Electronic navigational chart
An electronic navigational chart or ENC is an official database created by a national hydrographic office for use with an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). An electronic chart must conform to standards stated in the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Publication S-57 before it can be certified as an ENC. Only ENCs can be used within ECDIS to meet the International Maritime Organization (IMO) performance standard for ECDIS.
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ENCs are available for wholesale distribution to chart agents and resellers from Regional Electronic Navigational Chart Centres (RENCs). The RENCs are not-for-profit organizations made up of ENC-producer countries. RENCs independently check each ENC submitted by the contributing countries to ensure that they conform to the relevant IHO standards. The RENCs also act collectively as one-stop wholesalers of most of the world's ENCs.
IHO Publication S-63 developed by the IHO Data Protection Scheme Working Group is used to encrypt and digitally sign ENC data. Chart data is captured based on standards stated in IHO Publication S-57, and is displayed according to a display standard set out in IHO Publication S-52 to ensure consistency of data rendering between different systems.
IMO adopted compulsory carriage of ECDIS and ENCs on new high speed craft from 1 July 2010 and progressively for other craft from 2012 to 2018.[1]
References
- "Towards ECDIS Mandatory Carriage". Hydro International. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
WEINTRIT Adam: The Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). An Operational Handbook. A Balkema Book. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton – London - New York - Leiden, 2009. (ISBN 9780415482462), http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9780415482462
External links
- IMO Electronic Chart Overview
- Transas Electronic Navigational Charts, World Folio
- International Centre for ENCs, one of two RENCs in the world
- PRIMAR, one of two RENCs in the world
- United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
- Electronic Chart Centre (ECC)
- Product Survey ECDIS - ECS+ software
- Office of Coast Survey, has free download of ENCs for US.
- Inland Electronic Navigation Charts (US)
- Open Electronic Navigation Charts Directory