A Study on Development of Machine-readable Platform for S-100 ECDIS

Abstract

Logistics movement using ships has been used for many centuries, but maritime accidents are still difficult to predict and they occur on a large scale. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) made it mandatory to install Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) for safe seas, but S-57 standards applied to equipment were not updated over 30 years. In addition, it is difficult to keep the equipment up-to-date and revise standards as ships move around the world. In consideration of the limitations of S-57, the IHO developed the new standard as S-100 rather than an update of the S-57. In this study, the previously developed S-100 tool and S/W were configured as one platform and applied to the S-100 ECDIS. The platform conducts as the S-100 cycle and ecosystem from the creation of standards to release and practical use in ships. The hydrographic information standard is machine-readable as defined in S-100, and it has been validated that the latest standard can be applied using the Plug and Play (PnP) function without software system updates. It is expected that international organization such as the International Hydrographic Office (IHO) and the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) shall develop and release standards and mariners can easily apply the latest standards to equipment through the machine-readable platform.