UKHO to announce enhacements to AVCS

18 September 2008, 10:47am

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) will announce a number of significant enhancements to its Admiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS) at SMM Hamburg 2008.

At launch in April 2008, AVCS provided the most comprehensive world series of Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) available. Since then, further improvements in coverage have been made and the service now covers 1454 of the top 2000 ports.

This will be extended by a further 10% within the next month with data being included from Malaysia, Indonesia and Colombia (the latter distributed from IC-ENC). With a distribution agreement recently signed with Thailand and further agreements close to being concluded, coverage will continue to increase over the next few months.

In total, since launch, just under 694 new ENCs have been added to the service, with more in the pipeline, and UKHO is on course to deliver its commitment of covering the Top 2000 ports in the world and the major routes between them, within twelve months of the initial launch.

Today, over 75 major shipping companies are either using or trialling AVCS and over 100 vessels have already installed AVCS to meet their primary navigational needs.

Overall, feedback on AVCS has been extremely positive, however a number of users have indicated that increased flexibility and more competitive pricing of some of the data within AVCS would enhance the service further.

In response to this feedback, and in addition to fine tuning the AVCS folios, from next month users will be able to buy AVCS either in folios (which will be priced at a discount), individual ENCs, or a combination of folios and individual ENCs.

The benefit of this range of choice and significantly increased flexibility will be further enhanced by the full adoption of shorter term licences (three, six or nine months) wherever data supply agreements allow.

Furthermore, although this increased flexibility will allow AVCS to be purchased more cost effectively, UKHO has also reduced the base price of a significant proportion of the individual cells within the service.

In line with the fact that AVCS will now allow individual ENCs to be purchased without a minimum order value, all existing UKHO ENC service customers will be upgraded free of charge to AVCS.

Collectively these initiatives address a number of concerns behind the core issues of coverage, consistency and cost that have been key considerations for users for some time.

UKHO Chief Executive Mike Robinson said: “When we launched AVCS in April we committed to continue to evolve and enhance the service, incorporating changes in response to user-lead Trials. This announcement represents the first stage in that process”.

He added: “We have recognised for some time the growing demand for a fully compliant digital navigational service; AVCS not only fulfils the requirements of the international mariner today, but it will also allow them to transition towards proposed ECDIS mandation beginning in 2012.”

Ian Moncrieff, UKHO National Hydrographer noted: “The successful launch of AVCS and its ongoing development has only been achievable through the spirit of international co-operation, with the primary objective of every Hydrographic Office around the world to support the safety of life at sea.

“ECDIS and ENCS have been shown by DNV Studies to improve navigational safety, and because safety matters, through AVCS, the UKHO is continuing to build on our last 213 years of innovation, adding value on a global scale for the benefit of the international mariner.”

In conclusion, Mr Robinson noted: “In initially delivering, and now enhancing, the AVCS service, we have concentrated on providing the most comprehensive, highest quality, official navigational data.

“To complete the initial phase of the delivery of AVCS we are now actively developing the infrastructure required for our distributors and customers to be able to purchase and maintain ENCs more efficiently than through any other competing service.

“Together with the delivery in 2009 of the Admiralty Data Assessment layer, UKHO will be providing the international mariner the power of electronic vector charts together with the quality and security of Admiralty paper charts.”

UK Hydrographic Office

GeoConnexion