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UK Royal Navy to use ECDIS
http://www.kelvinhughes.com

The UK Royal Navy has decided to use electronic charts for ship navigation, using technology provided by a consortium of Kelvin Hughes, Lockheed Martin (support), Offshore Systems Ltd (software) and Babcok Design and Technology (installation). 

It will use the Kelvin Hughes Navigation and Tactical Display WECDIS equipment, using the Offshore Systems ECPINS-M (Electronic Chart Precise Integrated Navigation System - Military) software. Delivery of the systems to the Royal Navy fleet will start in mid 2004. 

The Offshore Systems ECPINS-M software is also used by the navies of Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as segments of the United States Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Canadian Coast Guard.

The development has interesting implications for the UK Hydrographic Office, which was, after all, originally established to serve the British navy. 

Digital Ship was very keen to know what kind of electronic charts the fleet will be doing. Rather than look for official answers, a short web search led to the page http://164.214.2.53/dncpublic/index.htm. 

Apparently the US military already has an ECDIS-standard electronic chart database of the whole world, called "Digital Nautical Charts," produced by the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Its first completely paperless vessel went paperless in 2001. 

Bearing in mind the close relationship between US and UK military it seems likely that the Royal Navy will also use this chart database. The British navy using US charts raises interesting issues for the UK Hydrographic Office which was, of course, originally established to serve the Royal Navy.

Unfortunately, commercial shipping is not allowed to use "Digital Nautical Charts" although many of the files can be downloaded free of charge from the website. According to the website, the files meet the "functionality and data content requirements" of ECDIS. The only thing about them which is not ECDIS compliant is the "underlying data transfer format."