Within this document, the term "eAIP" is used in order to designate an Electronic AIP produced in accordance with the EUROCONTROL eAIP Specification. In particular, it is assumed that the conversion files and style sheets provided by EUROCONTROL have been used for the production of the HTML format.
This Manual is intended to cover general usage instructions applicable to any eAIP. In addition, it provides usage instructions which are specific to the eAIP Specimen provided by EUROCONTROL.
The on-screen (HTML) presentation part of the eAIP Specification was validated with a group of real users, in the form of a Usability Study. Some of the most important advantages for users of an eAIP are listed below:
ease of browsing, facilitated by the HTML technology (hot links, tool tips, etc.);
clearly highlighted changes (both in text and graphics);
no maintenance effort (no time spent on page replacement at every amendment);
can be made available for the whole company (no need to go to the library);
no postal delays (if distributed through the Internet);
Through the use of the Extensible Markup Language (XML), the eAIP data content is completely separated from presentation, which, in turn, may be tailored to every target media. While the capability to fine-tune the eAIP presentation for every media (paper, CD-ROM, Web, etc.) is an advantage for the users, it is also a challenge for the producers. They must ensure the consistency between the different formats.
As a baseline, users should expect to get the eAIP in three formats: XML, HTML (for browsing) and PDF (for printing). Most likely, the reference format is XML. However, depending on the legislation in force in the issuing State and/or the user's State, it might be that another format (for example PDF or the paper document) is declared as the reference format. This is important in case of discrepancies between the different formats. Before using the eAIP for operational purpose, the user shall clarify with the issuing organisation which of the different formats should be considered as prevailing in case of discrepancies.
An eAIP in XML format consists of files with extension ".xml" and graphical files, which are typically located in a "graphics" directory. The XML format is not intended for browsing, as no formatting information is included. The main role of the XML format is to provide the reference data. Very likely, the other formats have been derived from the XML source files, through the use of style sheets. However, it is also possible that only the HTML format was produced from the XML format, while both the XML and the PDF format have been produced from another source, which is not distributed.
The HTML format is intended for browsing. It consists of files with extension ".html", graphical files, style sheet files (".css") and java script files. The graphical files are usually shared between the XML and the HTML format and are located in the "graphics" directory.
Very likely, most users will consult the content of an eAIP through the use of a HTML browser, which was designed in order to facilitate the on-screen consultation.
The PDF format is intended for printing and consists of files with the extension ".pdf". All graphics are embedded. The user should expect the PDF files to be entirely conform with the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices for the AIP content and structure. If the issuing State is also distributing a paper AIP, the user should expect the pages of the PDF format to be identical to the pages of that paper AIP.
The eAIP may be made available on-line, through the use of the Internet, a company intranet or another file-sharing enabled network. It may also be made available off-line, through distribution on a physical media such as a CD-ROM.
One of the main differences between an eAIP and a paper AIP, is that the eAIP is made available as a complete document. For every AIRAC cycle, a complete eAIP will be issued. No effort has to be spent by the user for the fastidious page replacement exercise imposed by the paper AIP amendment procedure.
It is very likely that, whatever the distribution media, several temporal versions are made available. As a baseline, the user should expect to have access to:
the current effective version (the effective date is either before or equal to the current date)
the next effective version (the effective date is after the current date).
The publication and effective dates of an eAIP comply with the ICAO rules. Issues of the eAIP that contain operational significant changes are published in accordance to the AIRAC cycle requirements.
It is the responsibility of the user to make sure that he is browsing the appropriate version. It is possible that the eAIP producer has included a warning mechanism, for example as a pop-up message, which will warn the user in case he is accessing a version which is not the currently effective. The correctness of such warnings depend on the date setup of the user's computer and are not entirely reliable.