VDR (Voyage Data Recorder) is the maritime equivalent of the black box that airlines employ. The system is usually two-part, consisting of an information-collecting unit that is connected to a protective capsule mounted on deck designed to withstand fire, deep-sea pressure and shock as well as penetration. It is often used to record incidents during navigation, but it can also provide valuable data for heavy weather damage analysis and monitoring of performance as well as for crew training.
Up-grading
Many ships equipped with VDR/SVDR equipment comply with the minimum requirements of regulatory compliance However, members are encouraged to think about using the equipment for incident investigation and preventive maintenance, bridge team training as well as for recording near misses. There are also programs that can extend the time duration for which VDR data will be available beyond the current minimum of 12 hours. It is important to make a decision made on whether to upgrade the equipment.
The system is built on an industrial-grade computer that can perform various functions, including processing and encoding information received from sensors. It then stores the data inside a capsule built to withstand an incident and provide proof of what transpired on the ship. The VDR system is made up of an instrument for data collection that is situated on the bridge, as in addition to a dedicated power supply, an interface unit, and backup batteries. The unit gathers data from all integrated sources including microphones, which record bridge audio, and sends it to the Concentrator. There, the resulting NMEA 0183 sentences are processed and encoded prior to being http://www.digitaldealdataroom.info/database-access-control-best-practices/ transmitted to the final recording medium.