jeppesen.com

Commercial Marine Contacts

Have questions about Commercial Marine Products and Services?

Contact Us

General FAQ

What is a System ID?
What is a User.usr file?
What is an eToken key?
How to order Jeppesen products?
What are the different products and different versions of the database?
One off Purchase or subscription license, what’s the difference?
DVD or CD-ROM?
SENC versus ENC?
Updating ECDIS on Multi-Workstation mode

A1. What is a System ID?

A unique system identity enables Jeppesen to provide chart licenses and other services to systems on an individual basis. This is necessary in order to ensure correct licenses and correct media (CD/DVD) to be sent to a system. The system Id is on system level and not end-user. Simply because an end-user (ship) can have several systems onboard, and each of the systems requires a unique license.
One license can only be used in combination with the system Id which it has been made for and which is entitled to use it.

The individual system Id can be provided by either a file named user.usr or by an e-Token key.

A2. What is a User.usr file?

Jeppesen (C-MAP) initially launched a concept for manufacturers whereby the ECDIS computer generated a file (named user.usr). A user.usr file contains internal "fingerprints" from the computer.
Unfortunately this sometimes lead to problems, like if any internal parts of the ECDIS being replaced i.e. the graphic board or a dongle-key that belongs to the ECDIS software, the user file changes some characters. As the license has been made for the user.usr file based on exact information, it will become invalid once any minor change appears in it.

A3. What is an eToken key?

In order to overcome these problems (see A2), the Aladdin eToken was launched in 2001-2002. This is a simple small key to be inserted in a USB port of the ECDIS.

Contrary to user.usr file which allows its content to change, all information to provide the unique identity is in the e-Token itself, and the content of the e-Token never changes.

Neither is it necessary to extract any information from the ECDIS to submit correct identity. All the operator needs to do in order to identify the system is to read the short number that is written on the tag connected with the e-Token key.

Similar to a user.usr file, a password/license made for an e-Token will work only in combination with the particular key which it is made for.

A4. How to order Jeppesen products?

The System identification may be called the technical identification. All Jeppesen Marine Norway’s products and its appurtenant services are for the professional High seas market. The majority of users subscribe to the updating service in order to keep the navigational charts updated. It is therefore necessary to receive also a commercial identification.
The most significant information needed is the IMO number of a ship. Furthermore is information of invoice address and shipping address important. Required chart coverage must also be stated in the order.

For C-MAP Professional and Professional+ the coverage can be determined from our zone chart on the web.
Order form can be requested by using the online contact form.

C-MAP ENC is not divided into predefined service areas like above, but sold on a cell by cell basis. Therefore the
C-MAP Chart Catalogue is available on our website. The Chart Catalogue enable one to create or import a specific route, then select the width of the corridor and the scales required before making the order as an electronic file.

A5. What are the different products and different versions of the database?

Jeppesen Marine provides a range of different products and services. Some which are different chart databases for use to Navigation and other which are software applications for use of charts in an office. In addition are vessel services like Real Time Updating of charts and Weather forecast. Etc.

This paragraph is meant to clear away any misunderstanding or confusion that may arise between “Different database products” and “Different versions of the database”.

Database products:

1. C-MAP ENC contains all available official ENC charts and legally replace the need of paper charts when used in ECDIS and supported by a real Time Update service. The Chart database can be supplied on CD and DVD
2. C-MAP Professional+ contains nautical charts that have been derived from paper charts and digitized into CM-93/3 format. This database is used as a navigation aid and does not replace the need of paper charts. Supplied on DVD
3. C-MAP Professional - same as above, but with less charts and without supplementary information like tides, sea-routes etc. Supplied on CD. (Only limitation to the content is the CD. If an ECDIS upgrade from CD-ROM drive to DVD drive, Professional+ can be supplied instead at no extra cost)

Database versions:

All C-MAP databases are subject to continuously updating. All notice to Mariners and all new chart editions published by Hydrographic Offices are added to all products. Therefore a new version of the database is being closed on a weekly basis and given a subsequent increasing number. This enables us to distinguish between older and newer databases and to determine exactly when it was closed. I.e. in week 14, 2008 the C-MAP Professional+ version 345 was made and at the same time C-MAP ENC version 269 was made.
Next chapter indicates why it sometimes is important to know what version of the database is installed in order to create a valid license.

