AIS

Connection, setup, operational features, and methods of using AIS in NSR ECDIS NES-3000

AIS Setup

Menu path
→ → Sensors → Add sensor → AIS

The sensor connection and setup are performed in accordance with the procedure.

Caution

Connection, setup, and modification of AIS sensor settings must be performed by a qualified specialist.

Attention

The following should be considered:

• When both AIS and ARPA sensors are simultaneously connected to ECDIS, AIS target data in ECDIS may come from either ARPA or AIS;

• ARPA transmits AIS target data in sentences: $--TTD, $--TTM, and $--TLB;

• An AIS target received from ARPA will be displayed as an AIS target;

• AIS target data received from ARPA will be incomplete;

• ARPA does not relay text addressed and broadcast messages from AIS;

• If data about the same target is received in ECDIS from both ARPA and AIS, the target will be displayed as associated;

• AIS target data will be complete;

• ARPA sentences are configured in the ARPA sensor settings;

Ensure that the sensor settings correctly configure the processing of received messages: header and type processing is enabled, checksum verification is enabled.

ECDIS receives the following messages:

• Messages 1, 2, 3, and 5 — AIS Class A and AIS-SART

• Messages 18, 19, and 24 — AIS Class B

• Message 9 — SAR aircraft AIS

• Message 21 — AIS AtoN (Aids to Navigation)

• Messages 12 and 14 — MSI messages (Maritime Safety Information)

• Messages 6 and 8 — Addressed and broadcast messages (ASM and text)

• Message 4 — Base station report

• Message 27 — Long-range automatic identification system broadcast message

AIS message headers:

• AI — Mobile AIS station

• AR — NMEA 4.0 AIS Receiving Station

• RA – Radar

After configuring and enabling the AIS sensor, the AIS window will become available in the Multifunction window.

Attention

After connecting AIS, enable the AIS layer in the Operational settings to display AIS targets, ASM, and synthetic targets.

Tip

If the AIS sensor is configured to receive $--VDM and $--VDO messages, but $--VDM is not being broadcast, the AIS will still be considered operational. This is because, in the absence of reports from other vessels, the message is not transmitted. At the same time, the own ship report transmitted in $--VDO is mandatory.

AIS Operational Features

Attention

To display AIS targets on ENC — enable the AIS layer.

Enable
→ AIS Layer
Menu path
→ → Targets → Settings

No.	Element	Description
1	Show AIS group	AIS target display settings
2	Guard zone group	Guard zone settings
3	Lost targets group	Lost target monitoring settings

No.	Element	Description
1	Show AIS	Enable AIS layer
2	Show ARPA targets	Enable ARPA layer
3	ARPA and AIS association	Enable ARPA and AIS target association
4	Show associated targets as AIS	Display associated targets as AIS targets
5	Always show real AtoN purpose	Always display real AtoN

No.	Element	Description
1	Guard zone	Enable guard zone.
2	Show guard zone	Enable guard zone display. Targets entering the guard zone are assigned the status Dangerous target
3	Guard zone radius	Guard zone radius
4	Lost zone	Enable lost target control zone. Within the zone, alerts will be generated for lost AIS targets, ARPA targets, and synthetic targets
5	Lost zone radius	Lost target control zone radius

No.	Element	Description
1	Lost AtoN alert	Generate alarm on AtoN loss
2	Lost SART alert	Generate alarm on SART loss
3	Lost AtoN/SART distance	AtoN and SART loss tracking distance. Beyond the set radius, ECDIS will not generate an alarm for AtoN and SART loss

AIS display settings, processing criteria, and filtering

Menu path
→ → AIS → Filtration and activation

No.	Element	Description
1	AIS activation group	AIS target activation and filtering settings group
2	AIS Filtration group	AIS target display type settings group
3	ASM group	ASM display settings group

