TerraVision> ECERS> Overview
Electronic Catch and Effort Reporting System

System Overview

The ECERS system developed by TerraVision and the QFS is well documented publicly and a user manual can be downloaded from the VMS web page operated by the QFS here.

It is based on Microsoft Windows technology and submits its data report via e-mail. An OLEDB database is maintained on board the vessel which can be accessed externally using Microsoft Access, whilst on the land side the system uses Oracle, Ingres or Access databases to collate the incoming information (Ingress at the QFS headquarters, Oracle in research and MS Access at the fishermans home).

The e-logbook can use as many data entry/management forms as supplied with the application and can be a mixture of fisheries, VMS requirements, boarding information, special notifications, non fishing and B2B.

The software is an end to end solution, supporting the vessel client end and also the fishing administrator server end. An ECERS server is also available for fishing companies so that they can be copied (CC in email) with the same data sent to the fishing administrator's server. The server software includes the ability to onforward the catch report to other organisations or research groups if necessary. The distribution of ECERS data is according to business rules, which can be set up in much the same way that VMS data is onsent to remote systems. The server software which automatically processes incoming email and stores the data in the database also verifies reported lat / long positions against the TerraVision VMS positions. The server also has automated archiving and backup facilities.

The use of Microsoft Outlook to provide the email platform is advantageous in that it supports Public Key Encryption and thus allows catch reports to be submitted encrypted and with a digital ID signature. Also the Fisheries Administration server is configured to acknowledge each report sent by the client. The acknowledgement is stored in the vessel's ECERS database tables against each report.

Funtionality...

Fisheries forms can be designed by TerraVision to suit any fishery. The information is stored in the mode required by the form, whether it be by shot, daily or trip reports and can be retrieved by clicking on the appropriate day of the calendar contained on the ECERS interface. Different shots can be filled in separate forms under the same day and a total table is automatically produced.

Version control of ECERS forms are managed by each form maintaining its own database table structure, and thus when a new version of a form is loaded, a table structure is created to suit that version. This enables old data to be viewed with forms supporting the old table structures, whilst newer forms are used for reporting.