Abstract
Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) technology has recently emerged as a promising aid to maritime navigational safety and operational efficiency. ECDIS is likely to have multiple effects on the tasks bridge personnel must perform. However, careful consideration must be given to safety in adopting this new technology. A shiphandling simulator-based evaluation of some human factors aspects of the use of ECDIS is presented. The issues discussed include the effect on navigational safety and workload as a result of introducing ECDIS to the bridge, and the mariner's preference for and use of chart information and navigational data. Experienced mariners each made multiple port arrivals and departures as the lone watchstander on the bridge: navigating a planned route, responding to harbor traffic, and managing the preparations for arrival or departure. During “baseline” transits, conventional methods were available to the mariner. During the test scenarios, one of two prototype ECDIS systems was also added to the bridge. Under certain conditions, ECDIS reduced the mariner's workload for navigation. In addition, ECDIS showed a potential to increase safety as measured by a smaller cross-track distance from the planned route and by a larger proportion of time available to devote to collision avoidance and “look out”.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.