No.	Element	Description
1	Auto activation	Enables auto-activation of AIS targets
2	Show auto activation range	Display auto-activation radius (red color)
3	Auto activation range circle	Radius within which AIS targets are activated
4	Max capacity AIS targets	Maximum number of displayed AIS targets
5	Max capacity AIS synth targets	Maximum number of displayed synthetic AIS targets
6	Max capacity ASM	Maximum number of displayed ASM

No.	Element	Description
1	Filtration	Sets all AIS targets to sleeping status
2	Visibility by range	Area radius within which AIS targets are displayed on the chart
3	Visibility range	AIS target visibility distance on the chart
4	Show sleeping targets	Enables display of sleeping targets within the visibility range with the specified filtering parameters: Class A, Class B, CPA, TCPA. The set filtering parameters will be displayed in the permanent indication area
5	Show activated targets	Enables display of activated targets
6	Class A	Enables/disables display of Class A sleeping targets
7	Class B	Enables/disables display of Class B sleeping targets
8	AIS Base stations	Enables/disables display of AIS base stations
9	Real AtoN	Enables/disables display of Aids to Navigation with AIS
10	Virtual AtoN	Enables/disables display of virtual Aids to Navigation with AIS
11	SART	Enables/disables display of AIS SART distress signals
12	SAR Aircraft	Enables/disables display of aircraft (helicopter) involved in search and rescue operations
13	Synthetic target	Enables/disables synthetic targets transmitted by a base station or as ASM

No.	Element	Description
1	Show ASM	Enable display of AIS application specific messages
2	Tidal window	Tidal data: high water, low water, current tidal phase
3	Water level	Current sea level value
4	Current	Current surface current value
5	Wind	Current wind value, average wind and gust forecast
6	Weather	Current weather data for the specified period
7	Sea State	Sea state (wave conditions)
8	Air Grap	Current air gap height under an overhead crossing or bridge
9	Area Notice	Areas subject to warnings, alerts, and special information
10	Berthing data	Availability of port services at berths
11	Routing	Routes transmitted by addressed message (main, alternate, ice)
12	Signal Station	Current port dispatcher signal, the next signal, and its activation time

Note

ASM are transmitted as both broadcast and addressed messages. The navigator manages the reception of addressed ASM independently. ECDIS only displays received messages.

After enabling the AIS layer display, all AIS targets, synthetic targets, and ASM within the AIS target visibility radius will be displayed on the chart.

Important

ECDIS supports displaying a limited number of targets. To avoid overloading the ECDIS computer, limits on displayed targets on the ENC must be set:

Max capacity AIS targets – no more targets than specified are displayed. AIS target filtering is performed by distance. When a new target appears, the most distant non-dangerous target is removed from display.

Max capacity AIS synth targets – no more synthetic targets than specified are displayed. Synthetic target filtering is performed by distance. When a new synthetic target appears, the most distant non-dangerous synthetic target is removed from display.

Max capacity ASM – no more ASM than specified are displayed. ASM filtering is performed by distance. When a new ASM appears, the most distant ASM is removed from display.

Load management is performed only within the set visibility radius.

No.	Element	Description
1	Own ship	Own ship symbol on the chart
2	Sleeping target	Non-activated AIS target within the visibility zone
3	Guard zone	Circle defining the target control area
4	Dangerous target	Target requiring the navigator’s attention
5	Name of dangerous target	Text label of the dangerous target on the chart
6	Auto-activation zone	Circle upon entering which targets are automatically activated
7	Activated target	Target under tracking with detailed information displayed
8	Tracked target symbol	Visual marker of the target selected for tracking and target data in the multifunction window
9	Name	Name of the tracked target
10	Closest Point of Approach (CPA) to target	Minimum distance at which the target will approach own ship
11	Time to Closest Point of Approach (TCPA) to target	Time to closest point of approach
12	Course Over Ground (COG) of target	Course Over Ground — direction of target movement over the Earth’s surface
13	Speed Over Ground (SOG) of target	Speed Over Ground — speed of target movement relative to the Earth’s surface
14	Heading (HDG) of target	Heading — compass heading, if transmitted
15	Rate of Turn (ROT) of target	Rate of Turn — rate of heading change, if transmitted
16	Targets Table	Opens the targets table
17	Details	Opens the extended target form
18	Bearing (BRG) to target	Bearing — Bearing to the target from own ship
19	Distance (DIST) to target	Distance — Distance to the target from own ship
20	Target Coordinates	Geographic coordinates of the target
21	POS ACC	AIS target position accuracy
22	RAIM	Navigation data integrity monitoring indicator in the AIS target
23	Messages	Opens the incoming messages table. When new messages are received from the target, a new incoming message symbol will be displayed to the right of the button
24	Target MMSI	Maritime Mobile Service Identity — unique vessel identifier
25	Target call sign	Vessel radio call sign
26	Status — Navigation status of target	Current navigation status of the vessel (under sail, at anchor, etc.)

