NtS

Notices to Skippersis is a standardized, encoded and downloadable message containing at least the information necessary for safe navigation and delivered at least in accessible electronic form.

 

The message dissemination service for skippers is one of the key technologies of RIS and together with the Inland ENC electronic navigational chart, it is the basis for the implementation of fairway information services.

 

The essence of standardizing messages for skippers is to automate their dissemination and presentation in a way that is understandable to the user by maintaining:

• a standardized data structure, using predefined text modules and encoded to a degree that allows automatic translation of its key content into other languages ​​and facilitates the integration of messages with cruise planning systems;
• compatibility of the standardized data structure with that used in Inland ECDIS, in order to facilitate the integration of messages to skippers in Inland ECDIS.

 

Messages for captains, in accordance with the NtS Web-Services standard, can be distributed using a “pull” or “push” type of Internet service, i.e. downloading messages on demand or subscribing to a news subscription for a given area, respectively. When downloading content, the user has the ability to search for the appropriate message using:

• a specific section of the waterway;
• a specific section of the waterway, defined by a kilometer (hectometre) of the course of the river;
• period of validity (start date and end date);
• date of publication of the announcement.