National Programs

• The United States Raster Navigational Chart Program
  
• The United Kingdom Raster Chart Program
  
• The Australian Raster Navigational Chart Program
  
• The Icelandic Hydrographic Service Raster Chart Program
  
• The Canadian Hydrographic Service Raster Chart Program
  

Links

• Maptech- NOAA Raster Charts
  
  
• Australian Hydrographic Office's Seafarer Raster Charts
  

The United States Raster Navigational Chart Program

The United States began experimenting with Raster Navigational Charts (RNC) in 1991. A ptototype was developed and in 1992 two thousand prototype copies were distributed for evaluation. The prototype was extremely well received and NOAA began converting its suite of charts to RNCs in 1993 and finished in 1994. The sale of RNCs to the public began in early 1995.

Over 1,200,000 RNCs have now been sold and are being used in an estimated 15,000 systems. They are being used aboard U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, Coast Guard cutters and buoy tenders, NOAA survey and research vessels, commercial vessels of all sizes and types, by pilots and aboard recreational vessels. The overwhelming evidence from this experience is that raster charts add to the safety and efficiency of navigation.

The United States strongly endorses the adoption of Raster Chart Display System (RCDS) Performance Standards by the IMO. This will allow RCDS to be accepted as meeting the chart carriage requirements of SOLAS V/20.

The United Kingdom Raster Chart Program

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) began raster scanning its famous Admiralty Charts in 1994 and shipboard trials of ARCS - Admiralty Raster Chart Service - started the following year. A commercial service, with full weekly corrections, commenced in 1996.

Feedback has been extremely positive with more than 250 SOLAS vessels now using weekly updated ARCS. Customers include the Royal Navy, US Navy, A P Moller, BP Shipping, Cunard, P&O Nedlloyd, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line...and the yachts of the BT Global Challenge round-the-world race.

ARCS provides near worldwide coverage of official data presented in the familiar style of British Admiralty charts; main benefits include real time navigation and ease of updating.

In recognition of the extensive use of raster charts, the IMO's Safety of Navigation sub-committee will consider at its London meeting in July a Performance Standard for Raster Chart Display System (RCDS) - the equipment which uses official raster data such as that provided by ARCS. The UKHO considers RCDS to meet a vessel's SOLAS V/20 chart carriage requirement.

The Australian Raster Navigational Chart Program

The Australian Hydrographic Office (AHO) first looked at raster chart technology in 1995 as a way of maintaining its paper charts more efficiently and accelerating its electronic chart programme. In fact, all AHO paper charts are now printed and corrected from plates made using raster image files. This process has released up to 10 extra cartographers who are now able to concentrate on electronic charting.

The AHO has been working hard to produce the vector Electronic Navigation Charts (ENCs) necessary for use in Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS). However, the creation of reliable and comprehensive ENCs is painstaking and often means recompiling a chart from scratch. Because of this, many parts of Australia, and the world for that matter, will not be covered by detailed and comprehensive ENC’s for some time to come. As a result, Australian raster charts have been offered to the public since April 1997. This was done to provide mariners with government-backed, up-to-date charts for use in electronic chart systems and plotters as soon as possible.

Australian raster charts are known as SeafarerÒ charts. They are being used by a growing number of vessels in Australia, including Navy ships, commercial vessels and recreational boaters. The Navy ships and commercial vessels are eagerly awaiting the introduction of the first ENCs which can then progressively supersede SeafarerÒ. Nevertheless, all users report the immediate navigation and safety benefits of using official raster charts now.

Australia strongly encourages countries to supports the adoption of official Raster Charts by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as a way of providing the earliest availability of official electronic charts for use in ECDIS.

The Icelandic Hydrographic Service

Subject: Raster in Iceland
Date: 4/16/98 9:44 AM

Iceland has decided to vote "YES" for a standard for raster navigational charts as it is in CL. 15/1998 from IHB.

Icelandic Hydrographic Service is not producing its own RCDS but has an agreement with private companies who are producing RCDS from all of our charts. In Iceland, raster navigational charts have been in use since 1990 and are used on-board hundreds of fishing vessels. Since 1995 it has been used successfully and safely onboard the Icelandic Coast Guard ships. Our conclusion is that they add to the safety and efficiency of marine navigation.

Hilmar Helgason
Assistant Hydrographer
Icelandic Hydrographic Service

The Canadian Electronic Charting Infrastructure

Nautical Data International, Inc. (NDI) and the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) are working closely together to ensure the continued successful development of the Canadian Electronic Charting Infrastructure. Part of the mission is to ensure that the needs of all segments of the marine community are met. In 1993 NDI and the CHS began working together to implement the Canadian raster electronic chart programme, and by late 1997 all significant Canadian waterways were covered. This has been a benefit to all segments of the community, particularly the recreational and light marine transportation sectors. NDI and CHS will continue to build the library of raster charts and improve the associated updating techniques to take advantage of advances in marine telecommunications and electronic charting systems technologies.

Canada is committed to the adoption of international standards in electronic charting to ensure that the infrastructure is complete. CHS has one of the most aggressive S-57 ENC production programmes in the world. NDI has developed and tested distribution and on-board, on-demand updating methods for ENC's. In the near future, the overall Canadian infrastructure will be well established, covering the customer spectrum from recreational boating to heavy national and international marine transportation.