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Abstract
Hydrographic offices have made an important effort to turn all their issued traditional nautical publications into digital formats. Many nautical publications are now available in digital formats. While useful, most of them are just digital versions of printed publications. This report is concerned with one of the most important publications for the navigator, Sailing Directions. A real improvement in the value to users of this publication can be performed by means of adding digital multimedia features.
It is proposed that digital video film clips embedded in a GIS environment become a supplemental means to provide additional information to the mariner about coastal descriptions and harbour facilities. Used as an illustrated report, digital video can show not only the information provided in printed Sailing Directions, but also some additional aids (e.g., for manoeuvring or berthing). While still pictures can also provide visual information, a 20-second video clip could easily be equivalent to a hundred pictures and several paragraphs of text. In addition, a video clip with an audio track can provide on-the-fly verbal narration and superimposed figures. This not only allows the navigator to acquire the information more comfortably, it also depicts the real-world situation. The major benefit of video film clips are to complement – not replace – the use of digital nautical charts and published Sailing Directions. In addition, the incorporation of digital Sailing Directions into GIS software can provide further decision-support capability for navigators. GIS related digital Sailing Directions provides a good opportunity to produce this publication in digital format according to IHO standards.
From an informative point of view, the proposed digital development of Sailing Directions is an effective enhancement of the traditional publication. So it is from the regulatory point of view, because proposed digital Sailing Directions can accomplish with present IHO challenges.
