#Naval action map depth chart professional#

One was the Mercator and the other was the azimuthal Stereographic. In this framework, most of the commercial systems do not even mention anything about the map projection, or the projections that they employ, so the following information is based mainly on operational trials of selected systems.ĭuring the period 2006–2015, some (very few) manufacturers developed systems with the capability of automatic selection between two available map projection. Unfortunately, since ECDIS are commercial systems, there is not usually documentation or even basic information on the principles, methods and algorithms used in their systems.

Due to the lack of international standards for the implementation of map projections in ECDIS, different systems provide different capabilities. Nevertheless these international standards do not mention anything about map projections in ECDIS. International standards for ENCs and ECDIS, provide detailed specifications and guidance for the depiction of the content of ENCs on ECDIS, such as: “Regulation of the amount of the displayed on the screen cartographic information”, “Choice between two standardized sets of symbols”, “Adjustment of screen colors according to the prevailing light conditions”, “Chart orientation”, “Display of ENC with own ship customized bathymetry and safety contour”, “Change the display scale of the ENC by means of range in nautical miles”, etc. The carriage of ECDIS on ships was initially optional, but, in 2009 IMO imposed a timetable for the mandatory outfit of various types of vessels with ECDIS by the end of 2018. In 2006, the ECDIS Performance Standards were updated to comply with the technological progress and experience in the use of ECDIS.

This historical IMO resolution titled “Performance Standards for Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems”, thereafter called “IMO ECDIS Performance Standards”, marked a historical milestone in the evolution of marine navigation methods, providing the basis for the automation of traditional methods for “route preparation”, “route planning”, “route execution” and “route monitoring” in contemporary and future navigational systems. The initial resolution of the IMO, for the operational use of ECDIS on marine navigation dates back to 1995. IMO issues, resolutions and recommendations for ECDIS that in turn refer to the IHO standards, and technical specifications for the structure and content of ENCs and their standardized display on the ECDIS screen. “Official nautical charts” are produced under the authority of a governmental organization all other nautical charts that fulfill the same technical specifications, but have not been endorsed by a government authority, are by definition non-official and therefore not appropriate for safe navigation. An official nautical chart is defined as “a special-purpose map or book, or a specially compiled database from which such a map or book is derived, that is issued officially by or on the authority of a Government, authorized Hydrographic Office or other relevant government institution and is designed to meet the requirements of marine navigation”. The resolutions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for safe navigation as they are laid down in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS 1974, as amended), require that all ships shall have official nautical charts to plan and display the ship’s route and to plot and monitor positions throughout the voyage.

#Naval action map depth chart professional#

These proposals took into consideration that ECDIS users (navigators) are not GIS experts or professional cartographers and consequently, the proposed election/implementation rules have to be simple and straightforward. This article reviews, evaluates and supplements the results of earlier studies on the selection of map projections for the depiction of ENCs in ECDIS and proposes a reasonable set of suitable projections with pertinent selection/implementation rules. Consequently, in some cases, the unjustified employment of map projections by the manufacturers has caused certain functional drawbacks and inadequacies. The international standards for ENCs and ECDIS, issued by the IHO and IMO, cover many aspects of the portrayal of ENCs in ECDIS but do not specify or recommend map projections. ECDIS is a GIS system designed for marine navigation according to the relevant standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Electronic navigational charts (ENCs) are geospatial databases, compiled for the operational use of Electronic Chart Display and Information systems (ECDIS) according to strict technical specifications of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).