Overview of ship-borne Electronic chart system (E C S)

"Shipboard Electronic Chart System" is a marine integrated navigation system, integrated with electronic chart, GPS, AIS (Auto identification System), Radar/arpa, compass, meter, autopilot, CDMA/GSM/GPRS and other navigation communication equipment, It can comprehensively deal with marine geographic information, ship navigation status information, multi-target ship dynamic information, radar image information, navigation environment information, and has perfect ship navigation, entry and exit pilotage, collision avoidance assistance and navigation management functions. Help to ensure the safety of ship navigation and improve operational efficiency.

First, The history of electronic chart

International electronic Nautical Chart research began in the early 70, 1993, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) formally promulgated the technical standards of electronic charts, so that the electronic chart can be used for hundreds of years and recognized by international law paper chart equivalent to become the maritime basic information.

The development of electronic chart has undergone three stages: (1) The phase of paper chart equivalence. From the end of 1970 to 1984, people mainly wanted to reduce the labor intensity of nautical chart operation, so it was only to put the paper chart into computer after digitized processing. (2) Function development stage. By 1986, people began to explore the potential of electronic charts, such as the display of ship position on the electronic chart, route design, showing the vessel speed, heading and other ship parameters, alarm and so on. (3) During the voyage Information System stage, the electronic chart is used as the core of navigation message, including the improvement of the electronic chart database and the interface and combination of various equipments and systems such as radar, locator, meter, sounding instrument and so on.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) established in 1986 an Electronic nautical Chart Committee composed of multinational experts to undertake research on the world standards of electronic charting. In 1995, IMO's 19th session formally adopted the standard for the implementation of the electronic chart, which was determined from the IMO performance standard of the electronic chart. In 1987 and 1992, IHO published the Special Publication ECDIS Chart content and display specification (S-52) and the IHO Digital Hydrographic data transmission standard (i.e. S-57), and made several changes, which were formally released by September 1997 S-57 The V3.10 format makes it a widely used international standard of data transmission for civil digital nautical charts in relevant departments. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), in accordance with IMO's requirements, also published the IEC's Electronic chart performance standards in 1996 for the necessary performance testing and evaluation of the equipment developed according to IMO and IHO's electronic nautical chart specifications and standards. This standard of IEC has become the basis for the development of the technical specification of Electronic chart form recognition.

Second, specification and standard for electronic nautical chart

The three international organizations closely related to electronic charting are the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). In 1986, IMO and IHO agreed to establish a coordination group (HGE), comprising national authorities, to participate in technical discussions on electronic nautical charts. Over the next more than 10 years, the HGE technology Group has worked productively and has developed a series of standards and standards for electronic nautical charts, which include:
The IMO discussion passed the ECDIS performance standard in November 1995, which expressly stipulates that ECDIS can be used as the equivalent of a paper chart as required by the 1974 SOLAS (SOLAS), in other words, ECDIS can replace traditional paper charts. In November 1996, IMO added the terms of the ECDIS standby equipment.
In February 1996, IHO added the specification for electronic chart content, icons, colors and ECDIS display systems, namely S52 (Fifth edition).
In November 1996, IHO published the third edition of the S57 standard, S57 defined the ENC Data Interchange Format, ENC database performance standards, and ENC's correction summary. It also stipulates that the standard remains unchanged for 2000 years.
In September 1997, IEC introduced the test and test standard for ECDIS hardware equipment (IEC61174). IEC also has a "environmental test standard" for marine navigational equipment, called IEC60945. This standard is used to detect the reliability of marine navigation equipment (radar/arpa, ECDIS, etc.) at different temperatures, humidity, vibration, and other conditions.

Iii. composition of electronic charts

The electronic chart uses the computer multimedia technology and the marine Geographic Information system to display the natural environment and the obstacle along the ship route or the waterway map real-time. It is divided into International standard Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) and non-conforming International standard Electronic Chart System (ECS). At present, domestic inland ships mainly use ECS system, which consists of four basic parts, such as main computer, electronic chart database, input sensor and output terminal equipment. Where the main computer is the core of the system.

Electronic Chart system At present, China's domestic inland ships mainly use ECS systems, consisting of four basic parts, such as main computer system, electronic chart database, input sensor and output terminal equipment. Where the main computer is the core of the system.

Iv. features and advantages of ship-borne electronic chart system

1) Rich nautical Chart Resources-compatible with the Chinese Naval Aviation and Insurance Department, Maritime Bureau, Waterway bureau provided by the Chinese coastal various scale chart/waterway map/port map, as well as large-scale foreign coastal charts;
2) high level of equipment integration, information integration and functional integration--can connect GPS, AIS, radar/arpa, electric compass, meter, sounding, autopilot, CDMA/GSM/GPRS and other navigation communication equipment, and has comprehensive information advantages, with perfect navigation, pilotage, collision avoidance and navigation management functions;
3) The ship Navigation: in the electronic chart real-time display of the ship's position, heading, speed, etc., track records and plotting, yaw alarm, turn point alarm, airflow pressure calculation, manual/automatic center display, relative motion and true motion mode display.
4) Chart Display and control: Manually select to open any chart; any chart enlargement/reduction, screen fallback, screen jump, the specified position display Chart Display mode control

5) AIS target collision-avoidance aid: The position and motion vectors of all AIS targets are plotted in real-time on the electronic chart, and the dynamic/static information of any AIS target can be easily queried. All AIS targets are automatically tracked and carried out in real time with the relative motion of the ship, and can be automatically alerted. Ship-to-ship via AIS SMS /Ship-shore communication.
6) Radar Image overlay display: Directly overlay the radar video image on the electronic chart, and achieve coordinate matching and synchronous display (the chart with the radar in the true North upward/bow upward mode display).
7) Extended alarm function: Shallow water warning/alarm, underwater hazardous material warning, special water warning/alarm, Forbidden waters warning/alarm, timed warning, distance alarm, azimuth alarm, no chart alarm.
8) Navigation Management: The ship plans the route design, can choose, display/modify, delete the planned route; the calculation of azimuth and distance, the ship's position and the voyage statistics (historical track, arrival time calculation, noon statistics, etc.

9) 1280*1024 (SXGA) resolution, 17 inch color LCD display, 25cm*25cm map view

10) Large capacity memory chart, reliable operation, larger charts, waypoints, marking points and the storage of planned routes.

11) stepless backlight adjustment, a variety of adjustment methods, comfortable night use mode.

Overview of ship-borne Electronic chart system (E C S)