IMSA Provides Technical Support For Marine Designers

The International Marine Software Associates (IMSA), formed in 1991, is an association to help marine designers with technical support on software.

First presented to the 1991 SNAME Marine Computers Symposium, the IMSA Definition File (IDF), which is an ASCII-based standard offering a unique solution for passing hull-related data between cross-platform and cross-product environments, has since been adopted by commercial marine software developers and end-users from around the world, such as the U.S. Navy, the Canadian Defense Dept., Draper Labs, Northstar Software and others.

IMSA is currently composed of five companies, including HydroComp, Inc. of Durham, N.H.; Design Systems & Services, Inc., of Annapolis, Md.; Creative Systems, Inc.; Albacore Research Ltd.; and Ross-McNatt Naval Architects.

Bender Shipbuilding of Mobile, Ala. has built a computer system based on IMSA software, Macola and in-house programming. "My relationship with the IMSA companies are really more comprehensive than just as software suppliers," said Joseph H. Comer, design group manager at Bender. "They h been 110 percent responsive to s port and are eager to provide cus1 options and improvements wh other companies would not even knowledge the possibility." Established in 1982, HydroCoi Inc. is a leader in applied propuls design software. Its principal pr uct, called NavCad, is a compreh sive program for resistance and p< ering, and propeller calculations Design Systems & Services, I has provided naval architectu design and analysis tools to mc than 125 users in government a industry since 1983. Its prime product, Fast Ship, has been adopt by the U.S. Navy as the surfa modeling tool of choice.

Creative Systems, founded 1972, was established to impro the efficiency and accuracy of stab ity calculations available to nav architects. Development began wi a product known as SCEND.

Albacore Research Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia, was e tablished in 1990 and now conduc its own research and developmen maintaining close affiliation wit the University of Victoria.

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