IWRAP FAQ
IWRAP - Frequently Asked Questions
Installation and configuration
Where do I download IWRAP?
The download site has not been made public yet, but send an e-mail to Omar Frits Eriksson, ofe_at_frv_dot_dk. and he will help you out.
How do I install IWRAP?
Installing IWRAP takes between 10 and 30 minutes, and involves uploading/copying files, and running the installer script to configure the software - see Installation.
Licensing scheme
Why do I need a license?
No License no play. The IWRAP software is free off charge for IALA members, however in order to keep track of who is actually using the software, IALA has chosen a licencing scheme that ensures that the sofware expires after a certain period of time. This also helps ensuring that everyone has an updated version of IWRAP.
Who can obtain a license?
Only IALA members can obtain the free IWRAP license.
Non-IALA members are able to buy a license to a commercial variant of IWRAP.
How do I get an IWRAP License
When you run the IWRAP program for the first time, the software asks for your contact details and then provides you with the first part of the license key. You are then asked to send this key to IALA (through e-mail). After checking your IALA membership, IALA returns the complete license key which you paste into the software, and you are ready to run the programme.
How long does the license last?
When the license key is issued, the expiration time is defined. This will be a few months in the beginning, but will probably be set to one year once the software is fairly mature.
How many licenses can my organization obtain?
As many as you need.
IALA just wants to keep track of the users of IWRAP.
Other Questions
Can we use ENC's with IWRAP MK II?
No. IWRAP does not yet support proper ENC's.
However Version 2.0 onwards of IWRAP supports Raster Charts as well as Web Map Services (WMS) such as Google Maps and Open Street maps. Google and Open Street give you only the coastline, not the bathymetry of the waterway so, at present, the only way to display Navigational Charts as background, is to use Raster Charts.
The next release of IWRAP is expected to support WMS based ENC´s.
How is AIS data used in IWRAP?
Are we just using the AIS data to determine leg distribution and volume? Or are we actually uploading the AIS data tracks into IWRAP MK II?
The free version of IWRAP does not support automatic import of AIS data. In the Malacca Strait exercise we used external tools for processing AIS data to determine volume of traffic, route layout and lateral distribution of traffic on each route leg.
The Danish Maritime Safety Administration (DAMSA) has developed a set of tools external to IWRAP, that are capable of processing AIS data to obtain the above mentioned information and to compile it into an IWRAP waterway model file (XML).
The commercial version of IWRAP (planned to be released soon and at least before end of 2009) will include more or less automatic processing of AIS data as was explained at the IWRAP seminar in Kuala Lumpur in April 2009.
IALA wants to collect waterway models from all over the world. The ultimate aim is to put together a global risk model :-)
How do I start a new modelling project?
See the User Manual
Why do I get the question "Do you want to upload model to IALA?
IALA wants to collect waterway models from all over the world. The ultimate aim is to put together a global risk model :-).
Operating Systems?
IWRAP has been tested to run without problems on Windows XP and Vista.
It has also been tested on a Chinese version of Microsoft Windows XP (Tested at Shanghai University).