AIS targets are displayed in accordance with the configured filtration and activation settings. The coordinates, vectors, and trajectories of AIS targets are displayed on the ENC based on the data from their last received message, in accordance with ECDIS settings.

Depending on the AIS target type, the content of the target form may differ:

AIS target form transmitted by ARPA

Search and rescue aircraft AIS target form

Target Activation and Deactivation

Forced tracking of a target outside the auto-activation radius is performed manually.

In automatic mode, activation occurs if the target enters the auto-activation radius or becomes dangerous. Upon leaving the auto-activation radius or when the dangerous status is removed, the target is deactivated.

To forcibly activate a target — hover the cursor over the target, right-click (press and hold) to open the context menu, select Activate. The target will be placed under tracking.

To forcibly deactivate targets — hover the cursor over the target, right-click (press and hold) to open the context menu, select Deactivate. The target will be deactivated.

Target Information

Target information is displayed in the AIS window. To obtain target information — left-click (tap) on the target of interest.

The target will be highlighted with a frame. The information on the selected target will be displayed in the AIS window.

CPA/TCPA

Target monitoring by closest point of approach and time to closest point of approach.

Menu path
→ → Targets → CPA/TCPA

No.	Element	Description
1	Don’t calculate CPA/TCPA	Disables CPA/TCPA calculation in ECDIS
2	CPA/TCPA alarm	Enables target monitoring
3	Closest point of approach	Sets the closest point of approach distance
4	Time to closest point of approach	Sets the time to closest point of approach

After enabling CPA/TCPA monitoring, all targets within the visibility zone will be monitored by CPA/TCPA. When the CPA/TCPA value is below the set threshold, targets will be automatically activated, marked as dangerous, and ECDIS will generate an appropriate alarm.

Lost Targets

When Lost target alert is enabled, targets from which no data is received within the specified timeout will be marked as lost. Lost targets are removed from the chart, and a lost target warning is generated.

Warnings are generated only for active targets.

If data stops being received from a dangerous target, the target will be marked as lost but will remain on the chart. ECDIS will generate a lost target warning. When the warning is acknowledged, the target will be removed from the chart.

Own Ship AIS

ECDIS can display data from the own ship AIS.

Menu path
→ → Targets → AIS → Own ship

No.	Element	Description
1	AIS transmits	Data transmitted by the AIS sensor over the air
2	System data	Current data set in ECDIS settings, to be sent to AIS
3	Send data to AIS device — forced transmission	of own ship data to AIS

Data Transmission to AIS Transponder

Vessel data can be transmitted to AIS from ECDIS.

Data modification is performed in Registration data.

Data transmission is performed automatically with a 5-minute interval. If necessary, data can be sent forcibly:

Menu path
→ → Targets → AIS → Own ship → Send data to AIS device

Data is transmitted in VSD and SSD sentences, which include the following information:

• Cargo category (message 5)

• Navigation status (messages 1, 2, 3)

• Draught (maximum actual static, message 5)

• Port of destination (message 5)

• Estimated date and time (UTC) of arrival (message 5)

• Number of persons on board the vessel (message 5)

Targets Table

Menu path
→

Or the button on the AIS, ARPA, or DSC Target forms in the multifunction window.

