Clarification, Systematization and General Classification of Electronic Chart Systems and Electronic Navigational Charts Used in Marine Navigation. Part 2 - Electronic Navigational Charts

Abstract

In the article the author attempts to isolate, clarify, systematize, and classify various types and kinds of electronic navigational charts used in electronic chart systems, their specificity, operational status, significance and role they play. In particular he tries to promote internationally standardized vector charts ENCs (Electronic Navigational Charts), and raster charts RNCs (Raster Navigational Chart), as well as military Digital Nautical Charts (DNCs), High Density Bathymetric ENCs (bENCs), Port ENCs (PENCs), Inland ENCs (I-ENCs), Three Dimensional Digital Nautical Charts (3DNCs) and others. He presents general classification of electronic charts data bases taking into account the following criteria: spatial dimension, data types (data format), official status, international standards, consistency, level of detail of bathymetry, data confidence (reliability, accuracy), navigational purpose, and indirectly also the compilation scale of the chart, size and arrangement of cells.

Keywords

• Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC)
• Electronic Chart System (ECS)
• Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS)
• High Density Bathymetric ENCs (bENCs)
• Digital Nautical Charts (DNC)
• Classification of ENCs
• Classification of ECS
• Raster Navigational Chart (RNC)