Over the past several years new technologies have been introduced by Microsoft that allow spatial information to be used much more efficiently than has been the case in the past. The new software is based on a technology called Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) which provides a consistent framework for operator interface, 2D graphics, 3D graphics and video. Data are stored using Microsoft’s SQL Server Express 2008 technology which incorporates native spatial data support. This translates to the ability to store and access data in ways that were once only the province of GIS systems. In addition, the software uses Microsoft’s Windows Communication Foundation for communicating between computers on local or wide-area networks. This technology brings enterprise-class reliability and consistency to the software and allows for systems that scale from a single workstation through a network system on a vessel or linked vessels and further to shore via a WAN if available. In addition to these technologies  RealDWG licensed from AutoDesk has been integrated into the software to provide direct reading and writing of the most commonly used engineering graphics format