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Articles

1996: Vol. LXXIII, No. 2

The Electronic Chart and its Provisional Substitutes

Submitted
July 30, 2015
Published
2015-05-21

Abstract

This article compares ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) with other electronic chart systems based on raster data obtained by scanning paper charts. It separates circumstancial or accessory factors - such as the cost, availability of data, and legal status - from the specific differences between the systems as regards functionality and performance. ECDIS is a dynamic information system, capable of integrating information from various sources onto a single display. Thus this system will completely change navigational practices. Raster systems are far from possessing all these capabilities and must be considered to be substitutes or fore-runners of ECDIS, functioning on a provisional basis at least until such time as a significant amount of authorized vector data covering the main areas of navigation are available for ECDIS.