The Admiralty Raster Chart Service (ARCS) is the digital reproduction of Admiralty charts for use in a wide range of advanced electronic charting and navigation systems, such as Cable Analyst and ESRI’s ArcView. The charts can be equally effective both at sea and in shore-based applications.

The service provides direct facsimile reproductions of Admiralty charts supplied on CD-ROM providing high standards of accuracy and clarity. The ARCS raster chart service provides global coverage with over 3,000 charts on CD, covering the world's major ports and routes. Worldwide coverage is held on ten regional CDs and one CD for small-scale charts (each CD contains up to 350 charts). Updating is achieved with minimum effort. Weekly Notices to Mariners corrections are supplied on an Update CD. The corrections are applied automatically and the updating information is cumulative so only the latest Update CD needs to be used.

Two levels of ARCS service are available. Users can purchase either of these two service levels, depending upon their application and requirements: ARCS Navigator or ARCS Skipper.

The ARCS Navigator is designed for users requiring access to the latest automatic updating information. It is a complete chart supply and updating service, which is provided under license to the user. Upon subscribing to this service, the user will be supplied with the regional CDs that are required and, for the period of the license, the weekly update CDs. These weekly updates contain all the necessary Notices to Mariners information, new chart editions and Preliminary and Temporary Notice to Mariners information needed to maintain the full ARCS chart outfit up to date. Periodically the user will be supplied with reprints of Regional CDs.

The ARCS Skipper is the purchase - rather than the subscription - to the same set of charts as Navigator. Instead of subscribing and receiving regular updates to the data, users purchase the Skipper charts and use them for as long as they like.

ARCS charts need a middle program called ARCS for GIS. This product allows for ARCS charts to be used in ArcView Software.

ARCS charts are official digital facsimiles of the Admiralty chart and thus carry the same guarantee of quality and accuracy. The safety and effectiveness of electronic charts are determined however not only by the quality of the chart data itself but also by the capability and reliability of the display equipment. In this context, the use of ARCS within compatible navigation equipment does not, at present, satisfy the requirements of SOLAS Regulation V20 for vessels to carry charts.

Where supported by an appropriate folio of paper charts, official Raster Navigational Charts (RNC), such as ARCS, can be used in type-approved ECDIS for primary navigation in the areas where ENCs are not yet available. Dual use of ENC and ARCS Navigator in ECDIS minimizes the carriage requirement for paper charts and delivers the optimum combination of electronic chart safety and functionality worldwide.

For additional information, please visit www.intelliscan.co.uk or www.ukho.gov.uk/arcs_navigator.html.