The ability to track small vessels is critical to national security, but not easily accomplished due to the sheer volume of craft and the range of environments which they operate within. The introduction of smart-phones with location, orientation, camera, and Internet capabilities is enabling collaborative applications that have strong locative potential. These devices are capable of acting as basic Electronic Chart Systems (ECSs), along with providing additional nautical services such as weather forecasts, electronic text chat/VOIP, and so forth. Smart Chart AIS will result in smart-phone based ECS capabilities that can be distributed for free to the small craft community. The only obligation of end users will be to register with a Smart Chart AIS server and to enable broadcast of AIS-like data. This will enable tracking of many small craft through cloud based servers. The Phase 1 effort resulted in successful proof of principle prototypes being developed for the iPhone and Android platforms. Phase 2 will fully develop the app for these platforms plus Windows Phone platforms, along with fully implementing supporting server capabilities that include gateway services to other Maritime Domain Awareness systems. This effort is expected to provide the basis for a new international standard called AIS Class E. The Phase 2 option will facilitate adoption of AIS Class E by other ECS manufacturers through creation of Application Programmer Interfaces. Smart Chart AIS presents a strong opportunity for commercial growth through additional value added applications, server software licensing, content marketing, and related product development.
