Client Profile

Since its inception in 1995, Company has been providing quality service to ship owners, operators, ship suppliers and educational institutes in Singapore and around the world. Our dedicated staff is experienced in meeting the exacting nature of the nautical charts and publications business. We have been successful in our endeavours and have grown from strength to strength every operating year. The company provide a complete set of books for ISM requirement, Fully Corrected Admiralty Charts, Charts Correction Service, Folio Management, Weekly Chart Correction Tracings & Notices to Mariners, Chart Plotting & Navigational Instruments ( SEXTANTS ), Flags as well as World Wide Dispatch Services.

The Challenge and Solution

Problem-1: Now-a-days broadband connection is available on many Vessels. Software must support two communication mediums – the Internet and Email. Internet medium for the vessels that have broadband connectivity and Email medium for Vessels that have limited allotted bandwidth.

Solution(s): Add the capability to request updates using an internet communication medium. This can be done by creating and consuming APIs via Web Application. In this medium, everything is one click away and no further processing is required. This made the system easy to use.

– Add the capability to request updates using an email communication medium. This is provided for vessels having limited bandwidth. The feature is incorporated with a minimum number of clicks with not more than three clicks from creating a request to importing a response and saving a response.

– Ability to switch between Internet and Email communication medium. Wizards will get updated based on the chosen communication medium.

Problem-2: Vessel users find it difficult to understand Software systems hence Shipping company need to provide a solution with crystal clear steps on how to use the application.

Solution(s): Instructions are incorporated into each wizard steps. In the case of email, provided a means to directly copy request files by providing an Open Inbox link. Similarly, an Outbox link is there to Open and copy response files in it. This saves vessel user from browsing file explorer and searching Inbox/Outbox location.

-A separate section for Visual Instructions on how to use the system is incorporated. 

-In the case of Vessel is using an email communication medium and email connectivity is not available on the system where this application is installed, provided instructions PDF link to download instructions which user can take to a system where email connectivity is available.

-In case the vessel is facing any error or not able to understand how to proceed, there is a screen capture feature available in the application. The vessel is one click away to capture the problem and send it to the Shipping Company via email.

Problem-3: Remove the dependency of using a third party for merging weekly update chunks received in an email response.

Solution(s): Instead of merging email chunks manually vessel will place all email chunks at a specified folder location (Outbox) and click on the merge button in the system which will perform the process programmatically and produce the final merged ZIP.

-There is a default folder location offered by the Desktop application. But vessel user has the capability to change Import/Export Location.

Problem-4: Most of the vessels use both Digital and Paper products. So we need to provide the availability of both Product updates on a single platform.

Solution(s): Add two modules for providing Digital Product updates (Latest Inventory, Status Reports, and Updates to ENCs known as Exchange Set) and Paper Product Updates

-Ability to switch between Paper and Digital Module.

Problem-5: UKHO publishes each type of correction for all products into a single PDF file for all Products available in the market. If we send these files as it is to all vessels, it will increase their downloadable size. Also, they will have to search in the file for the corrections of products that are available in their Inventory. 

Solution(s): Extract PDF into multiple PDFs (one PDF per product) and send only PDFs for products that are in Vessels inventory

-Allow vessels to request individual products as per their desire.

-Some corrections are mandatory to be downloaded for Safety purpose. Extract those corrections into multiple PDFs (one PDF per products), identify and send only PDFs for products that are in requesting Vessel’s inventory

-There is a list of corrections published by UKHO. Instead of sending a full list, send a reduced version of the list specific to Vessel’s Inventory.

Problem-6: There are a lot of manual processes like sending Weekly Updates, adding chart corrections, updating information of charts and publications when new editions are available, updating vessel’s inventory when they purchase new chart/publication, extracting publication sections into separate PDFs etc. This increases the cost of maintaining staff.

Solution(s): Manual process for updating Inventory are removed by allowing vessels to update their own inventory and sync with Web application using email/internet communication medium

-Web Application will automatically send correction reports to all vessels via email every week as soon as updates are available from UKHO.

-Instead of manually inserting each correction from Admin Panel by a staff member, corrections will be automatically read from the correction list and stored in the database once Weekly Updates are available from UKHO.

-Instead of updating new edition information from Admin Panel each time edition ids published for some products, staff will import 3-week advance schedule of new editions from Admin Panel and new editions will be automatically updated in the database once a scheduled date is reached.