InlandECDIS 2.3, a feature request

[bcn]

In the last days we have been approached by several very preoccupied users of OCPN for inland waters here in Europe.

Background is that ECDIS2.3 is becoming mandatory (together with AIS) for all commercial operators on the European inland water ways.

An important part of the fleet are family businesses since generations.
The average age of the German fleet of inland cargo vessels is 62(!) years.
OpenCPN is used by a lot of sailors on the European waterways.

Here what can be done to make the sailors on Inland waterways more happy:

InlandECDIS 2.3
EU standard 909/2013
--> EUR-Lex - 32014R0909 - EN - EUR-Lex

The standard makes a difference between Information mode and Navigation mode.
OpenCPN does comply with the requirements of the Information mode, the concepts are existing and should be packaged as a standard configuration InlandECDIS to make the usage for Inland Waters more straightforward and the compliance easily visible.

To comply with Navigation mode would be more challenging, as it implies that somebody would have to go for a formal homologation, including hardware and hardware integration with (homologated) radar systems. Plus demonstrating that a documented software development quality system has been used writing the software.
Not at all in the scope of this feature request.

Provide a config setting InlandECDIS with

• Dawn/dusk presentation mode at start-up
• Vector chart presentation
  • Minimum content
  • Standard content (Chapter2, 4.4)
  • "All"
  • User settings
• Standard has to be presented at start-up
• One-key action to go back to Standard

Additional features (nice or very nice to have)

• WaterwayAxisUp mode additional to North-up/Course-up
  The canvas shall be presented with the waterway axis (S-57 obj. "wtwaxs") pointing up in travel direction at the center of the screen - not the vessel as reference for the vertical center line. This is particularly helpful being on a winding river.
  Implies that the screen will "flip" if you do a u-turn.
  Shall be visible (icon) in which mode the screen is working
• River-km or River-Mi for a given point (can be tricky for an intersection)
  • River-km available for Dashboard (one decimal)
  • River-km as column in AIS list, sort by this column
  • Show River-km for a point (right click context menu entry)
• Information panel with the additional embedded files (already implemented in the new o(e)SENC). The most important information here is the radio channel of the next lock, bridge or control point.
• Concept of going up-stream/down-stream --> show this in AIS list or target query

We are asking for feedback and it would be interesting to spread this information in the national fori, especilly in the Netherlands and Germany.


Hubert

[rooiedirk]

Looks to me that the most request good be fullfilled with a plugin. For the one key functionality maybe use it with a touchscreen display.
Dirk

[rgleason]

Sean has seveeral control plugins that rotate the charts that would be a starting point, but what would the charts rotate to? Some hidden route or channel centerline that is a vector? Are these enc?

[bcn]

The charts are InlandENCs, i.e. S-57/S-52.

In these charts there is an object called WaterwayAxis which marks - as the name says - the center or axis of the waterway. Presented as a line on the charts.

[oxygen]

Its better to ferget about navigation mode. There is only few radars which can be used in europe for inland navigation if sb is interested i can add sucha list shortly. But main problem with that radars is fact that almost all of them dont have digital output of radars signals, so just forget about navigation mode. As i spoke with civil servant from inland commission, requirements for navi. mode is not mandatory just as a suggestion.

In my opinion main problem is with changening density information from very top menu and with point:

Te9.test of alarms and indications
(a) The alarms generated from Inland ECDIS equipment itself as well as the passed alarms delivered by the connected sensors to the ECDIS shall be tested.
(b) The test procedure shall comprise the following situations:
•any error in the Inland ECDIS equipment (built-in test equipment - BITE),


And with charts scale, all ceftified programs get scale with gradiation

Ranges/Range rings the following fixed ranges and range rings are prescribed according
to the radar regulations:


500 m 100 m


800 m 200 m


1,200 m 200 m


1,600 m 400 m


2,000 m 400 m


4,000 m 800 m

all standards for ECDIS inland stand 2.3 you can find at: http://www.ris.eu/docs/File/468/Inla...dition_2_3.pdf


Best regards

[rooiedirk]

Made a start
At https://github.com/RooieDirk/OpenCPN branch InlandEcdis, you find implemented.
Added an option at Options-.User interface.
If option is set starting up in dusk mode
added different AIS symbol for no heading
changed blue-paddle symbol

TODO is setting the ENC layers visible.

attached a VDR file for testing
The ENC charts for the river rhine are here https://www.elwis.de/Service/Inland-...-12-30_310_865
(press "ENC datei Rhein herunterladen")

Question if we want a one button back to standard shortcut, wich key should it be?

