Periskal is already 20
years active
in the production
of electronic maps.
In the early ’90
charts were produced in
various GIS formats like
Microstation DGN. Tresco
cvba developped these
electronic charts together
with the VUB – Free
University of
Brussels, department
Elec of Prof. Van Biesen.
Already that time vector
charts were much more
advanced than raster charts.
The layered approach made
it possible to make intelligent
applications.
A lack of standardisation
in het maritime world
made it very difficult
to exchange data between
authorities and private
manufacturers and between
other players. The need
for a international transfer
standard became more urgent.
Early standards like DX90
were not succesful but
S-57 version 3 was slowly
accepted as the means
to transfer martime data.
For use on inland waters
ECDIS S-57 was not enough.
Many symbols like buoys
and panels, used on rivers
and canals, were not available.
To fill this gap the ‘Inland
Ecdis Expert group’
was founded to establish
enhancements upon the
ECDIS S-57 standard. This
became then the Inland
ECDIS S-57 standard.
The support for this standard
is still growing and various
workshop between major
players over the world
were held. Eg the workshop
between EU and the US
corps of Engineers in
Nijmegen. It is foreseen
that the future ECDIS
S-57 version 4 standard,
nowadays called S-100,
defined by IHO will incorporate
also Inland ECDIS.
Periskal (Wuustwezel)
became a real expert in
the production of Inland
ENC data. Strategic partnership
with the company Seven
C’s in Germany led
to the installation of
Seven C’s production
tools in the offices of
Periskal. Staff was trained
and developped themselves
the skills in the field
of Inland ECDIS. Out of
various sources like DGN,
Autocad DXF, paper charts
etc… these inland
maps in Inland ECDIS format
are produced. For use
within Periskal/Tresco
applications and other
software developpers charts
of all inland rivers in
Europe were produced,
like Rhine, Moezel, Main
and Danube.
Several projects for
authorities in the field
of ENC (Electronic Navigation
Chart) have taken place.
One of the first was the
production of the whole
Zeeland area in Inland
S-57 format for the Dutch
Rijkswaterstaat. This
project was followed by
another one for AVV, Rijkswaterstaat
in Rotterdam.
The EU Compris project
became the real breakthrough
in this field. Together
with river authorities
all over Europe new stretches
of rivers and canals were
covered. We can mention
the ENC production of
the Danube in Slovakia,
the Danube in Croatia
and Serbia, the Danube
in Ukraine etc…
With many port authorities
over Europe cooperation’s
have been set up to produce
up to date electronic
chart data. E.g. Port
of Amsterdam, Port of
Antwerp, Port of Brussels,
Port of Gent, Port of
Moerdijk etc…
