ELECTRONIC CHART DISPLAY AND TERRITORIAL ADMINISTRATION

Antonio Adduci, Maurizio Demarte, Massimiliano Nannini ,

Italian Hydrographic Institute, Genova (IT)

PREMISE
The Istituto Idrografico della Marina, in its capacity as a State Cartographic Agency and by means of the hydro-oceanographic ships of the Navy, yearly collects, in the Mediterranean basin, a considerable amount of marine data as well as data relative to the relationship between land and sea, which elaborates and uses within its own bank of chart display data and oceanographic database.
Actually, since its foundation in 1872, the Institute has been gathering many environmental data for hydrographic, meteorological and oceanographic purposes. Such data derive from the hydro-oceanographic campaigns conducted from the end of 1800 to our present day, and from measurements taken at numerous signal-stations along the Italian coasts.
In addition to its cartographic work, the Hydrographic Institute has also been continuously and thoroughly studying the sea, both for military and pure research purposes.
Furthermore, in 2002 the Navy General Staff created, within the Hydrographic Institute, an Oceanographic Centre aimed at collecting environmental data, in order to offer adequate support to air and naval operations. By such initiative the Navy General Staff also established a cooperative connection between the Navy, Universities, CNR, ENEA and all the associations, public Institutions and/or private entities dealing with the marine environment and its preservation.
The Oceanographic Centre sees to the gathering, analysis, filing and formatting of environmental data - coming from units of the Navy, NATO forces, national and foreign Bodies and Institutions - in order to increase data banks and carry out forecasts in the oceanographic field.
The marine environment is not an easy ecosystem to study. It is important, therefore, in order to cooperate with the scientific community in the study of it, to illustrate what information is already available or is being gathered, in an expedient and simple way which can then be used at any time and for any purpose.
With the advent of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and database management systems, it is no longer a futuristic task: but, on the contrary, is now possible to obtain available environmental information in real time, to discern different types of data, to study the sea and its various layers, to understand the latter's mechanisms and regulations, and to supply such information in the most appropriate format.
The hydrographic Institute has been studying for years the problem of "chart display in the future", i.e., a type of chart display that can be directly used on a Personal Computer, which can be described as an interactive type of chart display capable of providing users with the most useful information - both nautical and environmental - at any specific time and with a standard cartographic base in keeping with the international standard IHO S57.
Such chart display is, in all respects, a GIS, where nautical information is filed into a data bank base system to which information of different kind can be added and integrated. This is a project that could revolutionise the way in which fast interventions can happen anywhere in our planet, from the immediate knowledge and understanding of environmental information, to easier management both of emergencies and broad planning, taking also advantage of data forecast models).

ECDIS AND ITS MAIN COMPONENTS
ECDIS is an advanced computerised Information System, developed for maritime navigation. It joins positioning systems (GPS, etc.) and other on- board sensors, to a sophisticated electronic database containing chart information. All of it is displayed on a coloured, high-resolution screen and gives the mariner accurate and efficient information, continuously updated, regarding ship's location and its expected movement.
The chart information contained in the data base is continuously analysed and compared with the ship's location, its planned direction and its manoeuvring characteristics, so as to provide a powerful decision instrument on the bridge.
Therefore, according to the IMO definition, ECDIS is made of two main elements:

These two elements, which constitute the system in its whole, consent to distinguish the data producers (ENC), i.e., State Hydrographic Services, and the producers of the display equipment (ECDIS), i.e., industry manufacturers.

ENC
The ECDIS chart display database is called Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC). Within the ENC, chart information is not contained like a single photographic image of a map, but like individual information in vector database. Every detail in the map is filed separately in the database, together with relevant characteristics and pertinent information. An ENC is, therefore, much more than a copy of paper nautical charts, even though it may look very similar when seen on ECDIS. The ENCs to be used which ECDIS are published by, or on behalf of, State Hydrographic Services, such as the Italian Hydrographic Institute of the Navy.
The versatility of a vector S57 database, the visualisation of ECDIS, and its standard performance allow mariners to select and view the most important navigational information, according to their needs and present situation. In other words, one can choose chart display information details according to one's needs.
The ECDIS continuously analyses chart information and the ship's position, in order to activate an alarm when detecting possible danger. It also activates an alarm if the route deviates from its planned course. ECDIS can also accede to, and view photos and text contained in other nautical publication, such as a pilot books, radioservices and so on.
ECDIS also includes other sophisticated security facilities, including the option to record navigational data for later use by mariners or as a 'black box'.