The table contains AIS, DSC, and ARPA targets, including those outside the screen area.

No.	Element	Description
1	Targets list	Table of all tracked targets (AIS, DSC, Radar)
2	No.	Target number: number assigned by ARPA, or AIS target MMSI number
3	NAME	Target name from the message. If transmitted. Columns with the symbol can be sorted by values
4	CALL SIGN	Target call sign, if transmitted in the message
5	Source	Target data source: AIS, ARPA, DSC
6	Full target data	Go to target form
7	Go to target position	Centers the chart on the target position. If the AIS layer is disabled, centering will be performed on the target position, but the target will not be visible
8	Addressed Message	Go to the addressed message sending window (AIS only) — the MMSI number of the selected target is automatically inserted into the message header
9	Message indicator	Displayed when any message is received from the target
10	Update	Forced data refresh in the table
11	Update interval	By default, data in the table is updated each time it is opened or forcibly using the Update button. For automatic updating, select the update interval from the drop-down list: 1s, 3s, 5s, 15s, 30s
12	Time updated *** ago — time indicator	Elapsed time since the last target data update

AIS Warnings

Text	Category	Condition
AIS sensor malfunction: <sensor name>	Alarm	When data from the sensor stops being received according to the configurable timeout.
AIS data integrity violation: <sensor name>	Warning	If the sentence fails the CRC check.
Target lost <target ID>	Warning	The waiting time for a message from the target has exceeded the set limit.
CPA/TCPA <target ID>	Alarm	The target does not meet safe passing criteria. The calculated CPA/TCPA of the AIS target are simultaneously less than or equal to the set values. CPA and TCPA values are set in the CPA/TCPA settings section.
Dangerous target <target ID>	Alarm	The target has entered the guard zone. The guard zone radius is set in the Guard zones settings section.
95% of max AIS targets	Warning	The number of processed targets has reached 95% of the maximum, which is 256.
Max AIS target capacity	Warning	The number of processed targets has reached 256.

AIS Messages

During operation, AIS receives and transmits service, text, and informational messages. Text messages are intended for information exchange between subscribers (vessels, base stations, AtoN).

Two types of text messages are transmitted: addressed and broadcast. Addressed messages are transmitted only to the selected subscriber. Broadcast messages are transmitted to all AIS stations within signal reception range.

ECDIS receives incoming messages from the onboard AIS and transmits outgoing messages.

Important

The function of receiving incoming messages and sending outgoing messages is available only when AIS is connected and properly configured in NSR ECDIS NES-3000.

Incoming Messages

Upon receiving a new incoming message (addressed or broadcast), ECDIS displays a notification.

Above the symbol of the target that sent the message, a new message symbol will be displayed .

In the targets table, in the row of the target that sent the message, a received message icon will be displayed.

In the multifunction window (AIS tab), the Messages button will display a received message icon.

To view incoming messages, go to the Message list:

Menu path
→ → → Message list
or
Target form → → → Message list
or
→ → AIS Messages → Message list

No.	Element	Description
1	Incoming messages list	Table of all received messages
2	FROM	Name of the message sender. The sender vessel name is displayed; if no name is available, the MMSI is displayed
3	TO	Message addressee. Broadcast — broadcast message, or own ship MMSI in the case of an addressed message
4	TYPE	Message type: Regular, SRM (Safety Related Message)
5	Message date and time received (UTC)	Timestamp of message reception in UTC format
6	Message text display field	Message text preview area
7	Message text	Full text of the received message
8	Pin message	Press to pin the message. A pinned message will always be displayed in the list regardless of the selected filter (12) and (13)
9	Position ENC to sender position	Center the chart on the message sender’s coordinates
10	Delete message	A deleted message cannot be restored
11	Show	Message type filter All — all incoming messages are displayed in the list Broadcast — only received broadcast messages are displayed in the list Addressed — only incoming addressed messages are displayed in the list Safety related — only received SRM messages are displayed in the list Pinned — only pinned messages are displayed in the list
12	Filter by MMSI number	Search messages by vessel identifier
13	Filter by sender name	Search messages by vessel name
14	Send message	Go to the message sending window. If an incoming message is selected and Addressed is chosen in the message sending form, the sender’s MMSI of the incoming message will be specified as the addressee

Sending Messages (Outgoing Messages)

To send a message, navigate to the message sending form.