Please do comment.
Dirk

[bcn]

Dirk,

I cannot build here for Windows- what I would need, sorry.

Shortcut: What about "B" like Basic (what is not the same as Standard, I know), as "S" is already there for Soundings?
Perhaps adding a button to the Tool Bar.

(And if you are already with the shortcuts: what about a "K" to toggle TracK?)


In any case we should co-ordinate all this very closely with Dave (if you have not done this already).

Good to see the progress

Hubert

[rooiedirk]

Hubert,
An other question. Do you know in if it needed to have a dedicated program for inlandECDIS.
For now I made a checkbox in the options pages, but maybe it is needed to have dedicated program. Make OpenCPN a dedicated program could maybe done by installing it in a seperated directory and use the -p option for starting.

And how about the charts? Should the recognizing of charts, other then S57, being blocked?

And yes I agree Dave should be involved, although he is rather busy getting oeSenc and O 4.6 ready. See my code just as a test of what could be done.
Dirk

[bcn]

Dirk,

from my understanding an "InlandECDIS" option setting which enables the points you are implementing should be sufficient. No ECDIS version required.

I would not disable other charts. The InlandECDIS setting might be interesting for people with leisure boats as well. Why not using a GE.kap set or some OpenStreetMap files to know better what is nearby.

For the professional use obviously such add-ons should be taken with precautions.

Hubert

[bdbcat]

Dirk....
I have taken parts of your code, added some more, and begun implementation of the InlandECDIS mode.

The code is on github, branch iENC. Take a look. Not yet ready for merge to master, but close.

Left to do:
1. I am building a separate toolbar for iENC mode. This will contain the specific controls called for by the spec. Among them are an annunciator showing current ENC display mode, with button to toggle. Maybe another set of zoom button, with specific scales selected as recommended. Etc...

2. AIS Blue flag symbolization.

3. Integrate new symbols into the presentation library.

4. And of course, test, test, test. We will need a line-by-line reading of the spec, taking care to distinguish between "required" and "recommended"

Like to help?

Dave

[bcn]

Dave...

if you can provide an Windows installer I would ask the two InlandECDIS users who contacted us directly to participate as well.
I can have look then too.

Reading the standard for the information mode there are not that many hard requirements. The original post for reference.

Hubert

[oxygen]

it will be much easier if you provide some win OS installer, i can make some checks.

regards
Maciej

[rooiedirk]

Dave, Hubert,

My code on github was mostly about starting up in dusk mode and Standard layer set.
That part of the code is not to bad I would think.
For the AIS target symbol in case there is no valid heading I have been playing around also.
I thought the recommended octagram? was not the best. If scaled down for attenuation it will be a circle and look very much like a charted light. Different between class A and B would also be difficult. Therefore I came to a triangle form. See picture, to the left mine(including attenuation), yours to the right.

For the toolbar I have been thinking of changing the wxWidgets base from SimpleToolbar to RibbonToolbar. This would allow to make "dropdown" buttons I think. And implement a dropdownbtn for setting chart layers (base, standard and all).
Would also be nice for dusk/night setting and AIS visibility.
For me alone this would be a to big change in the code base, and therefore only thoughts.

[bdbcat]

Dirk...

Lets focus on the specifics for iENC right now. What exactly happens when the big "Inland ECDIS" switch is thrown?

Remember the part of the spec that says something like:
"Minimum controls and complexity are recommended".

We should try to "look like" the specification, so that unfamiliar users will clearly recognize the configuration as "Inland ECDIS Info Mode"

For AIS, I think we need to stay with the unscaled octagon for InlandECDIS. In fact, we should probably not scale AIS icons at all in this mode. We can of course do something else for our own standard mode, if we want to.

Changing the main toolbar is non-trivial. Among all wxWidgets "widgets" that cause the most trouble migrating across all platforms, this is the worst one. Very difficult to get it right for all display managers (Apple, LXDE, GTK, Gnome, etc.) We will not consider changing this for O46.

bcn, etc...

Too soon for publication. Not enough complete yet, and so testing would generate a lot of time-consuming traffic better spent on coding.


Dave

[bcn]

Just to resume issues that are key:

Provide a config setting InlandECDIS with

Dawn/dusk presentation mode at start-up

Vector chart presentation
- Minimum content
- Standard content (Chapter2, 4.4)
- "All"

User settings
- Standard has to be presented at start-up
- One-key action to go back to Standard

plus the InlandAIS symbols

On stand-by