Dear Sir,

I always follow the discussions in Hydro International with great interest, especially your articles on electronic navigation that appeared in the previous issue.

Jeppesen Marine sees both the importance as well as the advantages of electronic navigation. As such, we support any initiative that increases the use of ECDIS and ECS systems, both in regulated and unregulated markets. Jeppesen Marine is one of the strongest supporters of electronic navigation, especially when you consider our heritage of nearly 75 years of innovative navigational support in the aviation industry. By combining this expertise with the leadership and experience of C-Map, we are transforming navigation in the maritime world.

As proof of this transformation, the Jeppesen–BSH project to create a prototype for digital nautical publications has been successfully completed. You will see details soon, as BSH and Jeppesen Marine jointly presented the results at the last SNPWG meeting in Brest on 23 April.

Your comments on data quality are very much aligned with the Jeppesen business philosophy. In the aviation world, any error in navigational data can be disastrous. As such, Jeppesen follows a zero-tolerance error policy. Jeppesen Marine proposes quality certification for anyone involved in the data supply chain. Long ago, the aviation industry established certification processes to ensure the highest quality throughout the data supply chain. Jeppesen Marine believes that similar processes should be adopted in the marine industry. We are already working with a variety of groups on this topic.

The current simplistic statement that ENCs produced by or on behalf of HOs are the only necessary quality measurements for ECDIS cartography is falling short. The full supply chain, from survey to ECDIS display, should be reviewed for certification. On this topic, Jeppesen Marine is applying the same quality standards to light marine customers as to commercial customers. We can and will not accept the idea that quality navigational data on ‘small vessels’ is less important. Any risk to life at sea needs to be reduced to the bare minimum, be it on a VLCC or on a small sailboat.

As you mentioned, the logistical infrastructure to provide mariners with new and updated vector cartography needs improvement. We fully agree and we are working on innovative solutions to address this issue. The use of electronic navigational data, which provides streamlined access and updating, is essential for the successful implementation of ECDIS and ECS on vessels. Without an easy way of obtaining new data releases and updates and with very limited manual interaction by the mariners, the use of electronic navigational tools will not reach its potential. The use of electronic navigation data needs to do what has been promised: reduce workload on the vessel and eliminate major stress factors. By leveraging our years of experience in distributing aviation data, Jeppesen Marine is perfecting a real-time update system that will do just this.

All of this has to be done in close partnership with the owners of the data, the Hydrographic Offices, other organ­isations around the world and private industries such as Jeppesen. Although these relationships are not free from friction – especially if economic interests on all sides are involved – they are essential. The BSH–Jeppesen project has shown that, by working together, we can all significantly contribute to delivering the best service possible to mariners around the world.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Bergmann
Jeppesen Marine, Director Maritime Industry
Safety, Affairs and Services