Bridge Switching
The bridge switching system provides a flexible method of sharing a limited
number of displays between multiple video sources. Sources can include
chart-plotters, radars, dynamic positioning systems, ECDIS, alarm monitoring as
well as non-computer based sources such as CCTV cameras, thermal imagers and
sonar. In addition to video switching, the system also makes it possible
to control some sources from any of the multi-function displays (MFD) that are
part of the system. A user can easily select which source they want to
see by walking up to any of the MFDs and bringing up a graphical user-friendly
screen that provides an icon-based list of the sources that are part of the
bridge switching system. The user can th
en
select any of the sources by simply clicking on the relevant icon for that
source. If the source is a controllable source such as a pan/tilt style
camera, then the user will be able to control it using on-screen controls while
looking at the image in a small window in the screen. When the user is
done controlling the camera, the selection/control screen will disappear and
will be replaced with a full screen image of the selected camera. With
controllable sources such as charting software, for example, once the source is
selected, the video for it will appear and its software can then be controlled
using the trackball at the MFD. For non-controllable sources such as the
radars, which are controllable only from their dedicated locations, only the
video can be brought up on the MFDs through the bridge switching system.
Conning
The
conning system is a PC based system that brings in navigational NMEA data from
all the NMEA talkers and consolidates it and then displays it graphically using
a single software screen. It allows a user to monitor data from various
navigational devices such as a GPS, speed log, gyrocompass etc. using a single
computer screen without having to look at all the different NMEA talkers.
This software can be installed on any computer on a network to permit viewing
of data at locations other than the bridge also. Integrated electronic
logbook automatically acquires data and simplifies the process
of generating crew watchtime reports.
Sample crew watchtime report
Internet Connection System
The Internet Connection System is a Cisco router based solution for switching
between multiple means of connecting to the Internet on a vessel.
A graphical user interface simplifies the task of selecting the active
method of connection. This system offers a 
rugged
alternative to other computer based solutions that are susceptible to
hard drive failures. This approach is also much more efficient than other
computer software based solutions that end up having more overhead resulting in
slower connectivity. The system is modular and can be designed to deal
with any combination of Fleet 33, 55 or 77 ISDN and/or MPDS, VSAT, Marina
wireless, Clearwire, 3G Aircard, dial up via external modems, DSL (at
a marina) or any other means of Internet connectivity. This
system also makes the implementation of onboard wireless networks much
more secure.
Fire Mimic
The fire mimic system interfaces with fire panels and provides alarm mimic
capability throughout a yacht or large estate. This
is particularly useful in installations where the fire panel does not come with
a detailed mimic panel. In order
to display the state of individual detectors, an addressable fire panel
such as the Thorn Minerva panel is required. This
system can show if a detector is isolated or has a fault as well as the state of
fire doors if that information is available from the fire panel. All
alarms are logged historically. Fire
attack plans can be integrated into this application. This system
can also be used to annunciate panic or duress alarms as well as art alarms.
Inventory Management
The Inventory software makes it possible to keep track of spare parts in a
variety of applications including yachts, large estates as well as any
establishment where parts are stocked and need to be tracked. The
software is a web based application that makes it possible for multiple users
to access it simultaneously using just a browser. No extra software or
configuration is required on client computers as all that is needed is a
browser. It is possible to search for parts using a variety of search
criteria. It is possible to enter and view photographs of parts as well
as of the location where they are stored. An intuitive user interface
makes it easy to add and remove parts from inventory. The software includes
powerful reporting capabilities. Reports includer reorder, inventory
value, usage as well as graphical usage and restocking trending. Reports
can be saved as PDF files. Email us for an online demo.
Maintenance Tracking
This software makes it possible to define and track preventive maintenance tasks for any installation ranging from a yacht, factory to a large estate. The key feature of this software is that it is very easy to use. The user interface resembles Windows Explorer and uses a tree structure. Maintenance tasks can be based on date/time (weekly, monthly etc.), running hours of the equipment or gallons/liters of fuel burnt in the case of engines and generators. It can be interfaced with a monitoring system to automatically bring in running hours for the relevant equipment as well as gallons of fuel burnt for engines and generators. The list of equipment and maintenance tasks for each piece of equipment are custom defined and can be edited by the user. These are saved in a database along with a history of all maintenance tasks performed. Non-scheduled repair tasks performed can also be entered in the program and make it a valuable knowledge base tool making it easy to troubleshoot recurring problems. The program provides graphical indication any time a maintenance setpoint is reached. These setpoints can be a combination of date, hours run or gallons burnt, whichever comes first. Also included are reminder tasks, for example, things that need to be done when a yacht goes in to dry-dock. Powerful reporting capabilities include generation of a variety of reports as PDF files for emailing. Email us for an online demo.
