Maritime Information Systems AS introduced the world’s first DNV type approved VDR and S-VDR with optional ECDIS in 2005, providing, in addition to the recorded data required under IEC 61996, recording of the complete logbook database in ECDIS.
The MARIS ECDIS900 logbook, which complies with SOLAS regulation V/28 for records of navigational activities, provides navigator textual notes, route-monitoring information, including reference to the displayed charts, its updating, ship’s track, heading, speed, alarms and acknowledgements and all other settings of the MARIS ECDIS900. The past twelve hours of this data is recorded to the hardened storage device, fixed or float free, together with the obligatory VDR or S-VDR data.
The VDR2200/ S-VDR2200 replay system allows the data to be “burnt” to CD ROMs, and in doing so an ECDIS reader heads the data, such that replay reconstructs the actual ECDIS displayed data. This in addition to the display of recorded raw data, audio, VHF, radar etc., which can be displayed in raw form, as radar image or in the form of a conning display. The CD with recorded data may be replayed on any Windows compatible PC. With the increased use of ECDIS, impending compulsory carriage and the move to paperless navigation, traditional plotting of ships position on paper charts will be significantly reduced. In most cases it will not be executed at all, when ECDIS is used as primary aid to navigation.