Working Group 7 ECDIS of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Committee 80 "Maritime navigation
and radio communication equipment and systems" has developed an international
standard for testing ECDIS which is known as IEC 61174: Electronic
chart display and information system (ECDIS) - Operational and performance
requirements, methods of testing and required test results. Development of
IEC 61174, which is intended for use by type approval authorities in view of
ECDIS certification as well as by ECDIS manufacturers in the frame of ECDIS
production, was mainly based on IMO Performance Standards for ECDIS [IMO
Resolutions A 817 (19), MSC 64 (67) and MSC 86 (70)] and IHO Publications
S-52 and S-57. The current, 3rd edition of IEC 61174 was published in
2008.
IEC 61174 calls for an ENC Test Data Set, that is, "a
standardized data set supplied on behalf of the International Hydrographic
Organization (IHO) that is necessary to accomplish all IEC testing requirements
for ECDIS". This data set is encoded according to the IHO S-57 ENC
product specification and, when encrypted, makes use of the IHO S-63 Data
Protection Scheme. The specific requirements are listed in Section
6 and Annexes F & J of IEC 61174 3rd edition. They additionally
include the provision of associated ECDIS graphic plots.
IEC 61174 also calls for an RNC Test Data Set, that is "standardized data set
supplied on behalf of the IHO that is necessary to accomplish IEC testing
requirements for RCDS mode of operation. This data set is encoded according to
the S-61 RNC Product Specification. Test RNCs are specified by the HO providing
the RNC service or on whose behalf the RNC service is provided". The
specific requirements are listed in Annex H of IEC 61174.
The
whole package of ENC and RNC test data sets, and the graphic plots, form IHO
Publication S-64, Edition 2.0.0, January 2012.