C-MAP Sets The Standard In Electronic Charts

Its an innovative tool that is IMO compliant, optimized and structured — all from the convenience of a CD-ROM and is designed for use on advanced electronic charting and navigation systems such as ECDIS - the CM-93.

Marketed and sold by C-MAP Commercial, this professional electronic charting database for the Americas is licensed under companies such as Advanced Maritime Technology, Sperry, Raytheon, Leica, Q-Mar and a variety of other special application companies. With various locations worldwide, some of C-Map's recent additions to its product line lies in the charting sector, namely "Block Charts" for the Gulf of Mexico; and Bathymetric Charts developed for the Mid-Atlantic, West Coast, Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. The company has also presented an updating system that allows customers to download chart corrections via the Internet.

With its primary marketing base concentrating on commercial shipping and military vessels, C-Map also plans on targeting tug vessels, oil support ships and mega yachts.

The company is also expanding worldwide since the past 10 years have brought about an upgrade in GPS Technology, allowing ECS and ECDIS to be utilized internationally. These advances in electronic charting systems through processing power and the increased quality of vector dates have formed GPS into an advancement eventually used by all vessels.

Currently in the works for C-Map is the CM-93/3, a data structure for the SENC database, which fully supports all features of S-57/3, including the application for updates.

The product's approach to ECDIS, according to C-MAP, will be used as an exchange and processing format for all electronic charts slated for use by the ECDIS - regardless of their origin.

Focusing on issues that drive its product/ service development, namely marine/navigation safety; demand for high quality, timely electronic charts; and the ability to maintain and distribute up-to-date chart databases and new editions, C-Map stresses the fact that CM- 93 is a vector-based electronic chart format. The company utilizes official government charts and then transforms the already-digitized charts into its own proprietary format, which they sell and market as CM-93.

Updating its database with the weekly Notice to Marine Corrections, C-Map's database currently includes more than 13,500 completed charts.

Aiming to focus its sights on Naval vessels, cargo and oil carriers and cruise ships all throughout the world that use CM-93, the company feels that in the long run, the market segment with the most promising business potential is within smaller systems that cost less and are to be implemented on a new category of vessels such as mega yachts, oceangoing tugs and coastal vessels - all of which, to date, have not been active within GPS technology.