A6. One off Purchase or Subscription license, what’s the difference?

One off Purchase

A “one off purchase” license is a permanent license with no time limitation. Permanent licenses are only available for Professional and Professional+, not for ENC. It is often used for systems not being used for navigation, like offices, vessel tracking, survey etc. A “one off purchase” requires a license given to one particular issue of the database. This means in effect that no future updating service applies. A newer database version (updating) will require a new license.

Subscription:

Contrary to a “one off purchase” license, a subscription license last for a certain period of time, usually the current month + 12 months. A subscription license will prior to expiration warn the mariner with a message in the ECDIS that it needs to be renewed. A subscription license is not depending on the version of the database. A new chart database is sent to the ship on a regular basis. In addition, corrections (NTM) can be downloaded via email or
our website.

A7. DVD or CD-ROM?

From 1993 to 2003 all C-MAP charts to the professional high seas market was supplied on CD-ROM. In 2003 the amount of charts and supplementary information in the C-MAP Professional+ database, like sea-routes, tide tables, etc had reached a volume that exceeded the storage capacity of a CD-ROM. Therefore a long and painstaking process to get manufacturers to move from CD-ROM drive to DVD drive in their ECDIS started.
With slightly more than 90 different manufacturers offering C-MAP products it has been (and still is) quite a process to get all of them to move from CD to DVD. Only a very few are still providing CD drives.

Therefore in order to distinguish between these two databases, the one supplied on DVD was named C-MAP Professional+, while the one supplied on CD-ROM kept its original name; C-MAP Professional.

PS! Both are of course subject to updating with new charts and NTM’s. Difference is only that the C-MAP Professional doesn’t contain supplementary information and must be kept limited with number of charts.

A8. SENC versus ENC?

ENC are vector charts issued by Hydrographic offices. These are made in S-57 format and mostly supplied in IHO encryption format S-63
The S57/S63 format is first and foremost designed to exchange data between computers.
Before it can be finally stored into an ECDIS computer it must be converted to the ECDIS internal System ENC (SENC) format

Jeppesen provides SENC format to more than 90 manufacturers, which of 25 makes a type Approved ECDIS. The compilation and verification from ENC to SENC is being performed by Jeppesen before the final SENC product is sent to the ship.

It is preferable that this process takes place in a controlled environment and by experts as the S-57 data format specifications can be interpreted differently and therefore there is a risk of using non-compliant data. This data should not be accepted into the ECDIS, as it could cause malfunctions, incorrect information or, in the extreme case, cause the ECDIS to crash.

A further advantage of SENC distribution is that the navigator on-board does not have to
spend considerable time and patience required to convert the ENC's to the SENC, a process that requires the ENC to be 100% compliant.
ENC supplied in SENC format simply requires to insert the DVD/CD and by well-known Windows technology: “Copy and Paste”

A further advantage of SENC distribution is that the navigator on-board does not have to spend considerable time and patience required to convert the ENC's to the SENC, a process that requires the ENC to be 100% compliant. ENC supplied in SENC format simply requires to insert the DVD/CD and by the well-known function “Copy and Paste” the entire database is being installed in less than five minutes.

The distribution of ENC in SENC format has been approved during the Athens CHRIS meeting in April 2002. Most HO's admit that it simplifies access to official digital cartography, and it does not affect on IMO performance

A9. Our ECDIS Systems work on Multi-Workstation Mode.
Thus, we are only applying updates to one System.

Please advise whether we are required to update both systems independently even though they are connected by LAN? If this is the case, we will have to send TWO Update Order Files? kindly advise.

A9. Our ECDIS Systems work on Multi-Workstation Mode.
Thus, we are only applying updates to one System.

Please advise whether we are required to update both systems independently even though they are connected by LAN? If this is the case, we will have to send TWO Update Order Files? kindly advise.

Even though the two ECDIS are connected via LAN, this is basically to share information, internal exchange or from different sensors like GPS, Gyro etc.
The Chart databases are however individual and not shared through this LAN. Therefore they must be updated individually (one by one) with both new DVD and Online (NTM's)