Document Tracker
This software tracks expiration dates of important crew, guest and ship
documents. Crew documents include certifications, licenses,
passports etc. Ship documents include both class and flag state issued
documents. The program automatically calculates the next expiration
date once you renew the relevant document. You can also create
reminder tasks and get pre-warnings for upcoming renewals. The software
is very user friendly and minimizes the risk of ever missing a critical
document renewal date. Powerful reporting capabilities include generation
of a variety of reports as PDF files for emailing. Special version for
yacht management companies makes it possible to monitor expiration dates for
documents for all yachts in the fleet. Email us for an
online demo.
May 2007 Issue 84 Yacht Report article
Crew certification sample report
Management company crew sample report
Official crew sample report
Ship's documents sample report
Lighting
The lighting software interfaces with lighting systems such as Litetouch,
Lutron, Vantage as well as hard-wired lighting systems and makes it possible to
group all exterior lights into groups that can be turned on or off via single
buttons. The custom groups can be turned on or off based on a timer. Lights
can also be controlled on an individual basis using a GA of the vessel showing
the location of the light. With
interior lights, it is possible to turn all lights in the guest areas off when
there are no guests onboard with a single button.
Rack Monitoring
A web
interface makes it possible to monitor the environmental conditions of
equipment racks thus protecting valuable equipment. System can send email
alerts and also provide contact closure outputs to allow interfacing with other
monitoring systems. Parameters monitored are temperature,
humidity, smoke, open doors and voltage. Alarming
setpoints are user configurable. Powerful trending capability makes
it possible to view variations over time and also access historical data.
Steward Call
The steward call system comprises wired and wireless call buttons in guest
accommodations wired back to a central controller. In addition there are
small touchscreen based flat panel displays installed in crew watch
locations. When a guest presses a call button in their room to call a
steward, the location of where t
he
call button was pressed shows up on the steward call displays. The
pushbuttons also have a LED to provide feedback to the user to indicate that
the button press has been recognized by the system. The displays can list
multiple calls and sort them by the time of request. The displays also
have a buzzer to make it easier to get the attention of crew members. When a
crew member sees a steward call come in, they can press a button on the display
to acknowledge and silence the buzzer. This silences it simultaneously on
all displays while at the same time turns off the LED in the guest's room
notifying the guest that their request has been received and someone is on the
way. The system can also be interfaced with a UHF paging system or a
phone system to send out steward calls via alphanumeric pages, SMS or
pre-recorded voice messages. ct
Information:
Tank Monitoring
Our tank monitoring system displays fuel, potable water and wastewater tank
levels. It corrects for the e
ffect
of sloshing while underway by using filtering techniques to provide stable and
accurate readings. The systems also provide alarms at user specified
setpoints for low levels as well as high levels to prevent overfill. It
can be integrated with other computer based systems that can compute the trim
of the yacht, estimate how far the yacht can go based on the current rate of
consumption when used in conjunction with a fuel flow monitoring program.
The computer based screen displays the tank volumes as bar graphs and provide
the ability to trend the tank volumes and acknowledge alarms.
NMEA Data Router
The NMEA data routing system provides a flexible way of managing the integration
and distribution of NMEA data from various navigational sources on
a vessel using an easy to use Windows based graphical user interface
(GUI). The system provides a simple means of terminating
navigationaldevices and supports upto 
32 inputs and 32 outputs with full optoisolation of all inputs and
outputs. The system software makes it possible to diagnose and
troubleshoot NMEA problems and improves performance by sending only desired
signals to listeners rather than sending everything that a talker may put
out. It is also possible to easily generate customized output streams by
mixing input messages from different input devices.
Alphanumeric Paging
The
alphanumeric paging system interfaces with Zetron, Motorola Peoplefinder and
other radio paging systems to provide an easy to use computer screen driven
interface for sending out both predefined and custom alphanumeric
pages. This system can also be programmed to send automatic alphanumeric
pages in the event of a fire with details of the location of the fire speeding
up the response time. It can also be interfaced with the alarm monitoring
system to send out pages in response to critical alarms.
Door Entry Keypad Format Converter
Permits installation of telephone style numeric keypads with an X-Y 3x4
interface in systems requiring a 2 of 7 styl
e
keypad. An X-Y keypad is one in which when a button is pressed, the
appropriate row and column outputs get connected to each other whereas in a 2
of 7 keypad, when a button is pressed, the appropriate row and column outputs
get connected to a common. This converter is a compact PLC based system
and comes in a 24VDC or 110VAC version with screw terminals for all wiring.
Mantrap control system
Can
be used to secure access to any facility. Interfaces with door
contacts, motion detectors, eletric door locks, beams, hand geometry
readers, card readers and access control systems. Touchscreen
based user interface.