Electronic charts for inland navigation are increasingly being used on European waters. Standards related to the production of charts for European waters were established and implemented in 2001, while international standards have been developed since 2003 by the American-European IENC harmonization group. Currently, most inland waterways in Europe are covered by electronic chart cells. The situation is similar in other countries around the world. In Russia, electronic chart cells cover over 2,600 km of inland waters, and in the United States of America, over 6,200 km [5]. An Inland Electronic Navigational Chart (IENC) means a database, standardized as to content, structure, and format [10]. This chart is intended for use in inland electronic chart display and information systems.
Electronic charts are issued by the appropriate authority or a government agency competent in this field, and they must always meet the requirements of standards developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the IENC harmonization group. An inland electronic chart should contain information necessary for safe navigation on inland waters (in the administrative sense). Additionally, it may contain other information, analogous to that found on a paper chart, which may be considered important for the purposes of safe navigation and voyage planning.
The production of charts should be in accordance with the relevant product specification and the associated catalog [6] and object coding manual [5] prepared for inland electronic charts. (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine 6/2011