The VDR (Voyage Data Recorder), is the maritime equivalent to the black boxes used by airlines. The system is usually two-part in that it is an data collection unit that is attached to a protective capsule on deck designed to withstand fire, deep sea pressure shock, and penetration. It is commonly used to record navigation events, but also provides useful information for heavy weather damage analysis and monitoring of performance, as well as crew training.
Up-grading
Many ships fitted with VDR/SVDR devices meet the bare minimum regulatory requirements however, Members are urged to think about using the equipment to investigate incidents and preventive maintenance, bridge team training as well as to record near misses. In addition, there are applications that can extend the period of time that VDR data is accessible from the current 12 hour minimum and a decision needs to be made as to whether or not to upgrade to this.
The system is built around an industrial-grade processor that performs several functions, including processing and encoding information http://www.digitaldealdataroom.info/how-to-get-started-with-your-new-ideals-vdr-system/ received from sensors. The data is then stored in a capsule that is designed to stand up to an accident and provide evidence of what occurred onboard the ship. The VDR system is made up of an instrument for data collection that is situated on the bridge as well as a dedicated power supply as well as an interface unit and backup batteries. The unit gathers data from all sources integrated including microphones for recording bridge audio and transmits it to the Concentrator. There, it is processed into a series of NMEA 0183 sentences are processed and encoded to be transmitted to the final recorded medium.