Sending a broadcast message:

Menu path
→ →
or
target form → → Send Message
or
→ → AIS Messages → Send Message
or
→ →

Addressed message:

Menu path
→ → Select Target →
or
→ → Select Target →

The message sending window will open.

No.	Element	Description
1	Message text field	Area for entering the text of the message to be sent
2	Addressed/Broadcast message	Message type selection: enabled selector — addressed, disabled — broadcast. To create an addressed message, the addressee must be pre-selected in the targets table
3	Safety Related Message (SRM)	Enabled — the message is assigned SRM status
4	Acknowledgement required	Enabled — a request for addressee confirmation of message receipt is included in the message
5	Output channel	Selection of the AIS type of addressees for whom the message will be sent. Intended only for broadcast messages
6	Transmitted message type	Broadcast or Addressed — the MMSI of the addressee selected in the targets table is inserted
7	Send	Send the message
8	Clear text	Deletes the entered message in the text field (clears the text field)
9	Message list	Go to the message list
10	Targets table	Go to the targets table
11	xxx/xxx	Character counter in the message. Maximum message length is 150 characters
12	Message text	Preview of the full text of the entered message

The sent message will be displayed in the message list.

ASM (Application Specific Messages)

Application Specific Messages (ASM) are messages transmitted within AIS messages (messages 6 and 8) to convey specialized information beyond the scope of standard AIS messages.

Unlike standard AIS messages containing basic vessel data (identifier, coordinates, course, speed), ASM allow transmitting information necessary for navigation and vessel management tasks:

• hydrological information;

• meteorological information;

• route information;

• current values: weather, sea level, sea state, air gaps;

• transmission of traffic management signals;

• routes;

• area notices, etc.

Attention

It should be noted that ASM are displayed only in ECDIS and Radar applications. ASM are not displayed on the AIS receiver screen.

Purpose of ASM

ASM provide:

• Prompt transmission of general or addressed information;

• Implementation of commercial services;

• Visualization of complex data;

• Reduction of time to obtain operational information;

• Transmission of significant navigation information faster than through traditional channels;

• Information about port status, berths, port entry times, and tidal windows helps plan routes and manage arrival times.

• Acquisition of data on hydrographic, hydrological, and meteorological events and their forecasts, as well as particularly hazardous hydrometeorological phenomena;

• Information about berths, available services, schedules, and special instructions facilitates port coordination and reduces idle time.

Tip

ECDIS automatically processes received ASM messages and displays them on the chart in a standardized format. To view and filter ASM messages, use the AIS target display settings.

Types of Processed ASM Messages

ECDIS processes the following Application Specific Messages (ASM):

Port Operations Information

• Clearance time to enter port (DAC 1, FI 18) — port entry clearance with time indication
  

• Berthing data (DAC 1, FI 20) — vessel berthing data
  

• Tidal window (DAC 1, FI 14 and 32) — tidal window information
  
  

Meteorological and Hydrographic Information

• Weather observation report from ship (DAC 1, FI 21) — weather observation report from vessel
  

• Meteorological and Hydrographic data (DAC 1, FI 31) — meteorological and hydrographic data

• Environmental (DAC 1, FI 26) — environmental data
  
  

Navigation Information

• Marine traffic signal (DAC 1, FI 19) — maritime traffic signals
  

• Area notice (DAC 1, FI 22 and 23) — area notices (navigation warnings, restrictions)
  

• Route information (DAC 1, FI 27 and 28) — route information
  
  

Additional Information

• Text description (DAC 1, FI 29 and 30) — text descriptions and notes