Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems :
Ships have long been required to carry nautical charts and nautical publications to plan and display the ship’s route for the intended voyage and to plot and monitor positions throughout the voyage.
The advent of electronic charts in the 1990s provided ships with additional information, including real time information which could be displayed on screens on Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).
More information here : http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Safety/Navigation/Pages/ElectronicCharts.aspx
