Software Gathers News

The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) initiated the first full-scale trial of e-navigation in Norwegian waters in conjunction with e-navigation technology and services company NAVTOR. The project focuses on the way NCA receives vessel data. Until now, ships had to contact the authority via maritime VHF radio to verbally communicate routing information before both departure and arrival. NCA could then update vessel navigators on traffic and advise of any necessary changes in speed or routing.

The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) has initiated the first full-scale trial of e-navigation in Norwegian waters in conjunction with e-navigation technology and services company NAVTOR. The test sees the ferry MS Stavangerfjord digitally sharing its routing information with NCA via NAVTOR’s NavStation ‘digital chart table’. The project focuses on the way NCA receives vessel data. Until now, ships had to contact the authority via maritime VHF radio to verbally communicate routing information before both departure and arrival.

JRC and Alphatron Marine have launched a new digital AlphaChartTable comprising of a dramatically increased 46-inch touch display where routes can be planned on a “paper chart” scale. By use of the digital chart table, navigators are now given an intuitive and user friendly interface to plan optimal routes by touch operation. The software gathers and overlays the data officers require, including ENCs, weather data, tidal information, digital publications, and other services like piracy updates – all on a single 46-inch display.

Touch screen technology has transformed everyday life and now, thanks to Norwegian e-navigation specialist NAVTOR, it is set to revolutionize operations onboard busy vessel bridges. Today sees the launch of the NAVTOR NavStation, the world’s first ‘Digital Chart Table’ and a breakthrough in bridge-based decision making tools. NavStation combines unique software with an optional 46inch ‘gigapad’ touch device, giving navigators an intuitive and user-friendly interface to plan optimal vessel routes.

It is difficult and expensive to do vessel-specific training well. This is probably why, unlike certification training, it is under specified, and in many cases poorly implemented - often via job shadowing. But there is a technology which is an excellent tool for vessel-specific training, and every vessel operator should be aware of it. It is called adaptive learning. This article describes adaptive learning and examines one vessel operator’s deployment of it in order to facilitate vessel-specific training across its fleet of 35 vessels.