STANDARD
ECDIS and ENC must comply with strict standards concerning the structure of chart data, basic needs, basic display and equipment specifications, and other factors.
Standards for ECDIS and ENC have been developed by IMO, IHO and IEC:

THE PROJECT
The Italian Hydrographic Institute has been, for many years, the gathering centre for weather forecast data coming from signal stations spread along our coasts.
With the introduction of new concepts, such as 'mesoscale' (large scale) and 'microscala' (small scale) - a true innovation in the oceanographic field - the Navy's attention has moved form coast to sea. The Hydrographic Institute, after the shut-down of the signal stations, has become a gathering centre for weather forecasts and oceanographic data coming from the Units of the Naval Squadron.
In fact, in order to understand the ' behaviour' of the sea, the Navy is developing an elaborate project, which will involve all Naval Units and the Hydrographic Institute.
In practical terms this project, amply developed in its naval components, will provide regular reception of digital information of meteorological and oceanographic nature, sent by ships at synoptic hours or whenever agreed upon.
Data are verified, during transmission and reception, by automatic control filters which, if successfully got through, will allow information to be taped onto a database -made of raw data and metadata- thus further enriching an already comprehensive databank.
The database provides, at fixed intervals, updated data support which is not only valuable in strict military systems, but also forms a link to Research Institutes / Universities, to improve knowledge of the marine environment.
The possibility of having automatic chart support (ENC) allows, in an interactive way, the Oceanographic Centre to show the different typologies of data contained within its oceanographic database. The project, for the military sector, includes the use of an automated system which can provide real support, in the domains of space and time, to air and sea operations in open waters, and to landing forces as concerns coastal environment.
In the latter case, it is important to know in advance the environmental conditions of the area where they may have to operate; different data typologies must merge, not only during the planning phase but also during the proper operational phase.
Equally important is data support to air - sea operations, as far as the use of specialised and necessary equipment is concerned, to achieve a good outcome.
From the above the importance of the information stands out, for its rapid and proper use. Such quickness can be assured by a proper data display, using good quality viewers, and through the accuracy of the interactive databases integrated in the GIS technology.
The use of GIS for the management of marine environment falls within the concept of REA (Rapid Environmental Assistance). In this specific case it employs a unified series of digital geo-spatial data, devised to satisfy new needs requiring complete factual information for speedy and specific intervention, with increased efficiency and lower costs.
Such information is presented in the form of layers, i.e., electronic "sheets" superimposed on a standard cartographic base. It is therefore obvious that any type of useful information, assembled in a database, can be visualised whenever necessary, providing a unique aid to those working in the maritime field and in the land-sea interface.
These layers, adequately integrated in the electronic chart display system (ECDIS), increase performance and capabilities of the systems themselves and their operators, through the display of a greater amount of information, directed both at the naval user and at the environment manager.
It will thus be possible to indicate risk areas, to connect them to possible alarm systems, to view complementary information and integrate this within coordinating management, control and filing systems: all this will increasingly supply the environment manager an irreplaceable work tool.

THE METEO-OCEANOGRAPHIC DATABASE
By virtue of the great collaboration both within the Navy itself and with research Institutes, the Oceanographic Centre has access to a very large and extremely important weather-oceanographic database.
Such database has been divided into the following fields:

DATA OUTPUT

The Oceanographic Centre has adopted a productive philosophy based on actions consenting a systematic acquisition of environmental data, uniformity, elaboration and memorisation of information, which must be processed on a strictly geographical basis.
Information sources for the Oceanographic Centre, due to the heterogeneous quality of the objectives, tasks, dimensions and potentials, can be divided into three large areas:

The procedure followed for data management is:

CONCLUSION
National and international collaboration as well as environmental investigations carried out by the Navy Units, contribute to the understanding of the physical, biological and chemical parameters of the marine environment.
The Italian Hydrographic Institute has always been attentive and sensitive to the cultural and environmental values of the sea as a fundamental human resource.
The creation of the Oceanographic Centre as well as the development of the electronic chart represent an important achievement to realise and to present an information data bank on the marine environment, exhaustive and available to the community, so as to widen the knowledge and the preservation of the sea.
Richer and more diversified database systems are becoming increasingly important due to the need that the scientific community, the world over, has of an accurate knowledge of the marine world, and in particular of the bottom morphology, which is the basis of a GIS, for any study of the sea.
Finally, it's necessary for all such data, through close international collaboration, to be transferred in digital form, through standard procedures and formats, and to be made available within specific agreements, so that all resources can be optimised, and complete automation be reached of the fundamental parameters for environmental management