FROM PAPER

CHARTS TO ECDIS

A practical voyage plan

Captain Harry Gale FNI

Training
Procurement
System management
Passage planning
From Paper Charts
to ECDIS
by Captain Harry Gale FNI
Price 20NI Ref: 0350ISBN 978 1 906915 17 9

When the first edition of this book was published in 2009,

the mandatory carriage of ECDIS had been agreed at IMO
but implementation seemed a long way off. On 1 July
2012 a comprehensive rolling phase-in schedule began
and this second edition recognises that practical guidance
on equipment, training and operational practices is now
needed urgently.

Everything you need to understand in order to manage

this fundamental change from navigating by paper
charts to navigating by ECDIS is covered. This theoretical
knowledge is made real through contributions from sea-
going members of The Nautical Institute who have been
using electronic charts for some time. Unsurprisingly,
many of these contributions relate to training.

Best practice is encapsulated in the industry recommendations for ECDIS training and
familiarisation (including a familiarisation checklist), drawn up by a group coordinated by
the Institute, which are included as appendices.

Experienced mariners used to paper charts will

need to be re-educated in how to use the new
technology and, most importantly, how to use it in the
context of the best practice of good seamanship.
The Nautical Institutes Sea Going Correspondence Group
Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Background
Chapter 3 Training
Chapter 4 Chart types
Chapter 5 Procurement
Chapter 6 System management
Chapter 7 Day/night display
Chapter 8 Chart data
Chapter 9 System maintenance
Chapter 10 Passage planning
Chapter 11 Passage monitoring and position fixing
Chapter 12 Future development
Chapter 13 Conclusion
Appendix 1 Industry recommendations for ECDIS training
Appendix 2 Industry recommendations for ECDIS familiarisation
Acronyms
References

About the Author

Harry Gale began his seagoing career as a cadet with Trident Tankers Ltd
(part of the P&O group) in 1967 and obtained his Masters Foreign
Going certificate in 1977. After working onboard bulk, general cargo
and container vessels with various companies, he worked ashore
with the Hydrographic Office and the Met Office before joining The
Nautical Institute as Technical Manager in 2007.
He has a key role in progressing the influential work of
the Institute, involving research on professional and
technical issues within the industry. He represents the
Institute on committees and at conferences.
He obtained a BSc (Hons) degree with the
Open University in 2004 and is a Fellow of
The Nautical Institute.
His contribution to the transition from paper
charts to ECDIS is to coordinate the views of
sea going officers and present it as guidance to
the industry.
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FROM PAPER CHARTS TO ECDIS
Price 20 NI Ref: 0350 ISBN 978 1 906915 17 9

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