Raster Nautical Charts: Effect of Scan Resolution and Screen Resolution on the Quality and Scale of the Chart

Oren E. Stembel and Martin J. Yellin

Abstract:	The International Maritime Organization has accepted the Electronic Chart Display and Information System, or ECDIS, as an acceptable substitute for the paper nautical chart. However, the electronic nautical charts (ENC) used by ECDIS are resource-intensive and time consuming to produce. Thus, there are few ENCs currently available, and it appears that full ENC coverage is still a few years away. In the interim, mariners have been turning to electronic charting systems (ECS) which use scanned raster images of nautical charts. There are now a number of ECS products on the market. This paper examines ECS display devices and the raster nautical charts used as their base to determine whether they provide the detail and legibility required for safe navigation. Of prime importance is the resolution of the raster nautical chart and the resolution of the ECS display devices. This paper describes the interactions between the two, how they combine to affect the scale of the chart on the display device, and the implication this has on safe navigation.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 53rd Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1997) June 30 - 2, 1997 Albuquerque, NM
Pages:	595 - 603
Cite this article:	Stembel, Oren E., Yellin, Martin J., "Raster Nautical Charts: Effect of Scan Resolution and Screen Resolution on the Quality and Scale of the Chart," Proceedings of the 53rd Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1997), Albuquerque, NM, June 1997, pp. 595-603.
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