Inland ENCs are electronic navigational charts which can be displayed with the aid of a special software (Inland ECDIS). The basic contents of electronic inland navigational charts (Inland ENCs) include:
- Traffic control data such as fairway, buoys, zones where traffic is prohibited, lighting and traffic signs
- Structures and obstacles such as bridges, locks and weirs
- Shorelines and river engineering structures (groynes and training walls)
- Orientation guidance such as waterway axis, kilometre and hectormetre markers
Inland ENCs are fundamentally different from paper charts. The electronic storage of geographical data in the form of vector data enables the correct representation of all details and ensures a reliable and clear presentation of information. Inland ENCs are produced, updated and published either by commercial providers or by waterway administrations.
The advantages of Inland ENCs as opposed to conventional paper charts are:
- Detailed and well-arranged presentation of charts in all resolutions and all sizes of the chart sections
- Simple and fast updating procedures
- Presentation in various levels of detail due to layer technology
- Access to information on all objects at the click of a mouse
River Information Services supported by Inland ENCs and Inland ECDIS include:
- Tactical traffic image
- Monitoring of vessel traffic
- Fairway information services
