications for viewing and integrating electronic charts
with onboard ship sensors, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The result is that the market now offers many such products of various
detail, quality, capability and theme.
Realisation of the potential increases in safety margins demands the
highest quality and integrity of data in the electronic digital chart,
the ENC. Compilation of electronic charts must ultimately rest on a full
cartographic assessment of the best fundamental data available. The
simple transference of existing, single product focussed cartography into
138
Clearly it would have been better for all concerned as well as the environment
if the Exxnn Valdez had not hit Bligh Reef. ECDIS with appropriate ENC
content offers to reduce the incidence of such accidents and therefore,
m my view, it is patently obvious that prevention is better than cure!
Given that Australia boasts some ot the most environmentally sensitive
regions in the world, her maritime agencies have a vital interest in
prevention. A key part of the strategy is the achievement of efficacious
ENCs for use in ECDIS.
Background
The last decade or so has been a thrilling period in the development of
nautical charting around the globe. This truly international activity has
seen the development of ENCs to a point where they will soon, routinely,
deliver a range of capabilities suited for use on a variety of ingenious
programmed devices and applications. ENCs promise both improvements
in productivity and increased safety margins to the navigation task of
vessels at sea. However, progress has not been without its challenges!
Government agencies and private commercial concerns around the world
have co-operated, competed, fought, argued, created and generally
excelled to bring electronic charting to fruition.
The decade’s activity has resulted in international standarcls for electronic charting which promise to deliver to mariners authorized electronic
charts of the highest standard. ECDIS is governed by four major standards.
These are managed by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) through a number
of technical committees and working groups and the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). (IMO, 1995; IHOa, 1996; IHOb,
1996; IEC, 1998). The ECDIS Performance Standard (IMO, 1995) is the
over-arching standard that provides the basic performance framework
for ECDIS. It describes what functions and capabilities are required
from ECDIS. It is complemented by the other standards. For a detailed
destription of ECDIS and its potential and limitations, see the reference
at Warcl et al., ( 1 999).
ECDIS is supported by the delivery to the market of complementary
computer systems which potentially provide dynamic and real-time
navigational capability to the ship’s master, navigator, regulator, safety
authority and ship’s owners and crews simultaneously. Many commercial
companies have pushed ahead to market, often brilliantly designed,
navigational applications for viewing and integrating electronic charts
with onboard ship sensors, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The result is that the market now offers many such products of various
detail, quality, capability and theme.
Realisation of the potential increases in safety margins demands the
highest quality and integrity of data in the electronic digital chart,
the ENC. Compilation of electronic charts must ultimately rest on a full
cartographic assessment of the best fundamental data available. The
simple transference of existing, single product focussed cartography into
138