Designed by our dedicated and experienced staff, ORION Pro runs on a ship's PC as a comprehensive, 32 bit Windows - based software program. The system is enriched by our in-house meteorological experts who analyze extensive global weather data from multiple data sources (ECMWF, NCEP, JMA and FNMOC) to produce the most relevant forecasts for our customers' unique needs.

 

Taking into account specific ship features (unique load conditions, hull and engine characteristics, etc.), and forecast weather conditions (wind, seas, swell, current, etc.), ORION Pro provides optimal route information to assist the bridge team in selecting the safest and most economical route.

	Proprietary 2.5 degree global weather forecasts (with an option to achieve one degree forecasts)
	Most weather updates collected every 12 or 24 hours, or as required
	Tropical weather data collected every 6 hours
	Data graphically overlaid on route maps or presented in more detailed tabular format
	Weathernews text forecasts and other bulletins, as available
	Available forecast data:
	-	Surface pressure contours
	-	Weather fronts
	-	500 hPa (mb) pressure contours
	-	Wind barbs
	-	Significant wave height contours
	-	Primary wave height, direction and period
	-	Secondary wave height, direction and period
	-	Tropical storm tracks (wind radius and maximum sustained speeds)
	-	Observed major ocean currents (core location and strength)
	-	Iceberg and pack ice data
	World Charts derived from the Defense Mapping Agency database, and include:
	-	Selectable lat/lon grids
	-	Customizable chart options
	-	Projection zooming
	-	Pan feature for chart centering

24/7 Shoreside Assistance
When needed, obtain route planning assistance and weather guidance from Weathernews' Marine Operations Center which is fully staffed 24/7/365. Our dedicated and experienced staff of Risk Communicators is always on hand to provide support and assistance to ORION Pro customers. Weathernews supplies Optimum Ship Routing to ORION Pro vessels if the system is not fully functional.

 

Optimized Routing

Select the optimum route based on multiple operational criteria, including: minimum enroute time, fixed ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival), no-go zones, forced intermediate points, weather avoidance constraints and maximum fuel economy.

Ship Motions

As an optional upgrade, use customized model data to predict ship motions, including: roll, pitch, heave, probability of bow & propeller emergence/ submergence and the number of bow slams per hour. Safeguard your crew, ship and cargo while avoiding costly structural damage and repairs by predicting these potentially damaging situations and optimizing routes to avoid them.

Route Comparison

Compare routes at any position and time to see which will provide the safest and most cost-efficient results. Create and compare new routes at any enroute point.

 

 

 

Route Display

Display estimated positions along the route in relation to changing forecast conditions. Routes and weather can be animated for enhanced visualization of weather effects. View a Route Snapshot showing detailed effects of wind, and primary and secondary waves on the vessel at any point along the route.

ECDIS Interface

Easily transfer waypoints between ORION Pro and ECDIS programs.

User-Friendly Route Input

Easily input routes via port snapping, on-screen route editing, canned route search and paste, on the fly simulation, and more.

Reports

Produce Route Reports that can be displayed on-screen, or exported into spreadsheets and word processors.

Time Series Graphs

Easily understand the representation of simulated voyage conditions via Time Series graphs that depict weather as well as a variety of speed, distance, time and performance calculations.

Oceanwatch Integration

Use ORION Pro as a stand-alone tool for an individual ship, or use it in conjunction with OceanWatch, Weathernews' popular Web-based Weather Information and Fleet Display system.

GPS Integration

When connected to a GPS unit, automatically insert ship positions using NMEA protocols.

Satellite Imagery

Display and animate satellite imagery of earlier weather conditions to depict weather changes in a dynamic loop.

 

SRA Simulation

Produce more accurate speed-down, dead reckoning and ETA's with the advanced speed reduction algorithm. Also, use the built-in option to set periods for speed and RPM adjustments.

Printing

Print active screens, reports, weather and voyage information.

 

Hardware

	IBM PC or compatible (Minimum 350 Mhz; Pentium II or higher is recommended)
	RAM memory: Minimum 64 Mb (128 Mb is recommended)
	Connection ports: 2 Serial ports and 1 parallel port are required
	LAN (optional)
	CD-ROM Drive is required
	60 Mb of free disk space
	Modem, V.34 data compatible or better
	Color printer (optional)

 

Software

	Operating System: Minimum Windows 95 or newer

 

Network Installations

	ORION Pro can be installed on a single PC, network drive, thin-client server, or individual computers sharing data on a network drive.